Rolex is joining in on the second-hand conversation which has surrounded the Swiss brand since its beginnings.
Owning a Rolex has always been equivalent to a certain kind of lifestyle. Golfing on Sundays or yacht cruising over summer, Rolex watches are heirlooms of luxury and elegance. But getting your hands on a Rolex is not dissimilar to buying a car or investing in property, and it can certainly look just as daunting. With 16 different watch families to chose from within the classic and professional models, and varying price tags (always above the 4-digits), venturing into the world of the Swiss watch giant has always been like entering an exclusive member’s only club.
Until now.
As of December 2022, the Swiss brand is offering the possibility of owning pre-owned pieces because, according to the brand themselves, “Rolex watches often live several lives”. Armed with a two-year guarantee and an iconic green pre-owned authenticity tag, these watches are equipped with all the top-performing standards of a brand new product, except for its price tag.
There’s one catch. Whilst Rolex’s can be purchased in any official Rolex Retailer, distinguished by the The Official Rolex plaque or listed on the website, pre-owned products are currently only available in Bucherer boutiques in Switzerland, Austria, Germany, France, Denmark and the UK. But this is expected to change. As of spring 2023 Rolex will likely start implementing their programme elsewhere, you simply need to wait a little longer.
As for the current offers on the Bucherer website (not available for purchase directly online), we’re talking about quite the collection. Many Datejust pieces, Oyster Perpetuals and GMT Master II equipped with all kinds of exceptional finishes populate the website, price tags varying piece per piece.
As this whole ordeal is relatively new, many questions remain unanswered. How can one bring in their own Rolex, for example? Will it be traded? Sold? Where can one go and do this? All of these crucial but intricate details remain undisclosed for the time being.
But why now? If there’s one thing Rolex likes is control, and there’s nothing like offering their very own second-hand market in an economy’s demand which is struggling to keep up with the supply of new watches. It’s the brands way of inserting themselves into a conversation which has been happening behind their back practically since the start of their existence, a conversation which they have finally decided to include themselves in.