Update: Certified Preowned Vintage

A short post about an emergent service from brands: the certified preowned vintage watch. In a prior article I discussed the plan by Audemar Piguet to purchase preowned watches, refurbish and refresh them, and sell them through their chain of boutiques. When I wrote my prior article the idea was basically "blue sky" in the watch industry and I shared some skepticism that it would succeed.

Well, we now have another data point to consider. Vacheron Constantin has launched a certified preowned service. They chose to do so in Melbourne, Australia and we can tip our hat to the folks at Time and Tide Watches for their outstanding coverage of the launch. Vacheron is calling this service "Les Collectionneurs" or "The Collectors" (I think, I don't really speak French), you can see the official descsription here. And it appears that this first tranche of nine timepieces, refurbished and accompanied by a new two year warranty, has been something of a success. The selling boutique just opened in October. Three of the nine timepieces have already sold in the span of five days, which is very impressive.

It remains to be seen whether this new service will become more widely adopted or thrive in the long run. But I will share my congratulations to Vacheron for standing at the forefront of new offerings to consumers. It is one of many ways they continue to lead the world of horology.

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