Chrono24 launches authentication programme

Chrono24, the online marketplace for luxury watches, has launched a new ‘Certified’ authentication programme to provide transparency and a guarantee in vetting pre-owned timepieces for collectors.

The programme will be available for pre-owned timepieces above 1,000 euros from professional and private sellers. The certification includes a comprehensive authenticity check of a purchaser’s watch, box, and papers, alongside a theft check, where the serial number is checked against leading stolen watch databases, and a functionality check to ensure the timepiece is working.

Every certified watch will also receive an evergreen digital Certificate of Authenticity, which can be identified on the Chrono24 website with a green ‘C’ icon.

Dr Carsten Keller, chief executive of Chrono24, said in a statement: “Since 2003, Chrono24 has continuously invested in the trust our customers feel when they shop on our platform. Delivering on this promise has been our guiding principle for more than two decades.

"With the launch of Chrono24 Certified, we are opening our next chapter: The world's leading marketplace for luxury watches now offers the largest selection of certified watches on the planet. Built on the most transparent authentication service in the industry, customers now experience the final layer of security in buying luxury watches."

A timepiece can earn Chrono24’s “Certified” status in two ways. The watch can be “certified included” by an experienced, vetted, and regularly audited watchmaker who is geographically close to the rigorously vetted dealer and contracted by Chrono24, before its listing and at no charge to the purchaser. Alternatively, a timepiece sold by a private seller can be Certified by Chrono24 by a watchmaker in a certification centre, before it arrives to the purchaser, fully protected. This optional service costs 199 euros and includes the insured postage charge with a 2-5 business day turnaround time.

‘Certified’ is now live across Europe, with the US rollout scheduled for later in the second quarter (early summer).