Sell your watch in Aarau
Handover in person, offer within 12 hours from more than 25 dealer bids.
Describe your watch, handover in Aarau.
Anyone in Aarau with a luxury watch to sell receives a binding offer within 12 hours on working days. More than 25 partner dealers in Switzerland assess the piece from photographs and details, and the highest bid is passed on, free and without obligation. The handover takes place in person in Aarau or elsewhere in the canton of Aargau.
Aarau is the capital of a canton that sits between the large watch markets. Zurich, Basel and Bern are each under an hour away, and many people in Aargau buy and sell their watches there. Aarau itself has a number of jewellers in the old town, famous for its painted gable undersides, as do Baden and Lenzburg, but the choice of places willing to buy a Rolex, Omega or Breitling is limited. Comparing offers means getting in the car.
Where does the handover take place in Aarau?
The meeting is arranged once the offer has been accepted. Usual choices are a bank branch in central Aarau, somewhere between the station and the old town, your chambers or office, or your home. Anyone who wants to check the payment as it arrives tends to choose their own bank.
The catchment area covers the whole canton of Aargau: Buchs and Suhr on the doorstep, Lenzburg, Brugg, Baden and Wettingen to the east, Zofingen to the west, and the Fricktal and the Freiamt. Olten in the neighbouring canton of Solothurn belongs to it as well. Aarau lies on the Zurich to Bern line and on the A1, Baden and Wettingen on the A1 towards Zurich, Zofingen on the A2.
What applies in the canton of Aargau when you sell?
Three points can be settled before the appointment: how far the region extends, whether a notary is needed and which tax office is responsible.
| Topic | What applies in Aargau |
|---|---|
| Aarau agglomeration | 21 communes according to the Federal Statistical Office: 15 in Aargau, including Buchs, Suhr, Küttigen, Gränichen, Oberentfelden and Unterentfelden, and 6 in the canton of Solothurn, including Schönenwerd, Niedergösgen and Erlinsbach SO |
| Notaries | A freelance system: notaries (Urkundspersonen) work on their own responsibility, the canton publishes the registers of notaries and of officials who certify signatures, and a notarial commission supervises them |
| Tax return | Filed with the tax office of the commune where you live. Art, jewellery and collections count as "other assets" and are taxed at market value; household effects are not taxable |
The cantonal border makes no difference to the handover, but it does to your tax return, because what counts is your tax domicile. Someone living in Schönenwerd therefore declares in the canton of Solothurn, even if the appointment takes place in Aarau.
Sources (in German unless noted): FSO, agglomerations 2020, communes as at 1 January 2026; Canton of Aargau, notarial system; Aargau tax return guide 2025, sections 20.2 and 20.6; Swiss Code of Obligations, Art. 11 (English); Swiss Civil Code, Art. 714 (English); Tax Harmonisation Act, Art. 3 and Art. 17; Federal Act on Direct Federal Taxation, Art. 16(3). As of October 2026.
Why there is no shop
Premises in the Aarau old town or in Baden would have to finance rent, staff and security through the trading margin, and that margin is then missing from your offer. Uhrenkontor operates no sales floor. The partner dealers calculate their bid from the watch data and photographs alone and never see your contact details.
The second reason is discretion. Someone selling a valuable watch does not want to lay it on a counter in front of passing customers. An agreed appointment at a bank or at your home is quieter and saves the drive to Zurich or Basel, and the inspection on the day usually takes less than half an hour.
How selling a watch in Aarau works
- Describe the watch. Brand, model, reference number (the model number, usually on the case between the lugs), condition, what is included and at least three photographs, entered in the form at the top of this page. It takes about three minutes.
- Dealers bid. More than 25 partner dealers assess the anonymised enquiry. The highest bid is passed on as a binding offer within 12 hours on working days.
- Check the offer. Valid for several days, free and without obligation, subject to condition, authenticity and completeness matching the description.
- Handover and payment. An appointment in Aarau or elsewhere in Aargau, inspection of the watch on the spot, payment in cash, by bank transfer or by Twint.
Background on value factors, the warranty card and the routes to a sale is set out in the guide to selling a watch in Switzerland. Brand pages: sell a Rolex and sell an Omega.
Uhrenkontor is a platform of Solidas GmbH, 8834 Schindellegi, entered in the commercial register of the canton of Schwyz (UID CHE-291.391.209). Verifiable in the public register; details in the imprint.
- Offer within 12 hours
- Over 25 dealers
- Handover in Switzerland
- Free & discreet
Brands
Frequently asked
Selling a watch in Aarau.
Do you also come to Baden, Lenzburg or Zofingen?
Yes. The handover in person is possible across the whole canton of Aargau, including Buchs, Suhr, Lenzburg, Brugg, Baden, Wettingen and Zofingen, as well as the Fricktal, the Freiamt and Olten. The appointment is arranged once you accept the offer, and travel costs you nothing.
Can I bring my watch in somewhere in Aarau?
No, there is no shop and no address with opening hours in Aarau. You describe the watch online with photographs, receive the best bid from more than 25 dealers within 12 hours on working days, and after accepting it arrange a personal appointment at a place of your choosing.
How soon can an appointment in Aarau be arranged?
Usually within a few working days of your accepting the offer. Aargau lies between Zurich, Basel and Bern and is easy to reach via the A1, so appointments can generally be set at short notice. The offer remains valid for several days, and you decide the time and the place.
Do you buy inherited watches and estates in Aarau?
Yes, provided the watch has a market value of roughly CHF 3,000 or more. Vintage pieces, watches needing a service and watches without box or papers are valued too. With an estate, submit each watch separately with at least three photographs so that each receives its own offer.
Does the sale contract have to be notarised or certified in Aargau?
No. Swiss law requires no particular form for the sale of a watch (Art. 11 Code of Obligations), and ownership passes when the watch is handed over (Art. 714 Civil Code). If you would still like to meet at a notary's office, you can. The canton of Aargau publishes the registers of notaries and of officials who certify signatures.
How does the Aargau tax guide treat jewellery and collections?
The 2025 Aargau tax return guide lists art, jewellery and collections as other assets, taxed at market value; household effects are not taxable. Your commune's tax office decides whether a particular watch falls under this. After a sale, the proceeds count as cash or bank balance; the gain is generally tax-free for private individuals.
I live in Schönenwerd or Erlinsbach SO. Can the handover take place there?
Yes. The Federal Statistical Office counts six Solothurn communes in the Aarau agglomeration, among them Schönenwerd, Niedergösgen and Erlinsbach SO. The handover takes place wherever you choose, including your home. Tax questions go to the canton of Solothurn, because your tax domicile determines where you declare your wealth (Art. 3 Tax Harmonisation Act).