In short: the first weeks with a new Rolex are when people make the most mistakes, and when the most can be avoided. Keep the complete file (warranty card, invoice, box and removed links), photograph your watch, check your insurance, learn the few habits that preserve it, and protect it before the first scratch. It is the only moment when its condition is still perfect.
1. Keep the complete file, from day one
On the day of purchase, you think about the watch, rarely about what comes with it. Yet this file, which collectors call the "full set", will weigh the most on the day you want to sell it or have it serviced.
- The warranty card: today a credit-card-sized card in the name of the authorised retailer, with the reference and the date of purchase. Rolex watches sold by an authorised retailer since July 2015 carry a five-year warranty.
- The purchase invoice: keep the original and a digital copy.
- The box, inner and outer, with the booklets and tags.
- The removed links: if the bracelet was shortened in store, ask for the links. The next owner may not have the same wrist, and an incomplete bracelet lowers the offer.
Store the papers and links together, away from humidity. And write down your reference (for example 126610LN): it is what you will need for everything else, from insurance to choosing a protection. Here is where to find it.
2. Photograph it and check your insurance
Take a few sharp photos of the watch (dial, sides, clasp, caseback) and of its papers. In case of theft, loss or damage, they prove what you owned and in what condition.
Then check your home insurance policy: many policies cap valuables, or only cover them outside the home with an option. If that is the case, dedicated watch insurance exists.
Keep the serial number for yourself and your insurer: never publish it online or on social media.
3. Know the areas that will mark first
A Rolex is robust, but polished steel and gold quickly show everyday rubbing. On most models, the first marks appear in the same order:
- The clasp cover, which rubs against the desk and the edge of the laptop. It is almost always the first area to mark.
- The polished centre links, especially on a Jubilee bracelet: they reflect light like a mirror, and the slightest micro-scratch shows.
- The case sides and edges, which take the small knocks. They are also the first thing buyers look at when you resell.
- The gold parts of a two-tone watch (Rolesor): gold is softer than steel and marks faster.
Cerachrom ceramic bezels, on the other hand, are known to be extremely scratch-resistant: it is the steel around them that marks. Details by model: GMT-Master II, Submariner, Datejust.
4. Adopt the right habits now
- Always screw the crown back down after using it: it is what keeps the watch water-resistant.
- Wear it on the wrist that doesn't type when possible, and watch out for aluminium laptop edges.
- Store it on its own, in a compartment, never loose with other watches, jewellery or keys.
- If you don't wear it for a few days, it stops: that is normal for an automatic watch. Recent Rolex calibres have a power reserve of about 70 hours. Wind it with the crown and set the time again.
- After the sea or the pool, rinse it with fresh water, crown screwed down.
- At a future service, at the brand or with a watchmaker, say if you do not want it polished. Polishing removes scratches by removing metal, and the edges never regain their original sharpness.
5. Protect it before the first scratch
A new Rolex has only one perfect condition: the one on day one. Every week worn without protection adds micro-scratches, especially on the clasp and the polished links. And once they are there, only polishing makes them disappear.
A PreserveLayer™ film cut for your reference freezes that condition: case, crystal, lugs and clasp with the Essential kit (€79), and the bracelet too with the Premium kit (€149). It is applied at home in about 30 minutes, removes cleanly without residue, and spare pieces are included in the kit. The sooner it is applied, the more there is to preserve.
The film does not remove a mark that is already there: it protects the watch's condition as it is on the day it is applied.
Frequently asked questions
Should you keep a Rolex box?
Yes. Together with the warranty card and the invoice, it is part of the "full set". A watch sold complete generally sells more easily and at a better price than the watch alone.
Can my new Rolex already get scratched?
Yes, from the very first days. The sapphire crystal and the ceramic bezel resist very well, but the steel and gold of the clasp, the links and the case mark on contact with everyday hard surfaces.
When should you protect a Rolex?
As soon as possible, ideally before wearing it every day. The film protects the condition on the day it is applied: on a new watch, that condition is perfect.
Does the protection damage the watch when removed?
No. The film removes cleanly, without leaving any residue.
Not sure about your reference? Here is where to find it.
By the ChronoSkin team, French maker of protective films for watches. Updated on 3 November 2026.