Time Tieup
Luxury timepiece retailer Bucherer Certified Pre-Owned is linking up with Sotheby's to bring its certified pre-owned timepieces to a global stage with Sotheby's online marketplace.
“The partnership journey started in May 2020,” explained Stav R. Martens, Bucherer head of CX, CRM and commercial partnerships. “And we are pleased to join forces again to continue to engage our global luxury community and cater to new audience of art and fashion collectors. With the introduction of Bucherer Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) on Sotheby's Online Marketplace, we are excited to present a curated collection of CPO timepieces next to one of the most impressive selection of art and luxury goods.”
“This monumental milestone marks a logical extension of our partnership, celebrating our independencies and our leading expertise within our respective industries. Building on a common vision of trust, authenticity and passion for pre-loved icons, we strive to share our story and those of our timepieces with a global audience of collectors,” Martens said.
Over the last five years, the watch pre-owned category has come into sharp focus, with a mix of digital retailers and legacy players leading the charge. Customers who once might have shied away from making a huge purchase online are now digitally savvy, and see online shopping as a viable option to find rare and unusual timepieces.
Sotheby's marketplace offers more than 10,000 items across watches, jewelry, contemporary art, collectible sneakers, designer handbags, decorative objects, furniture and more, with international shipping to more than 70 countries.
Watch collectors worldwide can now purchase certified pre-owned watches, which have been authenticated, inspected and certified by Bucherer's watch experts on the Sotheby's marketplace.
“We've seen explosive growth in our watches category in the last few years, thanks in part to a new digitally native generation of global collectors, who are increasingly more comfortable purchasing online,” explained Josh Pullan, Sotheby's head of Global Luxury Division. “Watches was one of the first categories we introduced to our online marketplace 18 months ago and we've continued to see demand at high price points in this format that are consistent with our core auction business. Our partnership with Bucherer allows us to continue to expand the depth of property offered and presents our clients with access to one of the largest collections of authenticated and guaranteed pre-owned luxury. As we continue our pursuit of creative and innovative ways to serve our clients, it's particularly exciting that every Bucherer CPO timepiece comes with a two-year warranty — a next level of service and certification that no global auction house currently offers.”
Before the watches can be certified, the in-house watchmakers from Bucherer's special team of experts open every single one and inspect it: Is the model an original? Are the technical parts still flawless?
Are there any hidden defects? If necessary, the experts then maintain or repair the watches. In the final step, the watchmakers then attest to their work with their signature and Bucherer guarantees a two-year warranty.
Bucherer has 36 exclusive locations in Europe. In 2018, Bucherer took over the U.S. luxury watch retailer Tourneau, adding 32 stores in the U.S. market.
— THOMAS WALLER