Bob's Watches
Bob's Watches is a US-based, privately held online marketplace founded in 1999 that buys, sells, and trades certified pre-owned luxury watches, publishing transparent buy and sell prices for Rolex, OMEGA, and other premium brands to consumers and collectors.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersNewport Beach, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Bob's Watches does
Bob's Watches (legal entity CME International, LLC) is a US-based online marketplace for certified pre-owned luxury watches, founded in 1999 by Paul Altieri and headquartered in Newport Beach, California. The company's core proposition is a transparent 'Rolex Exchange' model in which it publicly publishes both the price it will pay to buy a watch and the price at which it will sell it, functioning as a 'Kelly Blue Book' for used luxury timepieces. Inventory spans 14 brands including Rolex (565 SKUs), Breitling (276), OMEGA (185), Patek Philippe (78), Panerai (52), Cartier (47), Tudor (39), Audemars Piguet (31), and others, with 1,371 total watches in stock at any given time. Every watch is authenticated by in-house or third-party experts prior to listing, and the platform supports both retail purchases (with free overnight shipping) and seller buybacks (with same-day check or wire payment, free insured FedEx shipping, and an online quote request flow).
The business operates a hybrid go-to-market combining a national e-commerce site (bobswatches.com) with a phone-based inside sales team (1-800-494-3708) and five physical locations: the Newport Beach headquarters, a New York showroom at 200 Park Avenue, Miami, Naples, and a boutique inside JFK Airport opened in December 2025 - the first of its kind for a luxury pre-owned watch retailer. Supporting products and services include a Rolex and Omega serial number lookup tool, a watch auction module, financing for Rolex purchases, accessories, gift guides, and a proprietary 15-year Rolex Market Report (2010-2025) based on the company's own transaction data. Revenue mechanics are unit-priced retail margin on each resale plus transactional buyback margin; the company is private, profitable by implication (no funding rounds disclosed), and was ranked #129 on the INC 500 list of fastest-growing private companies in America. Light AI usage is present, primarily through a Woven.ai integration for personalized cart-abandonment email flows.
Bob's Watches firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Bob's Watches
- Legal name
- CME International, LLC
- Website
- https://bobswatches.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Bob's Watches is a US-based, privately held online marketplace founded in 1999 that buys, sells, and trades certified pre-owned luxury watches, publishing transparent buy and sell prices for Rolex, OMEGA, and other premium brands to consumers and collectors.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Bob's Watches industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Pre-Owned Luxury Watch Retail
- NAICS
- Jewelry, Watch, Precious Stone, and Precious Metal Merchant Wholesalers (42394)
- SIC
- Retail-Nonstore Retailers (5960)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Pre-owned Watch Dealers & Exchanges (CRAKAKAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Pre-owned, Vintage & Certified Pre-owned Watches (CRAKADAM), Watch & Timepiece Retail (CRAKAGAD)
Keywords
Where Bob's Watches is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Newport Beach
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices5 records
Markets served
Bob's Watches business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Watch Sales (Retail Transaction): Bob's Watches buys pre-owned luxury watches from the public, marks them up minimally, and resells them to buyers. The company publishes transparent buy and sell prices, taking a margin on each transaction. They also offer trade-in and seller's services with same-day payment. All inventory is in-stock and immediately available.
- Watch Buyback and Trade-In: The company purchases watches directly from sellers at published market rates, then resells them. Sellers receive payment by check or wire transfer upon inspection confirmation.
- Watch Authentication and Inspection Services: Every watch undergoes rigorous authentication by in-house or third-party watch experts, with video inspection conducted upon receipt. This inspection-based process supports both the buy and sell sides of the marketplace.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Published retail pricing per individual watch listing |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Published buy prices for selling a watch |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Bob's Watches product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Bob's Watches operates an online and physical marketplace that buys, sells, and trades pre-owned luxury watches, with a strong focus on Rolex and other premium brands such as OMEGA, Cartier, Breitling, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Tudor, and Panerai. The company publishes transparent buy and sell prices for each watch, certifies 100% authenticity through in-house and third-party watchmakers, and offers free overnight shipping nationwide, same-day payment to sellers, and a low-price guarantee. The business is supported by four US retail showrooms plus a boutique at JFK Airport.
Product overview
Bob's Watches operates as an online marketplace for buying, selling, and trading pre-owned luxury watches from renowned brands including Rolex, OMEGA, Tudor, Cartier, Panerai, Breitling, Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe, and others. The core product is the Pre-Owned Luxury Watch Marketplace featuring transparent pricing through the 'Rolex Exchange' model, where the company publishes both buy and sell prices. Key supporting services include Watch Authentication Services (100% certified authentic guarantee), Free Overnight Shipping, the Rolex Serial Numbers Lookup Tool, Watch Auctions, the Rolex Market Report (15-year data analysis), Rolex Financing, and editorial resources. Physical retail locations in Newport Beach, New York, Miami, and Naples complement the online platform, along with a newly opened JFK Airport boutique.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Pre-Owned Luxury Watch Sales Retail sale of certified pre-owned luxury watches (Rolex, OMEGA, Cartier, Breitling, Patek Philippe, Tudor, Panerai, Audemars Piguet, IWC, Oris, Grand Seiko, Longines, Tissot, Jaeger-LeCoultre) with over 1,300 in-stock listings and published retail prices ranging from under $3,000 to over $80,000.
- Watch Buyback and Trade-In Service Service for individuals to sell or trade in their pre-owned luxury watches at published buy prices, with free online quote, fully insured FedEx shipping, in-house inspection, and same-day or next-day payment by check or wire.
- Watch Authentication Service Rigorous inspection of each watch's movement, case, dial, and components by in-house and third-party watchmakers to confirm complete originality and back the company's 100% certified authenticity guarantee.
- Watch Auctions
- Rolex Financing Financing solutions offered to qualified buyers to spread the cost of purchasing Rolex watches from Bob's Watches.
- In-Store Watch Buying and Selling at Retail Showrooms In-person buying, selling, and authentication of pre-owned luxury watches at Bob's Watches' Newport Beach, New York, Miami, and Naples showrooms, including walk-in service in Newport Beach and appointment-only service in New York.
- JFK Airport Boutique Boutique at JFK Airport offering authenticated pre-owned Rolex watches and other major brands, providing in-person access for travelers at New York's JFK Airport.
Quantifiable outcome
- Rolex average prices increased by over 550% from approximately $2,000 in 2010 to $13,426 by June 2025, based on Bob's Watches' internal transaction data.
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Bob's Watches
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Bob's Watches technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
AI capability6 records
Feature3 records
Bob's Watches partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- BBB (Better Business Bureau)coreBob's Watches is an esteemed member of the Better Business Bureau with an A+ standing, providing external accreditation and consumer trust verification.
- IWJG (International Watch & Jewelry Guild)minorBob's Watches is an esteemed member of the IWJG, an industry organization for watch and jewelry professionals.
- Jewelers Board of TrademinorBob's Watches is a member of the Jewelers Board of Trade, an industry organization serving the jewelry and watch trade.
- Chamber of CommerceminorBob's Watches is an esteemed member of the Chamber of Commerce, supporting local business community engagement.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Bob's Watches competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Watchfinder & Co. Pre-owned luxury watch retailer (acquired by Richemont) operating a similar buy-sell-trade model with physical showrooms. Closest direct competitor in business model and product mix, though UK-anchored.
- Crown & Caliber: US-based online retailer of pre-owned luxury watches with a transparent buy-sell model. Directly comparable in product category, customer base, and DTC marketplace approach.
- Worthy.com: Auction-based marketplace for pre-owned luxury watches and jewelry. Comparable in serving the sell-side of the pre-owned watch market, with an alternative liquidation model to Bob's Watches' published-price exchange.
- Chrono24: The leading global online marketplace for new, used, and vintage luxury watches. Directly comparable to Bob's Watches as a multi-brand pre-owned watch marketplace, though significantly larger in scale and geographic reach.
- Govberg Jewelers (Hyde Park Jewelers): Authorized luxury watch retailer (Rolex AD) and pre-owned watch seller with showrooms. Comparable as a US-based retail destination for buying and selling luxury and pre-owned watches.
Emerging players
- Hodinkee: Watch-focused media and commerce platform that has expanded into pre-owned watch sales. Comparable in serving enthusiast collectors and in content-led audience development, with growing retail ambitions.
- Vestiaire Collective: Global C2C luxury resale marketplace expanding into watches. Comparable as a luxury resale platform with authentication infrastructure, but with watches as a growth vertical rather than a core focus.
Broad incumbents
- The RealReal: Leading US luxury consignment marketplace spanning watches, jewelry, fashion, and art. Comparable in the authenticated resale trust model but with watches as only one of many categories.
- Jomashop: Large US online retailer of discounted new and pre-owned luxury watches, jewelry, and accessories. Competes on price and breadth but is less specialized in authenticated pre-owned Rolex as a core focus.
- Sotheby's (Watches department): Auction house with a major luxury watch department that includes significant pre-owned and vintage Rolex offerings. Comparable at the high end of the pre-owned watch market for collectors and investors.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Bob's Watches social profiles
Digital presenceBob's Watches financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Bob's Watches leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Bob's Watches funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Bob's Watches M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Bob's Watches
What does Bob's Watches do?
Bob's Watches operates an online and physical marketplace that buys, sells, and trades pre-owned luxury watches, with a strong focus on Rolex and other premium brands such as OMEGA, Cartier, Breitling, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Tudor, and Panerai. The company publishes transparent buy and sell prices for each watch, certifies 100% authenticity through in-house and third-party watchmakers, and offers free overnight shipping nationwide, same-day payment to sellers, and a low-price guarantee. The business is supported by four US retail showrooms plus a boutique at JFK Airport.
Is Bob's Watches a public or private company?
Bob's Watches is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Bob's Watches founded?
Bob's Watches was founded in 1999. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Bob's Watches based?
Bob's Watches is headquartered in Newport Beach, United States, in the North America region.
How does Bob's Watches make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Watch Sales (Retail Transaction) is the primary driver. The others are watch Buyback and Trade-In and watch Authentication and Inspection Services.
Who are Bob's Watches's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Watchfinder & Co., Crown & Caliber, Worthy.com, Chrono24 and Govberg Jewelers (Hyde Park Jewelers). Emerging players are Hodinkee and Vestiaire Collective. Broad incumbents are The RealReal, Jomashop and Sotheby's (Watches department).
Does Bob's Watches have an API?
No public API is recorded for Bob's Watches.
What industry is Bob's Watches in?
Bob's Watches's product category is Pre-Owned Luxury Watch Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAKAKAB, Pre-owned Watch Dealers & Exchanges, with a secondary code of CRAKADAM, Pre-owned, Vintage & Certified Pre-owned Watches. Its NAICS code is 42394 and its SIC code is 5960.