AbonnéWatches & Jewellery
Audemars Piguet Launches Its Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) Platform, The Watch Keepers
This Monday, 26 October, the Le Brassus-based manufacturer is launching its platform for certified pre-owned watches. Long-awaited, it provides a secure system for the resale or purchase of the brand’s watches, authenticated and verified by Audemars Piguet. This launch comes as LuxeConsult’s latest report estimates the secondary market will be worth CHF 23 billion by 2025.
[...]This new, comprehensive service offers collectors the chance to give pre-owned watches a new lease of life, whilst inviting those who are curious to discover our world
Ilaria Resta, CEO of Audemars Piguet
Named ‘The Watch Keepers’, the CPO (Certified Pre-Owned) platform developed by Audemars Piguet’s headquarters marks a new step in the integration of the secondary market by watch manufacturers. Whilst other major names in the watch industry, such as Rolex, Richard Mille and F.P. Journe, already control the secondary market for their watches – most often via their authorised retailers or their network of boutiques – Audemars Piguet is breaking new ground by creating a digital platform directly overseen by its head office. In Le Brassus, the brand authenticates the watch at its service centres and offers the seller a choice between a fixed price and an auction. Crucially, the seller remains the owner of the watch until the transaction is complete: the brand organises the resale without necessarily buying the timepiece back beforehand.
A secondary market expected to grow by 8 per cent to 11 per cent per year from 2026 onwards
The criteria for the platform to accept a watch are clear: it must have been purchased at least two years ago, and its serial number and proof of ownership must have been verified. Once these three points have been validated, the watch is transported via secure delivery to the manufacturer’s service centres. A watchmaker in Le Brassus authenticates it, cross-checks it against the archives and assesses its condition.
The platform uses a five-tier aesthetic classification system and compiles a comprehensive file featuring high-resolution photographs and a detailed description. The seller can choose between a fixed-price sale or an auction, as well as the date the item goes online. Ownership of the watch remains with the seller, and it is held by Audemars Piguet until the transaction is completed. The watch will then be delivered with a certificate of authenticity and a two-year warranty covering its proper functioning. However, the press release does not specify either the commission rates or the service’s commercial objectives.
Around a hundred timepieces from various collections and eras will be on permanent offer.
This launch is particularly noteworthy given that the secondary market has grown steadily over the last ten years. Boosted by a period characterised by rising share prices, particularly in the tech sector, which fuelled a surge in demand for brands and models that are very scarce on the new market, the secondary market grew by around 7 per cent in 2025 on a like-for-like basis, according to LuxeConsult’s Secondary Market Report 2026 (published on 23 October), following a period of stabilisation in 2022–2024. It is expected to grow by 8 to 11 per cent per year from 2026 onwards (base case scenario).
Pour continuer à lire cet article, abonnez-vous maintenant
CHF 10.- par mois / CHF 99.- par année
- Accès illimité à tous les contenus payants
- Des analyses approfondies sur l'industrie du luxe que vous ne trouverez nulle part ailleurs.
- Des études et rapports sur les principaux défis à venir ainsi que leur décryptage.
- Des articles académiques élaborés par des professeurs et des doctorants membres du Swiss Center for Luxury Research, ainsi qu’un certain nombre d’universités à l’étranger.
- Des événements réservés aux membres pour enrichir vos connaissances et votre réseau.
Partager l'article
Continuez votre lecture
Watches
September Watch Exports: A Rise to Be Considered with Caution
Swiss watch exports rose by 11.7 per cent in September, marking the fourth consecutive month of growth according to the Swiss Watch Federation. However, these figures need to be put into perspective. Here’s why.
Newsletters
Cet article vous plaît ?
Inscrivez-vous à nos newsletters pour recevoir les dernières publications et analyses selon nos 4 thématiques: