Rolex Certified Pre-owned Program Rolled Out to U.S.
PARIS — Rolex has announced it would extend its certified pre-owned program to the U.S. starting Wednesday.
Select locations from the Tourneau Bucherer and Watches of Switzerland retailers will be available to offer second-hand models under this program and display a plaque indicating their participation.
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Luca Bernasconi, president and chief executive officer of Rolex Watch USA, said the watchmaker was “pleased to provide clients the opportunity to experience the innovation and excellence of the Rolex brand through the Certified Pre-Owned program, allowing [Rolex] to showcase the uncompromising quality and durability [its] watches are known for.”
Watches that qualify for the program have to be at least three years old at the time of resale. They come identified by a seal in-store and come with a new two-year international warranty. A guarantee card bearing the words “Certified Pre-Owned” will double up as a official certificate of authenticity.
The program was initiated last December at Bucherer locations across six countries in Europe: Switzerland, Austria, Germany, France, Denmark and the U.K., with the independently owned Swiss company stating that it was “a tangible and immediate opportunity to become part of the world of Rolex” for consumers.
By offering pre-owned timepieces certified and guaranteed by the brand itself, the program aims to “bring added value to the existing supply of pre-owned Rolex watches” by attesting to their authenticity at the time of resale through official dealers, said the independently owned watchmaker at the initial launch.
Rolex is considered one of the “big three” brands that take up a 55 percent lion’s share of the secondary market, alongside Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet, said the Morgan Stanley and industry specialist LuxeConsult in a 2023 annual report on the watch industry.
Currently worth around 25 billion Swiss francs, or $28.2 billion, the secondary watch market is forecasted to surpass the primary one in 2033 thanks to double-digit growth that outpaces the rise in new watch sales, according to figures given by LuxeConsult in 2022.
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