Vacheron Constantin has launched a Certified Pre-owned watches (CPO) program. Since 2021, Richard Mille has been selling certified pre-owned products through official retail shops in the United States, Japan, and Singapore. Some independent brands, such as MB&F and H. Moser & Cie, have also been actively operating certified pre-owned trading platforms. Rolex has also established the Rolex Certified Pre-owned Program since 2022. Next year, Vacheron Constantin replica, a traditional high-end watchmaking maison that celebrates its 270th anniversary, is introducing its own pre-owned watch certification program. This is expected to bring about many changes in awareness and substance in this field.
Vacheron Constantin has already set up a special team of experts within the Maison’s Heritage department to excavate, collect, and meticulously restore and authenticate a selection of its vintage timepieces, which it names Les Collectionneurs and introduces to major boutiques through touring exhibitions around the world. In addition, it has introduced a digital certification service using cutting-edge blockchain technology and offers an extended international warranty of up to eight years when registering products on the website of The Hour Club, a community for Vacheron Constantin watch lovers. Going one step further, it has partnered with Watchfinder & Co., a UK-based pre-owned watch company acquired by Richemont Group in 2018, to operate a program where customers who participate in the trade-in service can return their old watch to a specific Vacheron Constantin boutique, receive compensation for the value of the fake watches, and then “exchange” it for a new Vacheron Constantin watch of their choice. It is difficult to find a maison among high-end watchmakers that prepares and executes these multifaceted efforts as quickly and meticulously as Vacheron Constantin, by taking into account the rapidly changing times and the diverse needs of increasingly younger customers, and by actively encouraging the influx of new customers as well as managing existing customers, who are the maison’s long-standing support base, to maintain the brand’s enduring value.
Timepieces that have undergone meticulous inspections by Vacheron Constantin’s in-house watchmakers and have undergone a rigorous certification and maintenance process and have passed the Certified Pre-Owned Watch (CPO) program are provided with a CPO certificate and warranty seal, which are documented as proof that all the necessary functional checks have been performed and certified for the watch. They also benefit from a minimum of two years of international quality warranty. Any components deemed to be defective within the two-year period can be repaired or replaced free of charge. In addition, by utilizing existing digital certification services, we provide our customers with a digital passport that offers them the utmost reliability, transparency, and traceability (ownership history, etc.) through blockchain technology. The CPO program will be the first to be introduced in collaboration with our partner Watchfinder, and we plan to expand the CPO program through other partners and renowned auction houses in the near future.