{"id":96263,"date":"2022-12-14T07:52:20","date_gmt":"2022-12-14T07:52:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.watchpro.com\/?p=96263"},"modified":"2022-12-14T08:59:40","modified_gmt":"2022-12-14T08:59:40","slug":"major-watch-trader-predicts-rolex-certified-pre-owned-programme-will-boost-demand-and-prices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.watchpro.com\/major-watch-trader-predicts-rolex-certified-pre-owned-programme-will-boost-demand-and-prices\/","title":{"rendered":"Major watch trader predicts Rolex certified pre-owned programme will boost demand and prices"},"content":{"rendered":"

Eugene Tutunikov, CEO of SwissWatchExpo, has welcomed the news that Rolex is rolling out a certified pre-owned programme for its watches.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Atlanta-based secondary market specialist, like many of its competitors, has been working for many years to convince the public that second hand luxury watches are safe and legitimate to buy, and Mr Tutunikov (pictured top) believes the Rolex initiative<\/a><\/strong><\/span> will bring additional credibility to the sector.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the news is overall really good for the pre-owned space. While the reluctance to shop pre-owned has come down in recent years, we still often hear people say they aren\u2019t willing to buy a preowned watch, or their wife wouldn\u2019t accept one as a gift,” he tells WATCHPRO.<\/p>\n

“Rolex will\u00a0 take pre-owned even more mainstream than it is now,” he adds.<\/p>\n

SwissWatchExpo expects Rolex certified pre-owned timepieces to cost more as it will be an expensive and time-consuming process to ship the watches to the Rolex centers for authentication and service.<\/p>\n

Also, they will be only available through authorised sellers. “I expect the authorised dealers once they have these pieces in stock, to market them at a 15%-20% premium to what the top resellers like us will be selling them for,” Mr Tutunikov\u00a0 suggests.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, the customer will decide. “A few of us larger players in the pre-owned space have a stellar reputation in terms of both authentication and service, but some consumers will pay the premium to get the Rolex rubber stamp on the product pre purchase,” he predicts. “For many consumers they will opt for a reputable dealer they can trust and have dealt with for many years, finding little need to spend an extra 15% on timepiece.”<\/p>\n