Audemars Piguet Launches Its Own Certified Pre-Owned Program: The Watch Keepers Explained
Audemars Piguet has launched its own certified pre-owned (CPO) program. It is called The Watch Keepers, and it went live on October 26, 2026. For the first time, collectors can buy and sell pre-owned Royal Oaks, Royal Oak Offshores, Code 11.59s and vintage AP pieces through the manufacture itself. Every watch is authenticated against the Le Brassus archives, graded by AP watchmakers and sold with a two-year warranty. Here is everything buyers and sellers need to know about the Audemars Piguet certified pre-owned platform, how it works, what it costs, and what it could mean for AP prices on the secondary market.
What is The Watch Keepers?
The Watch Keepers is Audemars Piguet’s official online marketplace for certified pre-owned watches, hosted at thewatchkeepers.com. It is run from AP’s headquarters in Le Brassus, Switzerland, with support from the brand’s regional service centres.
The key detail is that AP does not buy your watch. The brand acts as a trusted intermediary. It registers both the buyer and the seller, authenticates the watch, photographs it, writes the listing and handles delivery. The watch stays the seller’s property until it sells, but it is held in Audemars Piguet’s custody the whole time. That is a different model from most dealers, who buy stock outright, and from Rolex, which runs its CPO program through authorised retailers.
The site itself is designed as a virtual “villa” with themed rooms, editorial content, a community section and digital avatars of AP staff, called Expert Watch Keepers. Anyone can browse, but only fully verified users can buy or sell. AP says around 100 watches will be on show at any one time. At launch the catalog listed roughly 42 pieces, including gem-set Royal Oaks and a pink gold Jules Audemars Equation of Time configured for Vienna.
The programme “responds to strong demand from collectors,” according to Marc Montagne, Director of CPO at Audemars Piguet.
Where is the AP certified pre-owned program available?
At launch, The Watch Keepers is open to verified buyers and sellers in Switzerland and the European Union. The United States and the United Kingdom are not part of the initial rollout. Audemars Piguet has said it plans to expand worldwide in stages, but it has not published dates for other markets yet. We will update this article as new regions open.
How selling your Audemars Piguet works
- Register and verify. Create an account and submit the watch’s serial number and proof of ownership online.
- Ship it. The watch travels by insured courier to an Audemars Piguet service centre.
- Authentication and grading. AP watchmakers check the piece against the manufacture’s archive registers. They grade the case, dial and bracelet on a five-point condition scale.
- Listing. AP shoots high-resolution photos and writes the listing using archive information. The seller approves the final listing before it goes live.
- Sale. The seller chooses a fixed price or an auction-style bidding format, and decides when the listing is published. When the watch sells, AP delivers it to the buyer.
The two-year rule
There is one big condition. A watch must be at least two years past its original retail sale before it can be listed. If you buy a new Royal Oak today, you cannot flip it on The Watch Keepers tomorrow. AP clearly designed this rule to discourage speculators and protect its boutique allocation system.
What about servicing?
A full service is not included in the process. Watches need to arrive in good condition. If the watchmakers find a problem, AP recommends a service and bills it to the seller separately. The seller can decline, in which case the watch is simply returned.
What buyers get
- A certificate of authenticity issued by Audemars Piguet itself.
- A two-year Audemars Piguet warranty on every watch sold.
- A clear condition grade for the case, dial and bracelet, so you know exactly what you are getting.
- No buyer’s fee. AP has confirmed that only the seller pays a commission. The exact commission rate has not been made public.
- Archive-backed listings with verified technical details, plus an AP travel pouch with the watch.
For buyers, this removes the two biggest fears in the pre-owned luxury watch market: fakes and hidden “frankenwatches” built from non-original parts. When the watch is checked against AP’s own production records, there is no better guarantee.
Audemars Piguet CPO vs Rolex Certified Pre-Owned
Rolex launched its Certified Pre-Owned program in December 2022. It now generates an estimated USD 590 million a year, according to LuxeConsult and Morgan Stanley figures for 2025. AP’s version looks similar on the surface but works very differently underneath.
| Audemars Piguet The Watch Keepers | Rolex Certified Pre-Owned | |
|---|---|---|
| Who sells | Private owners, through AP’s own platform | Authorised Rolex retailers |
| Who owns the watch before sale | The seller (held by AP) | The retailer |
| Price setting | Seller sets a fixed price or runs an auction | Retailer sets the price |
| Warranty | 2 years from AP | 2 years from Rolex |
| Minimum age | 2 years after first sale | 3 years old |
| Availability | Switzerland and EU first | Global retailer network |
The biggest difference is control. Rolex keeps some distance by letting retailers price and sell. Audemars Piguet, which now sells mostly through its own boutiques, puts its name directly on the transaction.
What this means for Audemars Piguet prices
This is the part collectors and dealers will watch most closely. A few things to consider:
- AP gets the data. The brand will now see who sells which reference, how quickly and at what price. That information is valuable for allocation and production planning.
- Prices become more transparent. Auction results on an official platform could become a new benchmark for Royal Oak values, alongside grey market dealers and the major auction houses.
- A premium for certainty. As with Rolex CPO, expect certified AP watches to sell above comparable grey market pieces. Buyers pay extra for the brand’s guarantee and warranty.
- A risk for AP. If a reference sells below retail on AP’s own platform, the brand can no longer blame the grey market. That is a public signal it will want to avoid.
Secondary prices across the luxury watch market have been rising again this year. You can read our breakdown in Pre-Owned Watch Prices Are Rising Again: What Buyers and Sellers Need to Know. A brand-run marketplace from one of the “Holy Trinity” manufactures could add more support to that trend, especially for steel Royal Oak references.
A long time coming
Audemars Piguet has flirted with pre-owned before. In 2018, former CEO François-Henry Bennahmias tested second-hand sales in a single boutique and called pre-owned “the next big thing in the watch industry.” The idea was dropped at the time. By 2023 he went further, saying “the CPO business is going to be bigger than the new business.” The Watch Keepers is the program that finally makes that vision real, launched under current CEO Ilaria Resta.
Should you buy or sell through The Watch Keepers?
Buy through it if you are in Switzerland or the EU, you want absolute certainty on authenticity, and you value a fresh two-year AP warranty over getting the lowest possible price.
Sell through it if your watch is more than two years old, in good original condition, and you want to reach serious collectors without handing ownership to a dealer. Keep in mind that the seller commission is not yet public, and any recommended service is billed to you.
Look elsewhere if you are in the US or UK for now, your watch is under two years old, or you need a quick cash sale. A trusted dealer will still be faster.
Not sure what your Audemars Piguet is worth? Request a free estimate from Watch Pro Academy and get a Certificate of Estimated Value within 24 hours.
Frequently asked questions
Does Audemars Piguet have a certified pre-owned program?
Yes. Audemars Piguet launched its certified pre-owned program, The Watch Keepers, on October 26, 2026. It is an official online platform where verified collectors can buy and sell pre-owned AP watches authenticated by the manufacture.
Is The Watch Keepers available in the US?
Not yet. At launch the platform is open to verified users in Switzerland and the European Union. Audemars Piguet plans to expand to other regions over time.
What warranty comes with an AP certified pre-owned watch?
Every watch sold through The Watch Keepers comes with a two-year Audemars Piguet warranty and an official certificate of authenticity.
How old does my watch need to be to sell it on The Watch Keepers?
Your watch must be at least two years past its original retail sale date.
Are there fees to buy on The Watch Keepers?
No. Buyers do not pay a fee on top of the sale price. Only the seller pays a commission, which Audemars Piguet has not disclosed publicly.
Does Audemars Piguet buy my watch?
No. AP acts as an intermediary. You keep ownership until the watch sells, while AP stores it, lists it and delivers it to the buyer.
Sources: Audemars Piguet, Monochrome Watches, Watchonista, Watches by SJX, WatchPro, Luxury Tribune. Information is accurate as of October 26, 2026.
