Horological education

AUTHENTIC VS REPLICA

Ninety, The Official Retailer for Pre-Owned Richard Mille, and Premier Sports Network provide an horological education for professional athletes in Mayfair, London.

Finely crafted watches at the higher end of the luxury market have always been objects of desire, a mark of social status and wealth. Not only stunning pieces, in may cases they are demonstrably sound investments, with buyers and collectors often prepared to pay hundreds of thousands of pounds for a single timepiece.

Not surprising, then, that the illicit trade of counterfeit watches has become a billion-dollar industry, with an estimated 40 million fake watches being churned out each year, resulting in huge losses for luxury watch brands. While the market is largely demand-driven with many buyers prepared to knowingly buy a fake watch for a fraction of the price of an original, things have taken an insidious turn and innocent buyers are unwittingly being caught in the fake market by unscrupulous scammers.

Few things compare to the thrill of acquiring a luxury timepiece, but the dismay and frustration in finding out that what you have paid thousands of pounds for in good faith is in fact a fake, can be devastating. Furthermore, in some European countries it is a criminal offence to be in possession of a counterfeit item which can result in confiscation, hefty fines and even imprisonment in the worst cases.

At the beginning of May, Ninety and Premier Sports Network co-hosted an intimate gathering of some of the top names in sport at Scott’s in Mayfair, including an array of high-profile footballers such as Reece James, Declan Rice, Michail Antonio, Michael Olise, Ebereche Eze and Joe Wilock.

The focus of the evening was the duty of cre to ensure that professional athletes are not taken advantage of when buying high value watches. Many, particularly Premier League footballers, are paying over the odds for watches or, in the worst cases, sold pieces that are not authentic.

More than ever before, buyers and collectors of luxury watches at the top end of the market must be aware of the dangers purchasing from unauthorised dealers, particularly on the internet, but it is nigh on impossible for the inexperienced to protect themselves.

To this end, Ninety is offering education workshops with Premier Sports Network, to guide buyers, particularly professional footballers, to ensure that the timepiece they purchase is authentic and that they are paying the true market value.

Located in the heart of Mayfair and officially affiliated with master watchmakers Richard Mille as the first exclusive designated pre-owned retailer within Europe and the Middle East, Ninety eschews the traditional retail approach. As Founder Tilly Harrison says, it was conceived as a progressive relationship between product and experience; and evolution in the rapidly emerging but murky pre-owned market, and the aim is to engender longstanding relationship with its clients. As well as offering an extensive collection of preowned timepieces, especially rare and highly sought-after models, Ninety offers official servicing and authentication, with a Richard Mille trained watchmaker and workshop on the premises. It also offers bespoke membership tailored to the individual with a team of in-house specialists to source timepieces and provide expert advice.

Feedback from those attending the event at Scott’s was incredible. The footballers, especially, recognise that having the world of luxury at their fingertips when they are young and inexperienced can make them an easy target for scammers. Seeking expert advice when acquiring specialised luxury items is key, and they applaud Ninety’s initiative to guide them through what can often be a very expensive minefield.

With a strong focus on supporting players off the pitch to ensure player wellbeing, PSN works within clubs and directly with athletes to deliver educational workshops across a range of topics through its Life Skills programmes, which offer mentoring and long-term planning.

Ninety has already built a reputation for itself as an authoritative and trustworthy destination for buyers and collectors and is positioned to be the only destination for serious buyers and collectors to curate, grow and sell their collections,

with confidence.