Audemars Piguet Launches The Watch Keepers, Its Own Pre-Owned Platform

Audemars Piguet has launched its long-awaited certified pre-owned programme. It is called The Watch Keepers, it went live on 26 October in Switzerland and the rest of Europe, and the brand plans to bring it to other markets, including the United States, later on. The idea had been discussed for years under former chief executive François-Henry Bennahmias, and it now exists in a form the brand controls from start to finish.

 

The platform is an online marketplace where owners of Audemars Piguet watches sell them to other private buyers, with the brand standing in the middle. Audemars Piguet does not buy the watches itself. It authenticates them, presents them and handles the transaction, and it charges sellers a commission for doing so.

How It Works

A watch has to be at least two years past its first sale to be listed, and both buyers and sellers have to register and be approved. The seller sends the watch to Audemars Piguet by insured courier, where the brand's watchmakers check it against the company archives to confirm it is genuine and assess its condition. Audemars Piguet then photographs the watch and writes the listing, which the seller approves before it goes live.

 

Sellers choose between a fixed price and an auction held on the platform. The auction option makes sense in a market where prices for certain references move quickly, since it lets the market set the price for owners who worry about asking too little.

 

The seller keeps ownership throughout. The watch stays in Audemars Piguet's custody until it sells, after which the brand delivers it to the buyer with a certificate of authenticity, a travel pouch and a two-year functioning guarantee.

Each listing carries a five-point grade covering the condition of the case, the dial and the bracelet. The brand says it intends to show around 100 watches at any given time, although SJX counted 42 when the site opened. Buyers who want advice can speak with members of the sales team presented as digital avatars, who guide them through the selection and suggest pieces.

Seeing the Prices

One detail will frustrate casual visitors. Prices are only visible after logging in, and getting approved as a buyer means providing proof of funds before a single price appears on screen. For a platform meant to bring Audemars Piguet closer to collectors and newcomers alike, it is an unusually high barrier just to browse.

Why Audemars Piguet Is Doing This

The pre-owned market is growing faster than the market for new watches. According to the Swiss consultancy LuxeConsult, secondary sales reached between 22 and 24 billion francs in 2025, up about 7 percent, against roughly 61 billion for new watches, and the firm expects pre-owned to overtake new sales at some point between 2032 and 2038. Rolex, Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet together account for about 61 percent of the value traded on the secondary market, so few companies have more at stake. Audemars Piguet now produces around 53,000 watches a year, which means a large and growing number of its older pieces are already in circulation.

 

Rolex moved first. Its certified pre-owned programme launched in December 2022 through authorised dealers, and according to WatchCharts those dealers sold around 10,300 CPO watches worth 229 million dollars in the third quarter of 2026 alone. Audemars Piguet, which already sells most of its new watches through its own boutiques, has chosen to run the pre-owned side directly as well, without dealers in between.

 

The project was taken forward by Ilaria Resta, who replaced Bennahmias as chief executive at the start of 2024 and hired Marc Montagne, formerly of Vacheron Constantin and Jaeger-LeCoultre, to lead it. For the brand, the value goes well beyond the fees. A platform like this shows Audemars Piguet who owns its watches, what they sell them for and what buyers are searching for, information that until now has been scattered across dealers and auction houses.

What Selling Costs

Sellers pay a commission on a sliding scale. According to the platform's terms, Audemars Piguet takes 20 percent of the sale price up to 25,000 euros, 15 percent on the portion between 25,001 and 50,000 euros, and 10 percent on anything above that.

 

The effective rate falls as the price rises. A watch selling for 20,000 euros costs its seller 4,000 euros in commission. At 40,000 euros the bill comes to 7,250 euros, about 18 percent of the sale price, and a watch selling for 100,000 euros carries a commission of 13,750 euros, close to 14 percent. Since the watch sits with Audemars Piguet until a buyer is found, the seller also goes without it for as long as the listing runs. The launch material does not mention any fee for buyers.

The Guarantee

Buyers receive a two-year functioning guarantee, the same length Rolex gives on its certified pre-owned watches. The launch material says little about what it covers in practice, so anyone buying should read the terms carefully before relying on it.

What It Means for Buyers and Sellers

The strongest argument for The Watch Keepers is the name behind it. A watch authenticated by the company that made it, with full access to its own archives, removes one of the biggest worries in the pre-owned market, and for some buyers that alone will justify the platform.

 

Several practical questions remain open. The launch material does not explain what happens to a watch that fails to sell, what the guarantee covers in detail, or how the five grades are defined. Sellers weighing the platform against other ways of selling will also want to set the commission and the waiting time against what they could achieve elsewhere.

 

The platform is new, and Audemars Piguet will almost certainly refine it as it expands to other markets. For now it is a clear sign of where the industry is heading, with brands moving to control how their own watches are resold.