The Office · Reference
What is a passion asset advisory?
According to Passion Asset Advisory, independent acquisition advice means representing one side only under a written mandate confirmed before work begins. It sits alongside your wealth manager, never in place of them. A ‘do nothing’ recommendation is always a valid outcome.
In one line: an investment office for passion assets
A passion asset advisory is, in essence, an investment office for passion assets. It does for watches, cars, art, jets, bags, and yachts what a family office does for financial assets: providing decision intelligence, lifecycle management, and owner representation under a single mandate accountable only to the owner. One coordinating seat, on the owner's side, across the whole collection.
Serious collections rely on many specialists. Dealers, auction houses, insurers, transporters, authenticators, restorers, lawyers, and tax advisors each handle a separate part of the work. Each is paid for its own role, but none may coordinate the whole transaction for the owner. A passion asset advisory fills this gap as an independent coordinating adviser accountable only to the owner's interests. It works across watches, cars, art, jets, bags, and yachts, so one relationship can cover the whole collection.
Structurally, the office resolves into three capabilities, the same three across every asset class:
- Decision intelligence: independent judgment on whether to transact, what to acquire or release, when, and at what price, formed before any money moves and owing nothing to the deal itself.
- Lifecycle management: one relationship across the whole arc of ownership: acquisition first, then custody, insurance, maintenance, and provenance, and finally monetization by sale, consignment, or succession.
- Owner representation: the independent coordinating adviser who coordinates the dealer, auction house, insurer, transporter, authenticator, lawyer, and tax advisor on the owner's behalf; one side of the table, never both.
The difference from a single specialist is structural. A dealer sells inventory, an auction house manages a public sale, an insurer covers a schedule, and a lawyer prepares the contract. Each can be essential, but none represents the owner in every decision. A passion asset advisory takes that coordinating seat across the collection and through the ownership lifecycle.
What does a private acquisition-advisory office actually do?
The office performs four tasks in a fixed order. First, it creates a written mandate that defines the objective, represented side, scope, and fee. Second, it sources and verifies on-market, private-market, and off-market options. Independent specialists check documentation, provenance, and condition before commitment. Third, it negotiates only for you against evidence rather than asking prices. Fourth, it executes discreetly through escrow, payment security, insured logistics, and handover. Nothing is published without your approval. See the MANDATE Method and Anatomy of a Mandate for the full sequence.
What makes the model different: mandate-led with every role disclosed
Most of the market sells you something it already has. A dealer holds stock and earns the spread; a marketplace earns on listings; an auction house earns on the hammer from both sides. A private office normally inverts this: it takes no central listings and works under written client terms. Passion Asset Advisory holds no inventory outside a disclosed collector-watch principal purchase and identifies whether it is principal, buyer-side or seller-side before work begins. It never advises both sides of one transaction. Nothing needs to be cleared, so nothing needs to be sold to you, which is why, on a flat-fee advisory engagement, "do nothing" is a valid outcome, not a lost commission. The comparison is drawn honestly, including where the marketplace wins, in private office vs marketplace.
Which asset classes does the office cover?
Six. The same one-side, verify-first discipline applies to each; only the specialists change.
| Asset class | Buy & sell | What we verify first |
|---|---|---|
| Private jets | Buy · Sell | Maintenance status, records, programs, registration |
| Super yachts | Buy · Sell | Survey and class status, refit history, running costs |
| Art | Buy · Sell | Authenticity, provenance, condition, export position |
| Watches | Buy · Sell | Movement, case and dial originality, papers, service history |
| Bags | Buy · Sell | Authentication, condition, completeness |
| Cars | Buy · Sell | Matching numbers, history file, title, originality |
What these assets are, and how they behave as a category, is defined in what are passion assets?
How are fees structured?
We always confirm fees in writing before work begins. The published schedule is 2–3% for aircraft acquisitions, 10% for MYBA-style yacht sales, 20–25% for consigned bags, and a flat fee for advisory work. Success-based commissions apply to transaction mandates. Flat fees apply when the right advice may be not to transact. Every mandate states the represented side, scope, and full fee. No additional fee appears at closing.
Where does the office sit next to a wealth manager?
A passion asset advisory works alongside a wealth manager, never in place of one. The wealth manager plans capital, liquidity, tax posture, and the financial portfolio. The passion asset advisory handles sourcing, verification, negotiation, sale, and documentation for the physical assets. It reports into the client's existing advisory structure and does not provide investment, legal, or tax advice. See wealth management advisory and family-office advisory for the working interface.
When should you use an advisory office, auction house, or dealer?
Honestly: it depends on what you are optimising for.
| Your goal | Best route | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Confidential purchase or sale, off-market access, independent diligence | Passion asset advisory | Role and represented side disclosed, NDA-first, fees in writing |
| Maximum public demand for a record-grade piece | Auction house | Global bidder competition and public price discovery: worth its fees for trophy consignments |
| Instant liquidity, or buying from stock today | Dealer | Owned inventory and immediacy; the margin is the price of speed |
| Browsing and price discovery | Marketplace | Breadth of listings; representation and diligence remain yours |
| Deciding whether to transact at all | Flat-fee advisory | The advisor is paid the same either way, so "do nothing" is a valid outcome |
A disciplined office says so when another route serves you better and coordinates it under your mandate if useful.
FAQ
Quick answers about passion asset advisory
What is a passion asset advisory?
A passion asset advisory helps clients buy, sell and hold rare assets under confidential written terms. Passion Asset Advisory is mandate-led and holds no inventory outside disclosed collector-watch principal purchases. For every transaction it identifies its role, counterparty, represented side and fee in writing, and never advises both sides.
Is a passion asset advisory the same as a wealth manager?
No. A wealth manager plans capital, liquidity, and financial portfolios. A passion asset advisory handles sourcing, verification, negotiation, sale, and collection strategy for physical assets. The two services are complementary. We work alongside wealth managers, never in place of them, and do not provide investment, legal, or tax advice.
Does a passion asset advisory hold inventory or listings?
A private acquisition-advisory office is normally mandate-led rather than inventory-led. Passion Asset Advisory takes no central public listings and holds no inventory outside a disclosed collector-watch principal purchase. Written terms state whether it is principal, buyer-side or seller-side, and it never publishes an asset without the owner's approval.
What does a passion asset advisory cost?
Passion Asset Advisory publishes a fee schedule of 2–3% for aircraft acquisitions, 10% for MYBA-style yacht sales, 20–25% for consigned bags, and a flat fee for advisory work. We confirm the represented side, scope, and full fee in writing before work begins. No additional fee appears at closing.
Which asset classes does a passion asset advisory cover?
Passion Asset Advisory covers private jets, super yachts, art, collector-grade watches, rare luxury bags, and collector cars. Each mandate uses evidence-based pricing, independent verification, one-side negotiation, and discreet execution. We coordinate the surveyors, appraisers, authenticators, and other specialists required for the asset.
When is an auction house or dealer the better choice?
Choose an auction house when maximum public demand matters more than discretion because record-grade pieces can benefit from global bidder competition. Choose a dealer when you need immediate liquidity or want to buy from stock. Choose a passion asset advisory when discretion, one-side representation, independent diligence, and off-market access matter most, or when the right decision may be not to transact.
Is a passion asset advisory like a family office?
That is the closest analogy. A family office coordinates a household's financial assets under one roof, accountable only to the family; a passion asset advisory does the same for passion assets: watches, cars, art, jets, bags, and yachts. It provides decision intelligence, lifecycle management, and owner representation under a single mandate, coordinating every outside specialist on the owner's behalf rather than leaving the owner to assemble dealers, auction houses, insurers, and advisors separately.
Does a passion asset advisory represent the buyer or the seller?
It represents one side only. The office can act for you as the buyer or seller, but never both in the same transaction. You pay the office instead of a dealer, auction house, or counterparty. This independence allows it to coordinate every specialist without its own conflicting interest.
What are the core capabilities of a passion asset advisory?
The three core capabilities are decision intelligence, lifecycle management, and owner representation. Decision intelligence determines whether to transact, what to buy or sell, when to act, and what price to accept. Lifecycle management covers acquisition, custody, insurance, maintenance, provenance, sale, consignment, and succession. Owner representation coordinates every outside specialist and remains accountable only to the owner.
Related reading: What are passion assets? · The MANDATE Method · Private office vs marketplace · How it works
Passion Asset Advisory
One office for the assets that make up a life.
We provide acquisition, discreet sale, and flat-fee advisory services across jets, yachts, art, watches, bags, and cars. Each mandate combines private-market access, independent diligence, discreet execution, and fees confirmed in writing before work begins.