On October 26, 2026, Audemars Piguet opened The Watch Keepers, an online marketplace for pre-owned AP watches that the brand authenticates and certifies itself. Bloomberg framed it as AP following Rolex into the certified pre-owned business. The difference is in the structure: Rolex’s program runs mostly through its authorized retailers, while AP is running this one centrally, from the manufacture, online.
For collectors in the United States there is one detail that matters more than any other: at launch, The Watch Keepers serves Europe and Switzerland only. AP says it will expand progressively, but it has not announced a date for the U.S.
Table of Contents
How The Watch Keepers works
The platform behaves more like a brand-run consignment desk than a traditional dealer:
- The seller keeps ownership until the sale closes. AP does not necessarily buy the watch first.
- Eligibility: the watch must be at least two years past its original purchase, with a verified serial number and proof of ownership.
- The watch ships to AP, by insured courier to the brand’s service facilities, and stays there until it sells.
- AP authenticates it against its own archives, assesses its condition, and produces the photography and the listing.
- The seller sets the terms: a fixed price or an auction, and the date the listing goes live.
Buyers get a two-year warranty, a certificate of authenticity, and a five-tier cosmetic grade covering the case, dial and bracelet. AP says roughly 100 watches from different collections and eras will be on offer at any given time. Prices are visible only after a buyer registers and passes an identity check. AP has not published its commission rates.
Why AP is doing this now
The secondary market is where a large share of AP watches change hands, and until now the brand had no direct say in it. Rolex, Richard Mille and F.P. Journe already exert control over their pre-owned markets. LuxeConsult and Morgan Stanley estimate Rolex’s certified pre-owned sales at around $590 million in 2025. A brand-run channel gives AP three things it didn’t have before: a record of where its watches go after the first sale, a factory-backed grade that buyers can trust, and a role in resale transactions.
What it means if you’re buying in the U.S.
For now, nothing changes on this side of the Atlantic. A U.S. collector can’t buy through The Watch Keepers yet, and there is no announced timeline. Until there is, the American pre-owned AP market keeps working the way it has: through independent dealers who source, authenticate and stand behind the watches they sell.
At our New York showroom on 47th Street, that market looks like this today. We have 217 Audemars Piguet watches in stock:
| Collection | In stock with listed price | Listed price range |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Oak | 70 | $39,999 – $1,599,999 |
| Royal Oak Offshore | 30 | $21,999 – $367,888 |
Another 113 pieces are priced on request. The listed Royal Oaks start with a steel 15400ST at $39,999. The 15500ST and 15510ST are at $49,999, and a first-series “A” 5402ST from circa 1972 is at $124,999. At the top sit tourbillons, perpetual calendars and the 26605 Grand Complication. You can browse the full Audemars Piguet collection or go straight to the Royal Oak and Royal Oak Offshore.
The comparison worth watching is inventory depth. The Watch Keepers plans to show about 100 watches at a time across all of its markets. We currently have 166 Royal Oaks in stock, counting those priced on request.
What it means if you’re selling
AP’s model asks the seller to hand the watch to the manufacture, wait for a buyer, and accept a fee the brand hasn’t disclosed yet. For owners in Europe who value a factory grade on their listing, that may be worth it. For U.S. owners it isn’t an option today.
If you own an AP in the U.S. and want to sell it now, start with our sell your watch page for a quote.
The bottom line
The Watch Keepers is the clearest sign yet that the major Swiss brands want a hand in the pre-owned market rather than leaving it entirely to dealers. For now it’s a European service with a small, curated inventory and undisclosed fees. We’ll update this page when AP announces U.S. availability or publishes its commission structure.
Source: Audemars Piguet’s launch announcement, via thewatchkeepers.com.
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