All of us motoring enthusiasts are well aware of the idea of buying a pre-owned car. In fact, buying a pre-owned car is somewhat of a commonplace in the automotive world. It makes a lot of sense for many buyer to buy a car that has already had an owner or two. Do so allows you to skip the massive depreciation hit that cars immediately take when purchased brand new and get into a relatively new car for much less money than what it would cost from the showroom.

So you’ve heard of buying pre-owned cars, that’s no secret. But what about pre-owned watches.

Watches are not something that people typically search classifieds or Craigslist for. Typically, most people don’t even think to buy a watch second-hand, as most average Americans are somewhat ignorant to watch buying in general, hence why people pay far too much money on a mediocre watch by purchasing it from a stand in their local shopping mall. The simple fact of the matter is that most people don’t understand how watch buying works, nonetheless pre-owned watch buying. However, you can always learn, and a watch dealer like Govberg is here to educate consumers on the process of buying a pre-owned watch.

While Govberg deals with fine jewelry as well as fine timepieces, they also specialize in pre-owned watches and are one of the few reputable pre-owned watch sellers in the US.

What makes Govberg so reputable is that they are authorized dealers of over 50 watch brands, meaning that any new watch bought from Govberg is completely authorized by the brand and comes with all of the correct paperwork and original warranty. This comes in handy when selling pre-owned watches, because, as an authorized dealer of so many brands and the fact that Govberg has an in-house repair service,  they can repair watches to exact specification and use authentic and original replacement parts. So draw a parallel to car dealerships and their own authorized service center.

You can even search an inventory of watches from the convenience of your smartphone.

Just like CPOed cars, pre-owned watches can also come with extended warranty, for example Govberg offers a 15 month warranty, so buying a pre-owned watch becomes a lot less stressful.

Watch companies that sell pre-owned pieces aim to offer them in pristine conditions – just like you would expect to buy a car from the used car lot. Govberg claims it to be within 90 percent of the original condition or better, and each and every pre-owned watch has been carefully inspected by in-house, highly-trained and authorized specialists – another direct comparison with certified pre-owned cars and the process of certifying those.

Now, some may scoff at the idea of buying a pre-owned watch, but in reality, a pre-owned watch is far better value than a pre-owned car. Unless you’re spending an absurd amount of money on a pre-owned classic, it’s very rare that you’re second-hand vehicle will be worth much in 10-15 years. Cars depreciate in value probably worse than any other expensive purchase on the market. They’re horrible investments, in general. There are a few exceptions, obviously, with the BMW 1 Series M being a recent example that comes to mind. However, watches actually hold their value quite well and, depending on the watch, can appreciate in value and become great investments.

Take for example this Patek Philippe Chronograph.

Obviously, not all watches will appreciate in value and, in fact, most won’t. However, what watches do is last. A great mechanical watch can last 100 years with the proper maintenance. Even your average Seiko automatic from the ’50s or ’60s would still work perfectly today if it had been decently cared for over the years.

You can’t say the same about 90 percent of the cars on the road.

And when you buy a pre-owned car, it’s likely that it includes much, if any, of the original paperwork and sometimes they are missing original parts. Almost all of pre-owned watches from respectable dealers are coming with the original boxes and paperwork and have their repairs done with original parts.

If you’re a car enthusiast, there’s a good chance that you’re interested in watches as well, if only mildly. Watches and cars both touch on the mechanical desire of us gearheads in a similar fashion. Most of us also aren’t filthy rich, either, and must spend their money wisely. So it’s unlikely that many of us here can afford to go out and buy a brand-new Patek Philippe.

So companies like Govberg allow us normal folks to put something respectable and of high quality on our wrist that is 100 percent authentic for a much lower price than we would have when buying brand-new.