Ineichen Zurich was founded in 1973 and is proud to be Switzerland’s oldest watch auction house. It’s just launched a new online platform called Chronofund, which it says will guarantee customers 3-8% annual returns.
The business model
Ineichen Zurich researches and analyses a number of watches and then presents the approved selection on its dedicated Chronofund site.
Chronofund members can then choose which watch they like the look of before purchasing it and becoming its owner. The terms of the agreement are then defined, namely the period of resale and the level of return that the investor will get.
Once the watch is resold, the profit is sent directly into the owner’s account. As part of the agreement, Ineichen Zurich says that it will buy the watch back and return the original money to the owner if, for whatever reason, the terms of the agreement are not able to be fulfilled.
The benefits
Based on the above model, Chronofund should take both the hassle and risk out of the process of a watch resale. The fact that the owner will be refunded in full if the watch isn’t sold, as per the original agreement, is key to Ineichen Zurich’s promise that the Chronofund platform represents a riskless investment opportunity.
The stock of watches that will be on offer on Chronofund will be available at below market price and then the heavy lifting to achieve a sale (and a profit) is done by Ineichen Zurich through its channels and auction sales. This is where its expertise as the oldest watch auction house in Switzerland come into play.
