Audemars Piguet charges sellers up to 20% on its own resale site
The Watch Keepers, run by AP itself, listed 43 watches on 26 October. Buying and selling are open only to verified residents of the European Union and Switzerland.
By Carat Capital
What changed
AP resells its own. Audemars Piguet runs The Watch Keepers, a certified pre-owned site it fully owns and operates. Sellers pay a fixed, tiered commission that starts at 20% and falls to 10%.
What it means
- If you sell pre-owned AP: On a EUR 40,000 watch the commission is EUR 7,250, or 18.1% of the price.
- If you buy in the EU or Switzerland: Each watch carries AP's own authentication, a five-point grade and a two-year warranty.
- What this is not: A global market. Buying and selling are open only to verified EU and Swiss residents.
Key figures
| Seller commissionon the first EUR 25,000 | 20% |
|---|---|
| Lowest tieron value above EUR 50,000 | 10% |
| Watches listedread 26 October | 43 |
| Sales warrantyfrom date of purchase | 2 years |
Source: The Watch Keepers, Audemars Piguet's own site: FAQ, listings and shipping pages read 26 October 2026, 06:0x EDT.
AP fixes the commission.
Tiered, not negotiable. The seller commission is not negotiable, AP's FAQ says. It covers authentication, servicing, logistics, photography, listing and insurance.
Sellers set prices. Sellers choose a set price or a bidding window, with an optional reserve on a bidding window. An unsold watch can be repriced or retrieved, subject to a service fee.
| Sale price | Commission | Share of price |
|---|---|---|
| EUR 10,000 | EUR 2,000 | 20.0% |
| EUR 25,000 | EUR 5,000 | 20.0% |
| EUR 40,000 | EUR 7,250 | 18.1% |
| EUR 50,000 | EUR 8,750 | 17.5% |
| EUR 100,000 | EUR 13,750 | 13.8% |
AP's FAQ: 20% on the portion up to EUR 25,000, 15% between EUR 25,001 and EUR 50,000, 10% above EUR 50,000, calculated cumulatively. Commissions and shares are Carat Capital's arithmetic.
Checked against AP's archives.
Archive and theft checks. AP watchmakers authenticate each watch against the brand's archives and check it has not been reported stolen. It ships with a certificate of authenticity.
Returns within 14 days. Buyers may return a watch within 14 days of receipt. Delivery covers 29 countries: the 27 EU members, Liechtenstein and Switzerland.
A 2-year warranty. Each sale carries a 2-year international sales warranty from purchase. The site listed 43 watches on 26 October.
What to watch
- Not datedNew regions. AP's FAQ says it plans to extend buying and selling beyond the EU and Switzerland.
- Through December 2026The listing count, 43 on 26 October. A rising count would suggest owners consigning to AP over dealers.
The story so far
Go deeper
Corrections
Clarified, 27 October 2026: a watch line said a rising listing count 'would show' owners consigning to AP over dealers. The Watch Keepers pages say nothing about who sells; a rising count could also be AP's own stock. It now says 'would suggest'. What was right as published: every figure. Raised by Carat Capital's Standards desk on 26 October 2026.
What would change this call
A cut to the 20% tier, or buying opened to the US, would put the site in price competition with dealers. At these rates it sells certainty, not price.
How The Watch Keepers works
Audemars Piguet (Marketing) SA runs the site from Le Brassus. Guests over 16 may browse; Residents over 18 who pass an identity check may buy, sell and bid. Its terms were last updated on 11 June 2026.
Method
Read by the Editor on 26 October 2026, 06:0x EDT,: thewatchkeepers.com home (301 to 302 to 200, 187,527 bytes), /en/faq (200, 436,223), /en/listings (200, 259,495), /en/guide/shipping (200, 207,849), /en/about-us (200, 158,081), /en/terms-of-use (200, 520,615). Exact strings in the saved bytes: '20% on the portion up to EUR 25,000' (1 hit); '15% on the portion between EUR 25,001 and EUR 50,000' (1); '10% on the portion above EUR 50,000' (1); 'A seller commission applies and is not negotiable' (1); '43 items' (1); 'two-year international sales warranty' (1); 'within 14 days of receipt' (1); 'fully owned and operated by Audemars Piguet' (1); 'residing in the European Union and Switzerland' (1); 'last updated on June 11, 2026' (2, terms of use, English text). Shipping lists 29 locations, counted by hand. The page's own configuration also carries two unlabelled thresholds, 27,000 and 54,000, with no currency; they are not printed. Carat Capital's arithmetic: on EUR 40,000, 25,000 x 20% = 5,000 plus 15,000 x 15% = 2,250, total 7,250, 18.1%; on EUR 100,000, 5,000 + 3,750 + 5,000 = 13,750, 13.75%. The site carries no launch date and no price is visible without verification; neither is printed. ARCHIVE, by entity: 'Watch Keepers' 0 rows; 'certified pre-owned' 5 rows, all opened: Rolex's programme (18 Jul, 22 Jul, 23 Jul, 1 Aug, 4 Aug). No earlier AP programme item: NEW.