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Can you combine the security of buying new with the price advantages of a pre-owned timepiece? It's an intriguing question that occupies countless watch lovers on their way to a Rolex, Breitling or Omega. A new buzzword called "Certified Pre-owned" aims to provide the perfect answer and can be found on the websites of dozens of dealers. In this article, we explain exactly what defines certified pre-owned watches and what advantages they offer.
"Sold as Is": The Risks of Marketplaces and Auctions
Anyone who has ever bought or sold on the used car market will be all too familiar with the popular phrase "sold as is": Found mainly in private sales contracts, it releases the seller from any warranty obligations should defects appear later. A similar situation arises when you want to buy pre-owned watches at live or online auctions (on eBay, for example).
The seller's photos, descriptions and ratings may give you an idea of how trustworthy they are, but as a rule there is no guarantee of the item's authenticity or working order. So if something goes wrong, the customer is left holding the bag – annoying with a Longines for €2,000, disastrous with a Breguet costing ten times as much.
Things aren't much different on marketplaces. While they ensure a secure transaction between buyer and seller through escrow accounts and other measures, they cannot vouch for the quality of the product itself. Once again, it's up to the customer to judge how trustworthy the seller is. For new enthusiasts in particular, who are prepared to spend a sizable chunk of their savings on their long-awaited dream watch, these safeguards simply aren't enough. These are exactly the concerns the "Certified" seal offered by many dealers is meant to dispel.
Certified Pre-owned: Guaranteed Authenticity and Function
The term "Certified Pre-owned" refers to previously owned watches that have been examined by a qualified watchmaker to confirm their authenticity and working order.
In addition to a complete overhaul of the movement, the watchmaker also carries out any polishing that may be required, tests the water resistance of dive watches and appraises the value of the pre-owned timepiece.
If you want to buy a pre-owned watch, this gives you a high degree of security, and you can usually choose from a selection of particularly well-preserved models, since dealers offering a "Certified" guarantee typically select their watches according to strict criteria.
It's a business model whose popularity has grown exponentially in recent years. The number of providers is growing just as rapidly: In 2018, for instance, the Richemont Group acquired the British pre-owned dealer Watchfinder in order to drive both brick-and-mortar and online sales of "Certified Pre-owned" watches. Online shops such as Uhrinstinkt, whose main focus is on new models, are also increasingly hiring their own specialists and expanding their range to include certified pre-owned watches. There's no restriction to particular price ranges, either: Alongside luxury brands such as Rolex and Omega, more affordable manufacturers like Tudor, Maurice Lacroix and Tissot are also represented in the pre-owned segment.
More Security at a Higher Price
The higher safety standards of certified pre-owned watches don't mean, however, that they are generally superior to the established trade on marketplaces or auction sites. As the saying goes, everything has its price: Not only the inspection and all of the watchmaker's work, but also the provision of a warranty represent costs and risks for the dealer, and these are factored into the price of the watch. Much like insurance, "Certified Pre-owned" should be seen as a paid service that comes with a corresponding premium over timepieces without this security.
Whether you want to buy pre-owned watches with this seal therefore depends on your individual preferences. If you're a collector who senses the deal of a lifetime at a vintage auction and you have a certain appetite for risk, you should bid away and leave certified offers aside. If, on the other hand, it's about your first Breitling after college or your long-awaited step up into the haute horlogerie of Breguet and other top brands, risk often plays a decisive role, and the extra cost of the inspection is worth it.
Certified Watches as an Alternative to New Models?
When you want to buy a pre-owned watch, saving money isn't always the main priority. While most brands such as Longines, Tudor, Tissot and Maurice Lacroix lose value over time, Rolex and Patek Philippe are two shining exceptions: Models like the Daytona or Nautilus are in such high demand that they are only available new after long waiting periods or at steep markups.
This is where Certified Pre-owned often proves to be the ideal middle ground: Although you still pay more than the official retail price, you avoid the hefty markups on immediately available new models and at the same time get a watch that comes very close to unworn condition. A good example is the Rolex Submariner, which many online dealers such as Uhrinstinkt carry as certified pre-owned models.
Higher Collector Value with Papers and Documentation
One final aspect that matters to most collectors is the completeness of the set. A timepiece's original papers not only reveal a great deal about its history, they also give you the satisfying feeling of a "complete" purchase and help document future servicing or repairs.
As a rule, Certified Pre-owned watches not only offer this advantage but also come with separate documentation from the dealer detailing the work carried out by the watchmaker as well as any defects. If the original papers are missing, inspection and certification prove especially worthwhile and put any concerns about the watch's condition to rest.
