Record enough to prove the watch arrived as you say it did, and enough to quote without opening it twice. In practice that is: who brought it, what it is by reference and serial, the condition of the crystal, case, bezel, crown, caseback and bracelet, what accessories came with it, what the customer actually asked for, what you observed running, and photographs of anything already damaged. The photographs are the part people skip and the part that settles arguments.
Client name and contact, then the watch identified properly: brand, model, reference and serial number. Reference and serial are different things and should never share a field — the reference tells you what the watch is, the serial tells you which one it is.
Grade the crystal, bezel, crown, case, caseback and clasp separately rather than writing "good condition" across the whole watch. A cracked crystal on an otherwise clean case is a different conversation from a dented case, and "good condition" will not survive the customer remembering it differently.
Box, papers, warranty card, spare links, hang tags, receipts, service papers, certificates. Count the links. Spare links are small, valuable, easy to lose and the most common thing a customer says was in the box.
Timing and amplitude by position, power reserve, whether it is magnetised, water-resistance method and result, and any sign of shock damage or aftermarket parts. Taken at intake, these are a baseline; taken only at the end, they are an opinion.
Dial, caseback, bracelet, clasp, and a close photograph of every mark you can already see. This is the single highest-value thing at intake and it costs about ninety seconds. It is also the only evidence that a scratch predates you.
What the customer asked for in their words, the scope you propose, an assessment fee if one applies, and a promised date. A promise date you record is a promise you can manage; one you only say out loud is one you will be chased about.
Free text cannot be compared, counted or defended. "Light marks to case" means nothing six weeks later against a customer who remembers a flawless watch. Grade against fixed options so two intakes a year apart are describing the same scale.
Without it you cannot prove which watch came back, and you cannot build a service history that survives the customer selling it to somebody who returns in five years with the same piece.
If the watch needs opening to be quoted, the assessment has a cost whether or not the work goes ahead. Agreeing that at intake is a short conversation; agreeing it afterwards is a dispute.
Front of house quotes two weeks, the bench is six deep and waiting on a part. A promised date is worth recording only if the person making it can see the workload behind it.
The intake checklist that keeps a quote defensible, a service history useful, and a disagreement about a scratch from becoming your problem.
In the order they happen at the counter.
Each of these is cheap at intake and expensive at collection.
The same records carry over to retail: condition, accessories and history are what a watch is worth on the way out, too.
Reference auto-fill from over 10,000 models, condition grading per part, accessories, photographs and diagnostics against the job. $99 per month AUD, 14-day free trial, no credit card required.