Three and a half years after Rolex allowed its retailers to sell pre-owned Rolex watches, the Certified Pre-Owned Program is available at fewer than a quarter of Rolex locations, a sign that many retailers remain unconvinced the benefits outweigh the program's operational demands. The program's expansion has tapered, according to a WatchCharts report out last week, with just 13 retailers joining in 2026, including only three in the second quarter. Today, just three retail companies account for nearly half of all CPO inventory.
Still, sales are at record levels, the same report shows. Halfway through 2026, CPO sales totaled $330 million. That’s already two-thirds of last year's total. But little is known about retailers' profits. Although Rolex lets retailers set their own CPO prices, they also bear the cost of servicing every watch, a requirement before it can be sold.
"It's taken an enormous commitment on our part," The 1916 Company CEO John Shmerler said on the Luxury Society Podcast this week, adding that the investment had been greater than expected. Together, The 1916 Company, Bucherer and Watches of Switzerland account for 48% of all CPO inventory, data show. The 1916 Company decided to open its own Rolex-accredited service center to help meet with the CPO requirement. "We committed ourselves to the servicing end of the business in a much greater way than we would have anticipated," Mr. Shmerler said.