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— Pricing & fee structure

Three tiers. Stated in writing.

Maison Montres publishes its retainer schedule. The structure has two components: an annual advisory retainer paid at engagement, and a transaction fee on every watch acquired or sold during the engagement period.

For an occasional, single-piece need, our three core services (private sourcing, documented authentication, buyer–seller matchmaking) are available on a per-transaction basis without a retainer. We will say so directly when that is the right path.

Tier I

Collector

For collectors with fewer than ten significant references and an active acquisition or disposal cadence.

CHF 12,000
per year, advisory retainer
Buy-side10%
Sell-side10%
  • Quarterly portfolio review and written valuation
  • Private sourcing access — allocation references and off-market opportunities
  • Twelve-point authentication on every transaction
  • Lifetime authenticity guarantee on every Maison Montres piece
  • Documentation custody and insurance liaison
Tier II

Senior collector

For collectors with more than ten significant references, including allocation-grade independents and complicated work.

CHF 36,000
per year, advisory retainer
Buy-side10%
Sell-side10%
  • Everything in Tier I
  • Monthly portfolio review and proactive market intelligence
  • Priority allocation introductions for boutique-controlled references
  • Family-office reporting integration (Addepar, Asset Vantage, Black Diamond)
  • Dedicated lead advisor with named successor for continuity
  • Direct access to the Maison Montres founder on strategic decisions
Tier III

Principal

For principals and family-office collections of ten and above significant references valued over CHF 1M, museum-grade dispersals, and bespoke commission programmes.

On application
structured to the mandate
Buy-side10%
Sell-side10%
  • Everything in Tier II
  • Bespoke engagement letter, structured to the mandate
  • Pièces uniques commission programme with the contemporary independents
  • Multi-generational succession and dispersal planning
  • Dedicated team — lead advisor, watchmaker, dispersal specialist
  • White-label availability for principals operating through their own family office
— Payment methods

All major methods. Including crypto.

Bank transfer in CHF, EUR, USD, GBP, or AED. Corporate and private cards. Bitcoin, ether, USDC, and USDT through a regulated digital-asset settlement partner — crypto settlement is reconciled at the spot rate at the time of settlement, with the rate documented in the transaction record. We do not settle in cash.

For the retainer, payment is annually in advance unless quarterly is preferred (Tier II and III). For transaction fees, payment is at completion — settlement of the buyer-side fee accompanies the buyer's settlement; the sell-side fee is netted from the seller's proceeds before remittance. Every transaction is reconciled in writing.

— Settlement

No escrow. Direct settlement.

Maison Montres does not use third-party escrow. Settlement is direct: funds are paid to Maison Montres on Maison Montres-held inventory, or to the seller of record on consigned pieces, with the watch held in our custody until the buyer signs written acceptance after a documented post-delivery inspection window. Standard inspection window is seven calendar days from delivery; longer windows of fourteen or twenty-one days are available for vintage and complicated references.

If authentication fails or the watch does not match the dossier, the buyer is refunded in full within five working days. This is the model used by Phillips Private Sales, A Collected Man, and the Geneva manufactures — direct counterparty rather than third-party escrow, with the buyer's protection written into the engagement letter rather than outsourced to a fourth party. The full settlement protocol is documented on the Trust page.

— Below the retainer threshold

A single watch. A single transaction.

Maison Montres' retainer is appropriate from a starter collection upward, scaled by tier. For occasional, single-piece needs, the three core services remain available on a per-transaction basis without retainer commitment, on the same buy-side and sell-side schedule.

— One-watch authentication

CHF 1,800

Twelve-point protocol on a watch you already own or are evaluating. Full dossier delivered. Lifetime authenticity guarantee on the dossier. For collectors of any size, including first-time premium buyers.

— Single-reference sourcing

15% on settle

A specific reference you want and cannot find through retail. We open the search through our channels. No fee until the watch settles. Diagnostic of viability is complimentary.

— Single-watch sell-side brokerage

12% on settle

A high-value reference — typically CHF 80,000 or above — disposed of through our private network or via auction consignment we manage on your behalf. Fair-value indication is complimentary; engagement letter follows.

Per-transaction services are paid on settlement, not on engagement. The retainer becomes the appropriate structure when the work crosses ten or more references and the collector wants ongoing custody, market intelligence, and disciplined exit planning rather than per-transaction relationships.

Open a conversation.

Every engagement begins with a written diagnostic of the collection. No charge for the diagnostic; the engagement letter follows.

Get in touch Read about the service Read the trust framework
— Pricing questions

Pricing questions, before they arise.

What is included in the advisory retainer?

The retainer covers continuous advisory across the engagement: portfolio review (quarterly at Tier I, monthly at Tier II), market intelligence, allocation introductions, twelve-point authentication on every transaction, lifetime guarantee on every Maison Montres piece, documentation custody, insurance liaison, and family-office reporting integration at Tier II and above. Transaction fees are charged separately on completed acquisitions and disposals.

What payment methods does Maison Montres accept?

Bank transfer in CHF, EUR, USD, GBP, and AED. Corporate and private cards. Cryptocurrency settlement in bitcoin, ether, USDC, and USDT through a regulated digital-asset settlement partner. Crypto settlement is reconciled at the spot rate at the time of settlement, with the rate documented in the transaction record. We do not settle in cash.

How does Maison Montres handle settlement without escrow?

Settlement is direct to Maison Montres or, on consigned pieces, to the seller of record. The watch is held in our custody until the buyer signs the written acceptance form after a documented post-delivery inspection window. Standard inspection window is seven calendar days from delivery; longer windows of fourteen or twenty-one days are available for vintage and complicated references. If authentication fails or the watch does not match the dossier, the buyer is refunded in full within five working days.

How do Maison Montres transaction fees compare to auction-house economics?

The Maison Montres transaction-fee schedule (10% buy-side, 10% sell-side, flat across tiers) reflects an end-to-end advisory relationship rather than a brokerage transaction. Auction-house economics (typically ten to twenty-five percent combined across buyer's premium and seller's commission) deliver brokerage only — the buyer is on their own for authentication, condition assessment, provenance verification, and post-sale recourse. The Maison Montres fee includes the twelve-point authentication protocol, the lifetime authenticity guarantee, the documented inspection window with refund-on-rejection, the dossier and provenance work, and ongoing custody of the documentation record. Where auction is the right channel for the reference, we manage consignment at the same sell-side rate, with the auction house's seller's commission disclosed and reconciled in the settlement so the principal sees a single net-economics number.

Can the retainer scale up or down during the engagement?

Yes. Tier moves are discussed at each annual review, with the new tier reflected in the updated engagement letter. Where a collection consolidates and ongoing advisory is no longer the right structure, we transition to per-transaction services with appropriate notice and no exit fee. The retainer is intended to align our economics with the long-term trajectory of the collection, not to lock in a fee that no longer serves the collector.

Are there fees for declined opportunities or unsuccessful searches?

No. The retainer covers continuous advisory; transaction fees are charged only on completed acquisitions and disposals. Declined opportunities, deferred searches, and authentication assessments that result in a refusal of the piece are part of the work the retainer pays for.

Below what threshold is the retainer not the right structure?

Retained advisory opens at a starter tier for active collectors with fewer than ten significant references and scales by tier. The value of ongoing advisory is genuinely created by continuous custody, market intelligence, and disciplined exit planning, which deepen as the collection grows. For an occasional, single-piece need, our three core services — private sourcing, documented authentication, buyer–seller matchmaking — are available on a per-transaction basis without a retainer.