Bob's Watches

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.

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

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

• Pre-owned luxury watches
• Watch authentication services
• Rolex resale marketplace
• Watch buyback services
• Luxury watch retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Newport Beach

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core 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

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability6 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BBB (Better Business Bureau)coreOthersBob'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)minorOthersBob's Watches is an esteemed member of the IWJG, an industry organization for watch and jewelry professionals.
• Jewelers Board of TrademinorOthersBob's Watches is a member of the Jewelers Board of Trade, an industry organization serving the jewelry and watch trade.
• Chamber of CommerceminorOthersBob'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

Direct 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

• Xx.com/bobswatches
• Facebookfacebook.com/bobswatches

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bob's Watches