Workshops: repairs
What to do with a watch its client never collects, in France
Every workshop has some: repaired watches nobody comes to collect. In France, the law of 31 December 1903 provides a procedure, which goes through the judge. This guide sets out what the law says, article by article.
What the law of 31 December 1903 says
Movable objects entrusted to a professional to be worked, shaped, repaired or cleaned, and not collected within one year, may be sold under the conditions of the following articles (article 1).
The professional submits an application to the judge of the tribunal judiciaire, or to its president depending on the value of the objects. It states the facts and gives, for each object, the date of receipt, the description, the price of the work claimed, the name of the owner and the place where the object was entrusted (article 2).
The judge's order sets the day, the hour and the place of the sale, and appoints the public officer who carries it out. If the order was not made in the owner's presence, the public officer warns them eight clear days in advance, by registered letter, when their address is known (article 2).
The sale is a public auction, announced eight days in advance by posters (article 3). The owner may object by a bailiff's writ served on the professional, which counts as a summons to appear before the court that authorised the sale (article 4).
From the proceeds, after costs, the public officer pays the professional's claim. The surplus is paid to the Caisse des dépôts et consignations in the owner's name; if not claimed for five years after the deposit, it goes to the Treasury. If the proceeds do not cover the costs, the professional pays the difference, with recourse against the owner (article 5).
What to take from it
- The workshop does not sell the watch itself: the sale goes through the judge and a public officer.
- The application asks for items the file must hold: date of receipt, description, price of the repair claimed, name of the owner, place where the watch was entrusted.
- The surplus from the sale belongs to the owner.
- The text does not allow keeping the watch for oneself.
What the text does not say
In the articles read, the starting point of the one-year period is not specified: from receipt of the watch, from the moment it is ready, or otherwise. Nor does the text say when the client must have been warned before the application. A lawyer or the clerk's office of the tribunal judiciaire settles these points.
For motor vehicles the period is three months; it does not concern watches. The law also applies to objects left in furniture storage (article 6 bis).
And in Belgium
The rule is different in Belgium: a registered letter, then a year's wait before a sale can be made. It is set out in the guide on the watch never collected in Belgium.
What Provena Studio does
Studio reminds you of a watch that is ready and not collected: a reminder after thirty days, the registered letter to send after ninety days, then the period reached. The file keeps the date of receipt, the description of the watch, the price of the repair and the client's name, which are what the application asks for. Studio does not apply to the judge and sells nothing: the decision stays with the workshop.
What Provena Studio does for a workshop
The texts
Official texts read on 10 November 2026.
Provena Studio
Provena Studio is the working tool of watch workshops and watch dealers: repairs from reception to handover, stock, purchases and consignment.
Request a demo. The request goes out by e-mail: we answer ourselves to arrange a meeting.
Written from field feedback and the official texts; it is not legal advice. It is a translation of the French guide. Published on 10 November 2026. Lire en français