What Is the New Certified Pre-Owned Audemars Piguet Program, and Should You Buy From It?

On October 26, Audemars Piguet launched The Watch Keepers, its own site for buying and selling used AP watches. Every watch on it has been checked by AP’s watchmakers, graded, and backed by a two-year warranty from AP. Rolex has had something similar since 2022, sold through its official retailers. AP runs its own version directly.

Right now you can only buy if you live in the EU or Switzerland. AP says more regions are coming but hasn’t said when the US gets it. It’s still worth understanding now, because it changes how I’d shop for a used AP, whether you end up buying there or not.

What you get

• Authenticity from the source. AP checks every watch against its own production records and against stolen-watch reports. Nobody else has those records.
• A condition grade. The dial, case, and bracelet are each scored from 1 to 5, and nothing below a 3 gets listed. Every listing has detailed photos and a 360-degree view.
• A warranty and a way out. Two years of coverage on how the watch runs, plus 14 days to send it back.
• AP on the other side of the deal. When you buy, your contract is with Audemars Piguet, not a stranger on the internet, and you pay the listed price with nothing added on top.

For a used watch, that’s about as much certainty as you can buy.

What it doesn’t tell you

• Whether the price is fair. The seller sets it, and AP won’t advise anyone on price. Sellers also pay AP a commission of up to 20%, so expect plenty of asking prices to have that baked in.
• Whether the watch is original. A grade tells you how the watch looks today. On a modern piece, that’s what you care about. On a Royal Oak from the ’90s, a crisp case can mean it’s been polished, and one that’s never been polished, with its original sharp edges, is worth a lot more. A 5 on an older watch is a reason to ask questions.
• How many people have owned it. AP doesn’t share that.
• How it feels on your wrist. You can’t see it in person before you buy. You can book a live video session with one of AP’s specialists, and I’d use it every time.

How I’d approach it

Price it against the open market first. Look up the same reference at a few reputable dealers, like Bob’s Watches, DavidSW, The 1916 Company, or Watchfinder & Co., and check recent auction results. If the certified one’s within a few percent, the certainty is cheap and I’d take it. If it’s 20% higher, you’re paying a lot for a certificate and a warranty.

Make an offer. Fixed-price listings take offers, and sellers can accept, decline, or counter. The asking price is where the conversation starts.

Pick your number before a bidding window opens. Some watches sell through a timed bidding window with a reserve. Decide what it’s worth to you ahead of time, the same way you would at auction. (Our guide on how to read an auction estimate helps here.)

Use the live session. Ask whether the case has been polished, when the watch was last serviced, and whether the box and papers are the originals. A watch that’s lost its papers can still be listed, with an AP certificate in their place. That’s solid proof it’s real, but plenty of collectors still pay more for original papers when it’s time to sell. (More on that in our guide to provenance.)

Save it for where certainty matters most. Gem-set and complicated pieces are where aftermarket stones and swapped parts are hardest to catch, so that’s where AP’s own check is worth the most. For a common steel reference, a good dealer can usually get you a sound watch for less.

One more reason to pay attention if you’ve ever wanted a new Royal Oak from a boutique. AP’s CEO told the Swiss paper NZZ that purchases on The Watch Keepers go into the same client history as boutique purchases. AP hasn’t promised that buying used will get you offered a new one, but if you’re trying to build that history, it counts. (Here’s how that game works at Rolex, and most of it carries over.)

If you’re in the US

You can’t buy yet, but you can register for free as a guest and see every listing and its price. That’s a useful reality check on what a dealer’s quoting you. Just remember they’re asking prices, in euros, not what watches actually sold for.

Program details are from The Watch Keepers’ own FAQ as of November 2026 and may change. The CEO’s comments were reported by the Swiss newspaper NZZ. Nothing here is investment advice.