Buy rare assets privately

1. Define the brief. Agree specification, total budget, location, timing and acceptable alternatives.
2. Set the scope. Confirm acceptance, our role, the fee payer, search terms and any third-party expenses in writing.
3. Review opportunities. Compare the specific asset, seller information, price basis and known gaps.
4. Negotiate conditional terms. Where appropriate, make the purchase subject to records checks, physical inspection, title and agreed remedies.
5. Complete the agreed diligence. Use specialists appropriate to the asset. No single authentication method covers watches, artworks, aircraft and yachts.
6. Coordinate closing. Agree contracts, payment, custody, taxes and transfer responsibilities before release.

Preliminary screening is not the same as a completed physical inspection. For aircraft and yachts, technical diligence often follows an agreed letter of intent or purchase agreement. The written conditions should preserve the relevant inspection and acceptance rights. Read how the MANDATE method works.

Source: Passion Asset Advisory published engagement terms, 27 September 2026. Watch sourcing is available; non-watch figures are reference terms, not confirmation that a service is active.

We do not represent both buyer and seller in the same transaction. The fee payer and represented party must both be clear. The table's non-watch terms apply only if the office accepts the work and the scope is agreed in writing. A “no completion, no success fee” term does not cancel approved third-party expenses or a separately agreed advisory fee.

Category terms: watch sourcing, bag sourcing, aircraft acquisition and yacht acquisition.

A public listing can be useful evidence, but its asking price is not a completed sale. For an accepted review, we identify whether a comparison is a published retail price, dealer ask, model estimate, documented transaction or a firm offer. Gaps in the evidence stay visible.

For watches, use Rolex prices 2026 or the F.P. Journe price guide to understand the difference between price types. If you need an independent written purpose-specific assessment, see watch appraisal and valuation.

A private process can control exposure, but it does not prove that an asset is cheaper, better or available sooner than a public alternative. For an accepted brief, the comparison can include a public dealer or auction route where appropriate.

We agree what may be shared and with whom. Identity, funds and ownership checks may require disclosure to the counterparty, inspection specialist, escrow provider or other closing participant. An NDA is available on request; it does not replace required checks.

Minimum estimated market value is $25,000 per watch and $10,000 per bag. A specialist dealer or established marketplace may be more practical below those levels. For non-watch categories, confirm whether work can be accepted; a reference value or published process is not an acceptance rule.