The innovative service allows fans of the watchmaker to get their hands on a quality timepiece at a reduced price if they trade in an old timekeeper. It also demonstrates a brand willing to go with the flow.

With a new trade-in concept, Armand Nicolet has found a way to make its watches more accessible to watch enthusiasts. The idea is simple: a customer brings in a watch they’re looking to sell, and exchange it for a Armand Nicolet timepiece at a reduced price.

To make it all happen, interested parties can check out their webpage, fill out some paperwork, upload a few photos, and (crucially) provide proof of ownership of their watch (sometimes easier said than done). Then the pros at Armand Nicolet assess the customer’s offer and get back in touch with a valuation for a trade-in.

The service will be of interest to those looking to trim their personal collections, those who have always wanted to get their hands on an Armand Nicolet timepiece, or those simply looking to get a good deal. Best of all, the service is open to all brands of watches, and all types of watches.

The business model might be rare in the watch industry, and rarer still for luxury brands that have been around as long as Armand Nicolet has (nearly 150 years now).

If any of you have bought a new car, you’d know that the concept is already well establishing in the auto industry: trade in your old car and upgrade to a new model with a subsequently lowered price thanks to the trade-in.

But this watchmaker is by no means the equivalent of a used car salesman. The company has roots going back to 1875 and was known for producing grand complication pocket watches. Over time the brand transitioned and became the largest so-called “T1” company in Switzerland, which means that is specialized in the assembly of watch parts.

But the quartz crisis of the 1970s meant that a lot of companies didn’t make it, and it was left with thousands of vintage movements and no one to make them for. This is when the Original Historical Movement (O.H.M) Collection was born - a collection of modern wristwatches housing vintage movements, everything from the relatively simple FHF 264 to the Venus 184.

And just like the new trade-in scheme, that was just another example of a brand willing to go with the punches, and willing to adapt its business model to survive.