Pre-owned Luxury Watches Market - Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Opportunity, and Forecast, 2021-2031

The Global Pre-owned Luxury Watches Market is projected to expand from USD 27.84 Billion in 2025 to USD 47.87 Billion by 2031, registering a compound annual growth rate of 9.45%. This sector functions as the secondary trading ecosystem for high-end timepieces, facilitating the exchange of previously owned items, from vintage collectibles to contemporary releases, through auction houses, digital platforms, and specialized dealers. Growth in this domain is primarily driven by an increasing consumer focus on the circular economy and the acceptance of horological items as investment vehicles that retain financial value. Consequently, secondary liquidity remains heavily dependent on primary market output; the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry reported a total export value of 25.9 billion Swiss francs in 2024, ensuring a steady stream of high-value inventory enters the resale circuit.

However, market progression faces a substantial hurdle due to the widespread availability of sophisticated counterfeit products, which erodes consumer confidence and necessitates the implementation of rigorous, expensive authentication protocols. The absence of a unified, industry-wide standard for verifying the history and condition of timepieces introduces friction into transaction efficiency, effectively restricting the pace at which institutional capital can penetrate this asset class.

Market Drivers

Supply shortages and prolonged waiting periods within the primary retail sector serve as the principal catalyst driving the global pre-owned luxury watches market. Because authorized dealers often struggle to meet sustained demand for popular models from leading brands, consumers are forced to turn to pre-owned channels to avoid multi-year delays. This scarcity of inventory effectively positions the secondary ecosystem as the main avenue for immediate acquisition, thereby accelerating turnover rates and justifying premium pricing. As evidence of this structural shift in procurement channels, the Watches of Switzerland Group PLC reported in its preliminary results for the year ended April 28, 2024, that revenue from its pre-owned segment doubled year-on-year during the fourth quarter.

Concurrently, the growing recognition of watches as alternative investment assets has reinforced the sector's financial standing. Investors are increasingly treating high-provenance timepieces as tangible stores of value that offer portfolio diversification separate from traditional equities. This sentiment is supported by strong liquidity in high-value auctions; for instance, Phillips announced in May 2024 that 'The Geneva Watch Auction: XIX' achieved total sales of approximately 36 million Swiss francs, underscoring continued capital allocation to investment-grade horology. Furthermore, buyers are tactically seeking value outside of traditional market leaders to maximize returns, as shown by Bloomberg data from the Subdial Watch Index in 2024 indicating that Cartier models appreciated by 2.4% over the previous year.

Market Challenges

The widespread presence of counterfeit merchandise and the lack of consistent authentication standards pose a significant barrier to the growth of the global pre-owned luxury watches market. This pervasive issue introduces considerable market friction, as the persistent threat of fraudulent assets forces dealers and trading platforms to enforce strict, costly verification processes for every exchange. These increased operational expenses directly diminish profit margins and slow the speed of trade, effectively deterring institutional investors who require efficiency and absolute assurance regarding asset history before committing funds.

The scale of this illicit activity fundamentally damages consumer trust and skews valuation dynamics within the secondary ecosystem. The influx of high-quality replicas necessitates extended processing times, which in turn restricts market liquidity. According to the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry, targeted anti-counterfeiting efforts in high-demand regions led to the seizure of over 130,000 fake Swiss watches in 2024, highlighting the immense volume of fraudulent stock attempting to enter the supply chain. Until this uncertainty is resolved, the market will face difficulties in evolving from a niche collector pursuit into a fully matured financial asset class.

Market Trends

The rapid expansion of Brand-Authorized Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) Programs is fundamentally reshaping the market landscape by redirecting trust and revenue control back to manufacturers. Luxury watchmakers are increasingly bypassing third-party dealers to retail authenticated inventory directly, fulfilling the consumer demand for verified provenance in a sector historically challenged by authentication risks. This vertical integration enables brands to charge significant premiums compared to the grey market by utilizing their official warranty and servicing infrastructure, effectively splitting the market into certified and standard pre-owned segments. As reported by WatchPro in January 2025 regarding the growth of the Rolex CPO Programme, the brand's network of approved retail partners expanded fourfold from 25 to 107 globally during 2024, validating the commercial success of manufacturer-led resale and establishing a new pricing benchmark for investment-grade assets.

Simultaneously, the accelerating market participation of Gen Z and Millennial consumers is altering demand dynamics, moving preference away from traditional sports models toward smaller, design-focused timepieces. These younger demographics regard watches as means of individual expression rather than mere status symbols, relying heavily on digital channels for discovery and purchasing. This shift is swiftly boosting specific non-traditional categories, such as dress watches and neo-vintage styles, which were previously neglected by older collectors in favor of larger tool watches. According to a Chrono24 report from October 2025, Cartier’s share of total purchases among Gen Z buyers rose fourfold from 1.7% to 6.8% over the past seven years, demonstrating that the purchasing power of this cohort is now strong enough to influence broader asset performance trends and compel vendors to diversify their stock.

Key Players Profiled in the Pre-owned Luxury Watches Market

• Chrono24 GmbH
• WatchBox Holdings US, Inc.
• eBay Inc.
• CME International, LLC dba
• Crown & Caliber LLC
• Watchfinder.co.uk Limited
• TrueFacet, LLC
• Govberg LLC
• The Watch Club Limited
• Watches of Switzerland Group

Report Scope

In this report, the Global Pre-owned Luxury Watches Market has been segmented into the following categories:

Pre-owned Luxury Watches Market, by Type:

• Automatic
• Manual

Pre-owned Luxury Watches Market, by Distribution Channel:

• Online
• Offline

Pre-owned Luxury Watches Market, by Region:

• North America
• Europe
• Asia-Pacific
• South America
• Middle East & Africa

Competitive Landscape

Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in the Global Pre-owned Luxury Watches Market.

Available Customization

The analyst offers customization according to your specific needs. The following customization options are available for the report:

• Detailed analysis and profiling of additional market players (up to five).

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