Vacheron Constantin Launches its Certified Pre-Owned Programme

Certified Pre-Owned, also known as CPO, has gained great traction over the past few years, with more and more brands exploring the concept. The second-hand market for watches is growing steadily, with a current value in the region of CHF 20 billion and consulting firm Deloitte saying it could be worth CHF 35 billion by 2030. It is thus with great interest that brands such as Rolex or Longines, as well as large-scale retailers such as Bucherer, have started their own CPO programmes. It is now time for Vacheron Constantin to join the growing list of brands, with the idea to offer “pre-owned watches that meet the highest quality standards” and “carefully inspected and certified by Vacheron Constantin.”

While it isn’t new for Vacheron Constantin to offer older watches for sale through its boutiques – VC already has a collection of restored vintage watches available for sale through “Les Collectionneurs” – this time the brand expands the concept to a wider range of models, and with an extended set of rules.

The new Certified Pre-Owned watch programme of Vacheron Constantin offers watches that have been inspected, certified and maintained by Vacheron Constantin watchmakers, “guaranteeing the highest standards of quality” as claimed by the brand. This CPO programme implies:

• A minimum 2-year international warranty – Vacheron Constantin will repair or replace any part found to be defective free of charge
• A digital passport – each Digital Passport is unique and holds key information about the timepiece, for example, its ownership history and technical user guide. It relies on blockchain technology for transparency and traceability
• The CPO guarantee letter – an official physical document certifying that the watch has been functionally checked and serviced accordingly
• The watch is delivered in a pouch and bears a dedicated seal ensuring it has been sold via the CPO programme

Contrary to some brands, which have self-created their CPO programmes, Vacheron Constantin relies on the expertise of Watchfinder, a long-established (founded in 2002) physical and online company specialising in premium second-hand watches. It shouldn’t come as a surprise since Watchfinder and Vacheron Constantin are both owned by the same group, Richemont. The brand also indicates that “the certified pre-owned watch programme will be rolled out to other partners in the very near future and offered in parallel to auction houses.”

This new Vacheron Constantin CPO programme is a new layer in the brand’s commitment to the longevity of its watches, which includes the guarantee that all of its watches produced since 1755 can be restored, an in-house restoration department offering unearthed, restored and certified watches for sale (Les Collectionneurs), digital passports launched in 2019 via Blockchain technology and now a partnership with Watchfinder for Certified Pre-Owned watches. VC indicates that, through this collaboration, clients can partake in a trade service enabling them to exchange their old watch for a new certified Vacheron model (an identical programme was once offered by IWC).

Vacheron Constantin doesn’t indicate the nature of the watches that can be certified by its new CPO programme, whether regarding the dates of production (current collections or not, neo-vintage and discontinued models only like Rolex, true vintage models included or not…), nor if the programme will be offered exclusively through its boutiques, its authorized retailers or also online.

For more details, please visit www.vacheron-constantin.com.