Beginning on December 1, Rolex officially joined the secondary market game. The Swiss manufactured watchmaker announced their Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) program, allowing authorised distributors to sell secondary Rolex watches.
Only secondhand timepieces that have been authenticated by Rolex can be sold through this new system which has already kicked off in the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, France and Denmark.
If proved successful, Rolex’s CPO program will expand to other retailers in more areas of the world in Spring 2023, such as a potential deal within the United States.
If you decided to cop a Rolex-certified pre-owned watch, every buyer will receive a two-year warranty card plus a Certified Pre-Owned guaranteed card – serving as an official piece of approval from Rolex.
A CPO seal will also accompany each purchase. This is very similar to the memorable StockX shoe tags, which are now gone.
Due to the issues that can come with the secondhand market, such as sketchy sellers who jack up the prices and counterfeit items, Rolex will only accept watches that are three years or older. This is to combat the common tactic of resellers who hike up the prices on new models. The Crown label is also committed to weeding out the fake Rollies as well as they can.
Rolex’s secondhand program is expected to be just as in high-demand as their official retail site.
Rolex aren’t the first watch manufacturers to jump on the secondhand hype. Companies such as Richemontt and Hodinkee have acquired watch reseller platforms while others such as Cartier have launched their own CPO program.
It’s makes perfect sense why Rolex want to introduce their brand to the ever-growing secondhand market. However, Rolex explained in a statement that its: “aim is to bring added value to the existing supply of pre-owned Rolex watches” with its new CPO program.
Regardless, it must feel pretty good when your pre-owned Rolex gets the “all good” from the famed Crown brand itself.
For more up to date news plus the top discounts & sales available – join our community at The Hoxton Trend.
