Sell rare assets privately

Passion Asset Advisory provides watch sale guides by brand and market. Use them to compare local sale routes before sending your watch details.

For collector watches, seller-side brokerage means acting for the owner under a written mandate. Collector watches also have two possible offer routes. A direct purchase makes the office the buyer, with its margin inside the offer and no seller commission. A seller-side funded-buyer offer keeps the office on the seller’s side and has a 5% success fee.

A buyer-side acquisition mandate is different: we act for that buyer, the buyer pays our fee and the seller pays no commission to us. We do not advise both sides in one transaction, and we do not describe a principal offer as independent advice to the seller.

Source: Passion Asset Advisory seller-fee schedule, published 27 September 2026. Watch routes remain subject to verification; other-category figures do not confirm current service availability.

Non-watch fee terms apply only if the office accepts the work and the scope is agreed in writing. Large mandates may be quoted lower in writing. Taxes and authorised third-party charges are identified separately. Hypothetical watch example: at $250,000, private placement costs $8,000 + $9,000 = $17,000, leaving $233,000 before taxes and any other agreed costs.

For the full watch comparison and adjustable scenarios, use the Net Proceeds Calculator. A favourable scenario is not a guaranteed result.

1. Confidential review: send the asset details, location, ownership position and timing. Photographs follow by email.
2. Evidence and route: compare relevant documented sales, estimates and current offers without confusing them.
3. Written terms: confirm acceptance, our role, expected net, fee, costs, exclusivity if any and the approval process.
4. Preparation and checks: organise records and scope the specialist work needed for the asset.
5. Buyer approach: share approved information with relevant parties and qualify offers.
6. Completion: agree inspection acceptance, contract, cleared payment and release conditions.

Private sale can limit public exposure. Auction or a dealer can still be the better route for a particular asset, deadline or level of evidence. We do not claim that privacy always produces the highest price. Read the MANDATE method.

A watch sale estimate is free. Once complete details and usable photos are received, the office provides a written offer or net estimate within one business day for a suitable watch. An estimate is conditional; it is not acceptance of the asset or a guaranteed sale.

For watch direct purchases and private placements, we arrange and pay for insured, tracked transfer to the inspection point and the inspection. Independent watchmaker inspections are arranged in Geneva, London or Prague; those are inspection locations, not branch offices. Direct purchase payment is within two business days after verification and agreed closing conditions.

These watch terms do not automatically apply to another category. For bags, cars, art, aircraft and yachts, first confirm whether the enquiry can be accepted. Any inspection, insurance, custody, transport and payment terms then need a written, asset-specific scope. A paid watch appraisal and valuation is also different from the free sale estimate.

Start with proof of ownership or authority to sell, the identifying reference or specification, condition, location and known problems. Add purchase, service or maintenance records where available. Disclose missing documents and restoration or replacement work early; do not try to hide a gap behind a high asking price.

Watch minimum: estimated market value of $25,000 per watch. Bag minimum: $10,000 per bag. Below those levels, a specialist dealer or established marketplace may be more practical. Use the focused routes to sell a Rolex privately, sell an F.P. Journe or sell a Patek Philippe.