Buying secondhand and vintage watches can be daunting. Most dealers offer a short warranty, but very few have inspected and, where necessary, serviced and repaired a watch before sale. The watch seller that does is The Barn by Chrono24 (previously Xupes) where watches can be confidently bought and sold online.
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| The Barn by Chrono24 in Bishop's Stortford north of London |
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| The Barn by Chrono24 |
Most importantly for watch buyers, the business will work alongside The Watch Atelier where watches are serviced and repaired by award-winning watchmakers.
I was shown around the grade II listed barn which houses The Barn by Chrono24 and met founder Joe McKenzie who sees the Barn as providing a comfortable experience to customers and staff alike in Soho House Group furnished surroundings just outside London. Here watches can be examined in comfort before purchase (or taken to be sold) and the impressive workshop can be seen through large viewing windows.
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| Meeting Richard West and Megan Young, Watchmakers of the Year |
I was introduced to watchmakers Megan Young and Richard West, WatchPro Watchmakers of the Year 2022. They run an impressively equipped state-of-the-art workshop in which timepieces are checked for sale and any necessary repairs and restoration undertaken. The Watch Atelier offers these services to all - you don't have to have bought your watch through Chrono24 - and they offer a 24 month warranty on all such work.
I was very impressed by what I saw and heard of The Barn by Chrono24 and, importantly, would feel totally confident in buying (or selling) a watch, or having one serviced or repaired there.
If Xupes and The Barn look familiar to you, you may have seen it featured on Channel 4's Second-Hand For Fifty Grand which looks at the market for pre-owned luxury items such as watches and handbags.
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