Seller comparison
Best places to sell luxury watches
How Passion Asset Advisory compares providers
Publisher disclosure: Passion Asset Advisory owns and publishes this guide and offers services included in it. This is our editorial shortlist, not an independent ranking or a test of achieved prices. The order prioritises mandate-matching private sales; another route may suit you better.
We apply four checks to every provider: role in the sale, fit for the seller, net after costs, and checks before completion. Official seller pages support the route descriptions. The fit assessments are ours. No numerical scores or assumed competitor fees are used.
Five places to consider
1. Passion Asset Advisory: mandate-matching private sale
Role: disclosed principal buyer, buyer-side office or seller-side broker, agreed in writing. We never advise both sides.
Fit: collector watches worth about $25,000 and above, especially an exact match for a current acquisition brief.
Net: buyer-side acquisitions and principal purchases carry no seller commission; a principal offer includes our margin. Seller-side private placement costs 8% of the first $100,000, 6% of the next $400,000 and 4% of the remainder. The separate seller-side funded-buyer service costs 5%. No sale means no success fee.
Checks: reference, ownership, documents, condition and physical inspection. An active brief does not guarantee funding, a sale or a final price. Read the published roles and fees before choosing.
2. The 1916 Company: outright sale or trade-in
Role: dealer purchase or trade-in.
Fit: sellers who want a purchase offer or want to put their watch towards another piece.
Net: request cash and trade figures separately. Compare any balance due against the replacement watch’s price.
Checks: its process reviews the watch and accessories. Agree inspection, shipping and payment terms before sending it.
3. Watchfinder: purchase offer after inspection
Role: dealer purchase; part-exchange is also offered.
Fit: sellers who want an estimate followed by an inspected purchase decision. The linked service describes the US route.
Net: check servicing charges and any further deductions. The initial quote is not the final offer.
Checks: physical inspection precedes the final offer. Confirm country eligibility and return terms.
Sources: Watchfinder’s selling process and sale terms.
4. Phillips: specialist auction review
Role: auction consignment; private sale is also available.
Fit: an owner who wants a specialist to assess the watch for a suitable sale and can plan around its schedule.
Net: obtain the seller commission and sale expenses. An auction estimate is not the amount you receive.
Checks: agree the reserve, custody, unsold terms and settlement conditions. Auction payment depends on buyer payment.
Source: Phillips’ seller process and charges.
5. Chrono24: self-listing or separate consignment
Role: marketplace selling, with a separate consignment option.
Fit: an owner prepared to manage a public listing, or assess the offered consignment service.
Net: check commission and any servicing costs for the selected route.
Checks: confirm payment, shipping and inspection arrangements. Certified inspection is optional for eligible self-listed watches, not automatic for every sale.
Source: Chrono24’s two selling options.
Match the route to your watch
These private-sale scenarios use owner-confirmed acquisition briefs dated 10 October 2026. Check the linked requirements before proposing a watch; a brand match alone is not enough.
F.P. Journe: separate the exact configurations
Check the white-dial Élégante 48 Titalyt ELHT, like-new with box and papers, or the near-new Centigraphe Sport Titanium CTS, calibre 1506, 42 mm with rubber inserts, rubber strap, box and papers.
The Octa Sport ARS brief requires 42 mm on rubber. The platinum Tourbillon Souverain brief accepts TN (calibre 1403, 40 mm) or TV (calibre 1519). Condition and set requirements differ between briefs.
Patek Philippe: confirm reference, condition and set
The 5712/1A-001, 5711 and 5168G-001 briefs request new, unworn watches with box and papers, subject to inspection. For 5711, any dial is considered; blue is preferred, not required. Confirm the full reference and metal. “New” describes condition, not current production.
Audemars Piguet: match the full Royal Oak reference
The black ceramic Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Openworked brief specifies 26585CE.OO.1225CE.01. Another openworked Royal Oak is not automatically a match. For other references, use the AP seller review and compare suitable offers.
Richard Mille: verify the case material
The RM 67-01 Extra Flat mandate requires a platinum case. A platinum movement rotor alone does not qualify. State the configuration, condition and available documents in a Richard Mille sale enquiry; no extra full-set requirement is implied.
Kari Voutilainen GMT-6 Art sky dial
Passion Asset Advisory confirmed a Kari Voutilainen GMT-6 Art sky dial buying mandate on 15 October 2026. This route fits an owner or authorized representative who can provide the exact watch details and dial photographs. A different GMT-6 dial is not an automatic match. No price, condition grade or box-and-papers requirement is published; a proposal still needs review, inspection and written terms.
When to use a different route
A mandate-led private sale fits an owner who wants reference-specific review and a disclosed transaction role. It is not a promise of instant cash or a higher price. For trade credit, public price testing or a lower-value watch, compare a dealer, auction or marketplace first.
Where to sell a luxury watch, by city
Passion Asset Advisory compares a route by the owner's priorities, not the city name alone. These AP guides explain local options while keeping the exact reference and expected net at the centre of the decision.
London
Compare an appointment-led inspection with dealer and saleroom terms. The guide to where to sell an Audemars Piguet in London explains custody checks before you leave a watch with anyone. Owners elsewhere can use the UK Audemars Piguet sale guide.
Dubai
A classifieds conversation needs separate identity, payment and handover checks. Use the guide to selling an Audemars Piguet in Dubai before treating a message as a firm offer.
Singapore
For consignment, ask who holds the watch and what happens if it does not sell. Review where to sell an Audemars Piguet in Singapore to compare the agreement with a direct purchase.
New York
A price discussed at a buying counter is different from a published auction total. The New York Audemars Piguet selling guide sets out the checks behind each route.
Miami
A pawn loan keeps repayment obligations open; a sale transfers ownership. Compare where to sell an Audemars Piguet in Miami before choosing between immediate funding and a final sale.
Seller questions
Which place pays the most for a luxury watch?
No provider pays most for every watch. Passion Asset Advisory compares expected seller net, not headline asks. Compare written proposals using the same reference, condition, currency and date.
Does a matching mandate mean my watch is sold?
No. It starts a fit review. Ownership, documents, condition, inspection and written completion terms still matter. An active request does not establish buyer funding.
Can I sell without box and papers?
A general review may still be possible. Disclose missing items. A watch without the required papers does not match a full-set brief; documents alone do not authenticate it.
Ask for your written seller net
Send Passion Asset Advisory the reference, condition, available set and country. Ask which route fits and what you would keep after the disclosed fees. The existing enquiry form starts a review, not a sale instruction.
Sources and review
Passion Asset Advisory Watch Desk reviewed the official seller pages linked above on 10 October 2026. They document offered services, not independently tested outcomes. Our roles and fees follow the published service terms; model requirements follow the current mandate hub.