Selling a Watch: Dealer, Chrono24, Auction or Private Sale? The 2026 Comparison

There are four main routes to selling a luxury watch in Switzerland: selling to a dealer, advertising on an online marketplace such as Chrono24, consigning to an auction house, and a private sale. The dealer is the fastest and safest. The marketplace and the private sale promise more money for more work and more risk. The auction suits rare pieces.

What are the four routes and how do they differ?

The four routes differ in time, effort, security and cost. The table summarises the differences; the detail follows route by route.

"Dealer" covers two forms: the individual specialist retailer or authorised dealer who buys the watch directly, and the purchasing platform with a dealer network, which puts the watch in front of several dealers at once and passes on the highest bid. Uhrenkontor belongs to the second form.

What speaks for and against selling to a dealer?

Selling to a dealer is the fastest and safest route, and in exchange the price sits below what an end customer pays. The dealer factors in inspection, service, time in stock and margin.

Advantages

• A binding offer within a day, and at a purchasing platform with a dealer network the highest of several bids.
• No fees, no advertising costs, no negotiations with strangers.
• Inspection and payment at a handover in person at a neutral location, with no shipping.
• The buyer is a company entered in the commercial register; a purchase contract and a receipt are standard.
• Watches without box and papers, with a service due or vintage pieces are bought as well.

Disadvantages

• The purchase price sits below the retail price because the dealer's margin is deducted.
• With a single dealer the offer depends on that dealer's stock and clientele; comparing several offers is necessary.
• Watches of low market value are not accepted by many buyers.

What speaks for and against Chrono24 and similar marketplaces?

An online marketplace connects the seller directly with end customers worldwide, but it asks the seller to do all the work of a dealer. The marketplace keeps a commission on the sale price.

Advantages

• Access to buyers worldwide, and with it the chance of a price close to the retail price.
• The seller sets the price and can reject offers.
• Escrow and payment handling through the platform reduce the payment risk.

Disadvantages

• Commission on the sale price and, depending on the platform, listing fees.
• Photographs, description, enquiries, price negotiations, shipping and returns all sit with the seller.
• The time to a sale is uncertain; common references compete with hundreds of identical listings.
• Shipping abroad brings customs, insurance and the buyer's right of return; in a dispute the seller carries the burden of proof.
• The watch is publicly visible, with photographs and serial number.

What speaks for and against an auction house?

An auction house inspects, catalogues and sells the watch on a fixed date to the highest bidder. The route pays off for pieces that collectors bid on, and less so for series models.

Advantages

• Expert inspection and classification by specialists, which makes the value of rare or historical watches visible.
• An international bidding audience; for sought-after pieces hammer prices can exceed the dealer price.
• The house handles administration, insurance and payment.

Disadvantages

• A consignment fee, sometimes with additional catalogue, photography and insurance costs, all reducing the proceeds.
• Fixed auction dates, usually two per year per house; months often pass from consignment to payment.
• The result is uncertain: a reserve protects the downside, but the watch can go unsold.
• Series models are frequently not accepted at all, or are sold in grouped lots.

What speaks for and against a private sale?

A private sale through Ricardo, Tutti, forums or acquaintances saves every margin and commission, but it is the route with the highest risk. The seller carries inspection, handover and payment security alone.

Advantages

• No intermediary, and therefore the full negotiating range up to the retail price.
• Low or no platform fees.
• Handover in person in your own region is possible.

Disadvantages

• Attempted fraud is widespread on open platforms: forged payment confirmations, escrow fraud, haggling at the meeting.
• No expert inspection; any dispute over condition or authenticity is the seller's to fight.
• Prospective buyers are unknown; the seller has to organise security at handover and payment.
• Time to sale and price are uncertain, and enquiries often come without serious intent to buy.

Which route suits whom?

The choice of route depends on three questions: how quickly do you need the money, how much time and experience do you bring, and how special is the watch?

• You want to sell quickly, safely and without effort. A dealer or a purchasing platform with a dealer network. With the platform you receive several bids at once and do not have to compare them yourself.
• You have time and experience and want the highest possible price. An online marketplace. Weigh commission, shipping, insurance and your own working time against the extra proceeds.
• Your watch is rare, historically significant or has an unusual provenance. An auction house. Obtain a non-binding assessment from the specialist first and compare it with a dealer offer.
• You know the buyer personally or are selling to a collector in your own circle. A private sale, with a purchase contract, handover in a bank branch and payment before the watch changes hands.
• You need liquidity at short notice but want to keep the watch. None of the four routes; a pawnbroker lends money against the watch as security, but charges interest.

In practice a dealer offer is worth having in every case, because it is free and available within a day. Only with that figure in hand can you judge whether the extra work of a marketplace or an auction justifies the possible extra proceeds.

Which mistakes happen when choosing a route?

The most common mistakes arise when sellers confuse net proceeds with a gross price or underestimate the risk of a route. Four patterns come up again and again.

1. Reading advertised prices as market value. Asking prices on marketplaces are hopes, not sale prices. What matters is what is actually paid, less commission and shipping.
2. Obtaining only one dealer offer. Individual dealers bid differently depending on stock and clientele. Only several bids show where the market really is.
3. Not counting your own time. Anyone answering enquiries for weeks, supplying extra photographs and coordinating appointments is working for the extra proceeds. Count those hours.
4. Shipping before payment arrives. On marketplaces and in private sales this is the most expensive mistake of all. A watch sent uninsured, or sent before payment, cannot be replaced if it is lost.

Where does Uhrenkontor sit in this comparison?

Uhrenkontor is a purchasing platform with a dealer network and therefore belongs in the "dealer" category. Over 25 partner dealers in Switzerland assess every watch, and the highest bid is passed on as a binding offer within 12 hours on working days. The service is free and the offer is valid for several days.

The difference from a single dealer is the comparison: instead of visiting one shop after another, the seller receives the best of over 25 bids from one enquiry. The difference from a marketplace is effort and discretion: no listing, no public photographs, no contact details passed to dealers, no shipping. The handover takes place in person anywhere in Switzerland and in Liechtenstein, with payment in cash, by bank transfer or by Twint.

The full process, the value factors and the tax position are set out in the guide How to sell a watch in Switzerland. Filling in the sell form takes about three minutes.

Frequently asked questions about comparing the routes

Which route brings in the most money?

Arithmetically, selling to an end customer through a marketplace or privately, because no dealer margin applies. From that come commission, shipping, insurance and your time, plus the risk of returns and fraud. Net, the advantage is often smaller than expected; a dealer offer as a benchmark shows the real difference.

Which route is the fastest?

Selling to a dealer or through a purchasing platform. The offer is there within a day, and the handover with payment often follows in the same week. Marketplaces take weeks to months, and auction houses three to nine months until payment because of their fixed dates.

Is Chrono24 suitable for private sellers in Switzerland?

Yes, if you bring time, experience and patience. You create the listing, answer enquiries, negotiate, ship insured and handle returns. The platform keeps a commission. For common references you compete with many identical listings, which makes the time to a sale hard to plan.

When is an auction house worth it?

For rare references, limited editions, vintage pieces with documented provenance or very high-value watches that collectors bid on. Series models are often not accepted, or fetch less than a dealer offer once fees are deducted. Obtain a non-binding assessment before consigning and compare it with a dealer bid.

How safe is a private sale of a luxury watch?

It is the riskiest route. Attempted fraud with forged payment confirmations, escrow fraud and haggling at the meeting are widespread. It becomes safe only with a neutral handover location, inspection on the spot, a purchase contract and payment into your account before you hand the watch over. No shipping before payment arrives.

Can I use several routes at once?

Yes, and it makes sense. A dealer offer is free and without obligation and serves as a benchmark for a marketplace, an auction or a private sale. Note only that a listing must not run in parallel with an auction consignment, and that an accepted dealer offer is binding on both sides.