This is a first in the history of the watch industry! Faced with the resurgence of thefts of luxury watches, including more and more cases committed with violence, the Maison Audemars Piguet offers its customers to… replace their stolen watch. What can reassure (future) customers if not deter thieves?
A refund, repair or compensation
This is François-Henry Bennahmias, CEO ofAudemars Piguet, who made this announcement to our colleagues from Bloomberg, taken up by Les Echos. For a period of two years from the date of purchase, the Swiss Maison founded in 1875 offers purchasers of brand watches a program guaranteeing the replacement, reimbursement or repair of any stolen or damaged watch.
“We listen to our customers and we also have to look at what is happening in the world at the moment. We have major cities in Europe and the United States that are no longer so safe, ”began by indicating François-Henry Bennahmias.
Two-year “warranty” against theft
How does this warranty program actually work? It will suffice for the purchaser of an Audemars Piguet watch purchased in 2022 or 2023, the average price of which is moreover around €50,000, to prove that he is the legitimate owner using a photo and /or the serial number, and provide the police report mentioning the theft.
Customers will have, after study of the file, the choice to be reimbursed or to have a new brand new watch. If the watch is no longer produced, Audemars Piguet will choose a “similar” model still in production.
Audemars Piguet estimates that 75% of its customers are eligible for this new program, which is likely to generate a hundred complaints over two years. Regarding the risk of fraud, François-Henry Bennahmias believes that “this is part of the process” and that it should not exceed two or three cases…
