Years in the Making, The Watch Keepers Is Live
Audemars Piguet has launched its long-awaited certified pre-owned platform, called The Watch Keepers. Coverage points to a launch on October 26, 2026, following an announcement on the brand's Instagram. The program arrives after years of delays: AP's then-CEO François-Henry Bennahmias said in 2023 that the company would start a certified pre-owned program by the end of that year, and reports later pushed the target to 2025 and then to October 2026.
For a brand whose Royal Oak models trade at well above retail on the secondary market, the idea of a manufacturer-run resale channel is a significant move, and one that follows a template set by its biggest rival.
How It Works
According to reports on the launch, the process begins with the seller. Owners register and verify the serial number and proof of ownership, and the watch must be at least two years past its first sale. Accepted watches travel by insured courier to a service center, where AP watchmakers check the piece against the archive registers and grade the case, dial and bracelet on a five-point scale.
Watches that pass are sold with a two-year warranty and a certificate of authenticity. The rollout begins in Europe and Switzerland, with plans to expand progressively to other regions.
Commissions and Inventory
One report says the platform will operate as a marketplace where sellers set their own prices, with commissions of 10% to 20%, and that inventory will be limited to about 100 watches at a time. Those figures come from a single outlet, so treat them as unconfirmed until Audemars Piguet publishes its terms.
The Rolex Playbook
Rolex announced its Certified Pre-Owned program in late 2022, starting with Bucherer boutiques in six European countries: Switzerland, Austria, Germany, France, Denmark and the United Kingdom. The U.S. rollout began on May 3, with Tourneau/Bucherer and Watches of Switzerland as the first retailers. Rolex watches in the program come with a two-year international guarantee after resale and a special certified plaque, and they are sold only at Official Rolex Retailers. Early coverage said the watches had to be at least three years old, but Rolex's own 2025 newsroom post says two years, which is the more current figure. Individual dealers can set their own prices, while Rolex certifies the authenticity of every watch.
The differences from AP's approach are structural. Rolex sells through independent authorized dealers, while AP owns its boutiques and acts as the seller itself. Vacheron Constantin launched its own certified pre-owned program in 2024, so AP is following two established precedents.
Why Now
The gray market has long set the real price of an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak. Buyers who cannot get an allocation from a boutique turn to resellers and auction sites, where counterfeit and franken-watch risk is real, and where the manufacturer has had no part in the transaction. A brand-run program gives buyers an authenticity guarantee and a warranty from the manufacturer, and it gives AP a view of the secondary market it previously stayed away from.
The delays are not surprising. A certified pre-owned program requires a workflow for inspection, grading, refurbishment and warranty, and it raises awkward questions about pricing: a brand that limits supply of new watches has a delicate relationship with the price at which used ones trade.
What It Means for Collectors
For buyers, a certified route takes some risk out of buying a modern or vintage AP, and the two-year warranty is meaningful on a movement that costs real money to service. For sellers, the upside is a clean, verified sale. The trade-off is the commission, which would be a real cost on a watch worth tens of thousands of dollars if the reported 10% to 20% range holds.
The Open Question on Prices
The effect on prices is the main unknown. A controlled marketplace with a capped inventory could support secondary-market values by pulling supply off the gray market, or it could expose a gap between brand-certified prices and street prices. Collectors should watch the first listings closely. If asking prices sit above comparable gray-market examples, buyers will be paying a premium for certainty. If they sit near market, the program could draw a lot of volume from dealers.
What to Watch
Look for published terms: the exact commission, the eligibility rules for older and vintage pieces, how long a watch can sit unsold, and when the program expands beyond Europe and Switzerland. Until then, anyone thinking of selling an AP should treat The Watch Keepers as one option among several, and anyone buying should compare certified prices to the broader market before paying a premium.
