ATLANTA, GA — SwissWatchExpo, an Atlanta-based retailer of pre-owned luxury watches, has published the full details of its Rolex purchase and trade-in process, alongside guidance for owners evaluating any buyer.

The company issued the guidance based on its experience buying, selling, authenticating and servicing pre-owned luxury watches, including Rolex, Cartier, Omega, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet and other brands. SwissWatchExpo maintains an inventory of more than 3,000 pre-owned luxury watches at its Atlanta facility.

Why More Owners Are Selling

Conditions have shifted for watch owners considering a sale. U.S. retail prices for Swiss watches rose through a period of tariff changes and have largely held at those levels, while buyers priced out of retail have moved toward the secondary market. A survey of pre-owned dealers conducted by The Watch Register found that nearly three-quarters expect trading volumes to rise as a direct result of tariffs on newly imported Swiss watches.

For owners, that means more buyers competing for domestic supply — and more reason to understand how an offer is actually constructed before accepting one.

The Process, Step by Step

SwissWatchExpo's Rolex purchase process runs in four stages and takes approximately four to seven business days on average:

1. Request an offer. Owners submit their watch details and photographs through the company's online form, by phone with a watch consultant, or in person at the Atlanta showroom by appointment. Preliminary quotes are issued within one to three business days.

2. Ship the watch. SwissWatchExpo provides a prepaid label covering both shipping and insurance. Owners near Atlanta can bring the watch to the showroom instead.

3. Inspection and certification. The company's watchmakers physically examine the timepiece, verifying the reference, assessing condition and confirming component originality. Any preliminary offer is contingent on this inspection.

4. Payment. Once inspection is complete and the offer is accepted, payment is issued by eCheck within 24 hours.

What Determines the Offer

The company assesses each watch on model and reference number, age, rarity, condition, originality of components, and whether the original box and papers are present. Condition is graded across categories including Unworn, Excellent and Great Vintage.

SwissWatchExpo purchases across the Rolex catalog, including Submariner, Datejust, Daytona, GMT-Master II, President, Explorer, Sea-Dweller, Sky-Dweller and vintage references, and evaluates each watch individually rather than by model category alone.

Owners who prefer to trade rather than sell can apply the value of their watch toward another piece in inventory. Where the trade-in appraises higher than the watch being acquired, SwissWatchExpo pays the difference by eCheck or bank wire.

Company Commentary

"The thing owners are most anxious about isn't the number — it's what happens after they put the watch in a box," said Eugene Tutunikov, Chief Executive Officer at SwissWatchExpo. "The complaint we hear about this industry, over and over, is the offer that quietly drops once the watch is already several states away and sending it back costs money. That's why we publish the timeline and why a preliminary quote is explicitly tied to what the owner described. An inspection should confirm a watch, not become a renegotiation."

Tutunikov added that the most useful preparation happens before any quote is requested.

"Know your reference number, gather your box, papers and service records, and look at completed sales for your exact reference rather than asking prices. An informed owner has a better conversation with every buyer, including us. And we'd rather tell someone their watch belongs at auction, or that they're better off holding it, than make an offer that isn't right for them. Our consultants aren't paid on commission, so there's no reason to do otherwise."

Guidance for Owners Evaluating Any Buyer

SwissWatchExpo recommends owners confirm the following with any prospective buyer:

• Whether the buyer is purchasing outright or selling on consignment, which determines when payment arrives
• Whether the initial quote is a range, and what specifically would change the final number
• Who pays for shipping and insurance
• What happens, and at whose cost, if the offer is declined
• The payment timeline and method
• Whether any fees are deducted between the quoted figure and the payout

Additional Resources

Owners can review the company's Rolex sell and trade process or its selling guide, which explains how valuations are constructed. Consultations are available by phone, over FaceTime, or in person at the company's Buckhead showroom in Atlanta by appointment.

About SwissWatchExpo

SwissWatchExpo is an independent retailer of pre-owned luxury watches based in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 2009, the company purchases and physically holds its inventory rather than operating as a third-party marketplace, maintaining more than 3,000 watches onsite — each inspected and authenticated by its in-house team of watchmakers before being offered for sale.

SwissWatchExpo holds a 4.8 out of 5.0 rating across more than 7,000 reviews on Google, Shopper Approved, Yelp, Facebook and the BBB. The company has been profiled by Robb Report, Bloomberg, Barron's, Forbes, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Business Insider. SwissWatchExpo is not an authorized dealer of Rolex or any other watch brand; its watches and warranties are provided independently by SwissWatchExpo.

Process timelines reflect typical cases and may vary. Market conditions cited reflect publicly reported data as of September 2026. This release is educational in nature and does not constitute investment advice.

For more information visit the website at https://www.swisswatchexpo.com