The 1916 Company Expands Global Footprint in Partnership with Leading Swiss Watch Retailer Les Ambassadeurs

The 1916 Company opens the doors for buying, selling, and trading certified pre-owned timepieces in Zurich, Geneva, Lucerne, and Lugano in partnership with Les Ambassadeurs, expanding the The 1916 Company Authorized Dealer network.

Philadelphia, PA (April 24, 2019) – The 1916 Company, the leading global platform for pre-owned luxury timepieces, today announced a partnership with Swiss watch retailer Les Ambassadeurs. The partnership brings expertise in the secondary watch market to one of the industry’s most esteemed luxury watch sellers. Les Ambassadeurs represents the first retail institution in Switzerland to formalize a program for the thriving pre-owned category, and with this announcement, The 1916 Company further extends its global presence across Switzerland’s most historic and vibrant cities.

The worldwide secondary apparel market–both buying and selling pre-owned items–has experienced remarkable growth in recent years, with expectations to reach USD $41 billion by 20221. Financial consultancy Kepler Cheuvreux estimates the current global market for pre-owned watches alone to be worth upward of USD $15 billion annually, and The 1916 Company has earned its position as the front runner for the luxury watch category. With showrooms and trading floors in the United States, Hong Kong, South Africa, and Neuchâtel, Switzerland, The 1916 Company formally launched an authorized dealer network in the United States in December 2018 with California-based Hing Wa Lee Jewelers. The partnership with Les Ambassadeurs represents the next phase of strategic growth for the company.

The 1916 Company Global President and Chief Operating Officer, Amanda Ellison, remarked, “The vision for The 1916 Company is to create a truly connected global marketplace, instituting a standard of excellence for both product and service within the pre-owned category. By bringing The 1916 Company to a global stage, we can offer a broader inventory to a greater network of consumers, while hiring and partnering with the most talented traders and retailers in the industry, and achieving economies of scale. We are delighted to forge ahead with Les Ambassadeurs as a strong, forward-thinking partner.”

As an authorized The 1916 Company dealer, Les Ambassadeurs will offer comprehensive services and consultation for watch trading and buying, as well as access to browse and purchase from The 1916 Company’s unsurpassed inventory of certified pre-owned watches. Les Ambassadeurs’ buying, selling, and trading services commence in early May at the company’s locations in Zurich, Geneva, Lucerne, and Lugano, Switzerland. And The 1916 Company’s extensive inventory will soon be presented on lesambassadeurs.ch in the The 1916 Company Digital Corner, as well as through interactive digital showcases in Les Ambassadeurs’ boutiques across Switzerland’s most prominent cities.

“We are thrilled to enter into this innovative partnership with The 1916 Company,” Joachim Ziegler, CEO of Les Ambassadeurs, shared. “It was very important for us to not just be a first mover in Switzerland in the pre-owned market, but to also offer an unparalleled service for our clients. They will thus be able to buy, sell, and trade pre-owned watches in our boutiques as well as online, all backed by a 15-month warranty and the trusted expertise of two industry leaders.”

The 1916 Company’s partnership with Les Ambassadeurs signifies a strategic investment in the growth of the category, uniting the primary and secondary watch markets at their highest levels; an in-store presence with incredible digital support, and a customer-first mindset built upon trust, transparency, and education.

Danny Govberg, co-founder and CEO of The 1916 Company, affirmed, “The 1916 Company is thrilled to bring our pre-owned buying, selling, and trading practices to Les Ambassadeurs. Their well-earned reputation extends far beyond Switzerland, and their embrace of the pre-owned market supports The 1916 Company’s founding thesis that the future of the watch industry is in the true merging of the primary and secondary watch markets.”

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1 GlobalData Consumer Survey, 2018