The vintage watch market revalorizes watchmaking craftsmanship
Second-hand luxury breathes new life into artistic crafts. A whole network of professions is supported by this new way of consuming.
Laurent Buclin, watchmaker and repairer (on the left) and Richard Lundin, engraver, feel positively the renewed interest in second-hand watches.
KEYSTONE / SALVATORE DI NOLFI
Another Swedish portmanteau. After the flygskam, the shame of flying, here is the kopskam, or the shame of buying new. First applied to the clothing sector, against fast fashion, it quickly spread and today affects the world of luxury in general and, therefore, fine watchmaking. By announcing this week at the show Watches & Wonders the creation of its CPO (Certified Pre-Owned) department, with the Watchfinder resale platform, Cartier intends to control the market for its second-hand watches. Like Richard Mille, Zenith, or Rolex, which launched its own CPO certificate at the end of 2022 in tandem with the retailer Bucherer.