Buying a pre-owned AP has always meant vetting the seller as hard as you have to vet the watch itself. And the brand knew it. Back at SIHH 2018, then-CEO François-Henry Bennahmias told Reuters that second-hand was “the next big thing in the watch industry,” and even complained that everyone but the brands was profiting from it. He also decided to pilot a resale program in a single Geneva boutique.
Then, for eight years, we heard nothing from the brand on the matter. The follow-through has finally arrived in the form of The Watch Keepers, Audemars Piguet’s new in-house certified pre-owned platform.
Back to Le Brassus Before Its Next Wrist
Here’s the pitch in a nutshell. Rather than rolling the dice with a grey-market dealer, sellers register their watch’s serial number and proof of ownership, then ship it via insured courier straight to AP’s Customer Service facilities.
There, the Manufacture’s watchmakers authenticate the piece against archive registers no third party can touch. They then grade the case, dial, and bracelet on a five-point scale. AP even shoots the photos and writes the listing itself.
The seller picks a set price or a bidding format and keeps ownership the whole time while the watch sits securely at AP until the sale closes. Any Audemars Piguet at least two years past its first sale qualifies.
A Villa Staffed by Avatars
The platform itself is an interesting one to say the least. It’s styled as a virtual villa with color-themed rooms, where “Expert Watch Keepers” (digital avatars modeled on real AP employees) guide you through browsing, listing, and editorial content.
Roughly 100 watches are live at any given time (spanning collections and eras), and anyone can browse while only registered users can transact. Every sale ships with a certificate of authenticity, a Watch Keepers travel pouch, and a two-year warranty, all of which is overseen from Le Brassus.
The Royal Oak Pricing Problem
Now for the interesting part. Rolex kept its 2022 CPO program at arm’s length by running it through authorized dealers. AP is going a different route, putting its own name on every listing, and that means it’s also putting its name on every price.
Steel Royal Oaks have spent years changing hands above retail, and WatchCharts’ Royal Oak index currently sits just shy of $100,000. Watching the Manufacture price its own back catalog in public might end up being one of the best spectator sports in watches this year.
Spec Sheet
Service: The Watch Keepers
Brand: Audemars Piguet
Format: Digital certified pre-owned (CPO) platform
Eligibility: AP watches at least 2 years past first sale
Authentication: In-house, cross-referenced against AP’s archive registers
Condition Grading: 5-point scale (case, dial, and bracelet)
Sale Formats: Set price or bidding
Live Catalog: Roughly 100 watches at any given time
Included with Purchase: Certificate of authenticity, travel pouch
Warranty: 2 years
Launch Markets: Switzerland and Europe
Pricing & Availability
The Watch Keepers is live now for users in Switzerland and Europe, with a progressive worldwide rollout to follow (no US date yet). Buyers pay nothing beyond the listed price, while sellers pay AP an undisclosed commission. And any servicing a watch needs gets billed separately. Head over to The Watch Keepers’ website to register and browse.
Recap
Audemars Piguet The Watch Keepers
AP finally launches its in-house certified pre-owned platform, authenticating every watch against its own archives and backing each sale with a two-year warranty.
