When moving house with watches, the rule fits in one sentence: they do not go in the removal van. Photograph and list every watch the day before, pack each one in its own compartment inside a rigid case, and carry them yourself in a bag you never put down. A move is when the most objects are lost and broken, because everything leaves its place at once.
Why never with the removal company
It is not a question of trust; it is a question of contractual liability.
A professional removal company's liability is usually capped, per item and overall, at amounts set out in the contract. Those caps are designed for furniture, not for small objects of concentrated value.
There is generally a procedure for declaring value that raises these limits. It requires you to list precisely what is being moved, justify its value and pay a surcharge. That makes sense for a piano, much less for watches you can simply put in your bag.
Add to that the fact that boxes travel, get opened, and are sometimes stored for several days. A move is the ideal setting for an object to disappear without anyone being able to say when or where.
Make an inventory before you pack
Do it the day before, not in the rush of moving day.
One photo per watch, of the dial and of the case back with the serial number legible. A written list with the references. Everything sent to your email or stored online, not just on the phone you could lose that same day.
It is twenty minutes of work that entirely determines what you will be able to claim if something goes wrong.
How to pack watches for moving: what protects and what damages
Three classic mistakes.
Newspaper. The ink transfers onto light-coloured straps and onto leather. Avoid it.
Cling film in direct contact. It traps moisture. On a move that drags on, or in a storage unit, that means condensation against the case.
Loose in a pouch. Two cases in the same compartment will scratch on the first journey. This is by far the most frequent damage, and the most avoidable.
What works: individual compartments and a rigid shell. A watch travel case with dividers is exactly the right object — each watch is isolated, the whole thing fits in a backpack, and you keep it on you.
Carry them yourself
The watches travel with you, in the bag you never let go of. Not in the car left parked outside the old flat while you finish loading.
If you are moving far and taking a plane or train, apply the same rules as for any trip: hand luggage, never the hold. Our guide to travelling with watches on a plane covers the details.
When you arrive
The first days in a new home are the most exposed: doors open, tradespeople coming and going, boxes everywhere, no storage habits yet in place.
Keep the watches in their case, somewhere only you know, until the home is properly secured and settled. Only then take them out and put them back in their watch box.
And take the opportunity to check something that is always overlooked: does your new home insurance cover your valuables at the same level as the old one? See are watches covered by home insurance?