Luxe Du Jour now accepts luxury watches from four houses: Rolex, Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe and Hublot. If any of these sit unworn in your collection, we offer free consignment quotes. Here is a quick history of each, from Hublot's 1980 debut to Patek Philippe's roots in 1839.
Hublot: gold meets rubber
Carlo Crocco launched Hublot in 1980, pairing gold, a precious metal, with rubber for the first time in watchmaking, which made the launch groundbreaking. In French, hublot means porthole, after the shape of the bezel. Jean-Claude Biver became CEO in 2004 and introduced the Art of Fusion concept. The Big Bang collection won the Best Design Prize at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Geneve, Magic Gold arrived in 2011, and 2011 also brought a tribute to the Antikythera mechanism. Hublot became the official watch of FIFA in 2001, served as official timekeeper for two World Cup matches, and holds the title of official watchmaker of Formula 1. A Ferrari partnership began in 2012 with one or two special series a year. The brand joined LVMH in 2008 and produces in Nyon, Switzerland.
Audemars Piguet: two friends, one workshop
Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet were childhood friends who lost touch and reconnected in the early 1870s, discovering they were both watchmakers. In 1875 they launched the brand in Le Brassus, a village in the Vallee de Joux, and the name Audemars Piguet became official in 1881. The house remains family owned. It created the first minute repeater wristwatch in 1892 and the first Grand Complication pocket watch in 1899, with an alarm, calendar, deadbeat sound, split-second hands, minute repeater and chronograph. Later records include the thinnest pocket watch caliber in 1925, the world's thinnest wristwatch in 1946 and the thinnest self-winding automatic caliber, 2.45 mm, in 1967.
The watch edit
Watches in stock
Patek Philippe: watches for royalty
Patek Philippe began in 1839 as Patek, Czapek and Cie, making pocket watches for high society, including royalty. In 1844, Adrien Philippe won a bronze medal at the Industrial Exposition in France for his keyless winding and hand-setting system, and that meeting led to a partnership in 1845. By 1851 the house carried its modern name. Queen Victoria acquired a pendant watch with diamond roses in blue enamel at the Great Exhibition in London, and a partnership with Tiffany and Co followed, still the only accredited American retailer allowed on the dial. In 1863 the brand produced the first pocket watch designed to counteract gravity. Patek has filed over 1,000 patents, yet fewer than one million watches have been produced.
Rolex: the Oyster revolution
In 1905, 24 year old Hans Wilsdorf and his brother-in-law Alfred Davis founded Wilsdorf and Davis in London, importing movements for British cases, before Wilsdorf secured the Rolex name in 1908. He wanted something short and easy that worked in any language. The brand opened an office in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, became the first wristwatch to carry the Swiss Certificate of Chronometric Precision in 1910 and changed its name to Rolex S.A. in 1920. The first waterproof case, the Oyster, followed in 1926 and was tested by British swimmer Mercedes Gleitze. The Perpetual Rotor arrived in 1931, and the brand has filed around 500 patents since launch and employs over 2,000 people.
Frequently asked questions
Which luxury watch brands does Luxe Du Jour accept?
Rolex, Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe and Hublot. Consign any of these through our selling page and our team will review the piece for a quote.
How do I get a consignment quote for my watch?
Submit your watch through our consign and sell page. A product specialist will review the details and send back a free quote with next steps.
What makes these four watch houses collectible?
Between them they hold more than 1,500 patents and defined modern watchmaking, from the first waterproof case to the thinnest self-winding caliber of its era.
Have a Rolex, Hublot, Patek Philippe or Audemars Piguet you no longer wear? Get a free consignment quote, or browse the watches we have in stock and new arrivals.
