Taste
The story behind GASSAN pre-owned
In recent years, the luxury second-hand market has grown explosively and pre-owned watches have become increasingly popular. Sometimes people buy a watch as an investment, but they often see it as an opportunity to acquire a unique watch that can later be passed on to the next generation. David de Munnik and Ezra Kadouch of GASSAN know better than anyone what makes a pre-owned watch so special…
The GASSAN pre-owned collection contains unique pre-owned watches, from young worn to vintage collectibles from exclusive brands such as Rolex, Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe and Cartier. The watches are selected for quality and are completely authentic. In addition, GASSAN provides a standard one-year warranty on the timepiece upon purchase.
David: “There are not many watch enthusiasts in my family, but I have always been interested in watches since childhood. My aunt used to have a Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso. For me it is still one of the most iconic designs. The Reverso was invented based on the problem that polo players hit each other with their watches, causing the glass to break. Jaeger LeCoultre then came up with a watch where the glass side can be rotated so that it is not damaged. As a child I was very fascinated by the turning of that watch. That was the first time I came into contact with a luxury watch. My aunt always says she will pass her watch on to me later.”
Ezra: "David and I have been friends for a long time. A few years ago we both worked for a company that sold other pre-owned products in addition to pre-owned watches. One evening we went for a drink in a café and then we started sparring. That's where the idea arose to start our own business. We encountered certain situations and thought: 'We can do that better'. That evening we talked about three important pillars.
David: “Together we had a clear vision. We came up with the holy triangle with three pillars: product quality, competitive pricing and service quality. That which we find so important was missing in the company where we worked. We looked around and saw that GASSAN was not yet involved in the pre-owned market. We also saw that they did have the pillars that we considered so crucial. Together, as far as we are concerned, a winning concept.”
Ezra: “We quickly realized that we could do something very nice for GASSAN. We have now been working together for about two years to revolutionize the second-hand watch market. We are of course a young brand within GASSAN, but that works very well. Our ideas are valued within the company, but we also have to take into account traditions within the company; traditions that have made GASSAN so successful. It has to do with balance. David and I have that balance too.”
David:“Ezra and I have the same role within GASSAN pre-owned, but we always ensure that we can work in our own strengths. We both have our strengths and weaknesses and so we complement each other well.”
Ezra: “That goes without saying. We know each other where our talents lie.”
David: “Ezra has a strong vision. He's less concerned about certain things, so he's also a bit of an opportunist. I pay attention to the things he might overlook. I am a conservative realist. On the other hand, he is more likely to take a leap of faith. That balance puts us in the best situations.”
'Emotion is an aspect of our profession that we have not really thought about in advance, but it is ultimately a very nice side effect of our work'
Ezra: “David is very accurate and I am less so. He is very good at analyzing risks. This ensures that we always think three steps ahead. But hey, sometimes you do have to take a risk to achieve success.”
David: “Fortunately, the pre-owned market is now more stable than a few months ago when prices rose extremely. It is more fun doing business in the current market.”
Ezra: “Pre-owned watches have become a booming business in the last five years. That depends on several things. I always call it the perfect storm. Firstly, the taboo surrounding second-hand products disappeared. Secondly, there was enormous economic growth, which meant that purchasing pre-owned watches, among other things, became much more accessible to people. This led to supply and demand becoming out of balance, with demand far exceeding supply. This made the investment element more attractive with these watches, which caused prices to start to rise.”
David: “Our customers come to us to buy something beautiful. Some celebrate that they have achieved something special in their lives, others to seal a special moment. You often buy a watch with the idea of passing it on to your children later. There have also been great moments on the purchasing side. Recently there was a lady who wanted to sell her deceased husband's watch. The watch had a very heavy emotional charge for Mrs. She wanted to sell it so that she could do something nice with her family with the money. Those are things that stay with you.”
Ezra: “The emotion that sometimes comes with purchasing or selling a GASSAN pre-owned watch is an aspect of our profession that we may not have thought about in advance, but it is ultimately a very nice side effect of our work. We spend a lot of time on that, but it is also what makes the work so much fun.”
David: “It is also important that we accompany those moments. That sounds very vague, but we have to handle it carefully. It is something that people will always remember, so that is incredibly important in our profession and something that we are well aware of and with which we are therefore concerned.”
Ezra: “The curse of our work is that you become greedy. I think that is inherent to the passion we have for watches, so we see that as something positive. On my wish list is the Audemars Piguet Quantieme Perpetual, a perpetual calendar on a watch.”
David: "I have already been tempted by a vintage Cartier Santos from 1986. It is a similar watch that Gordon Gekko wears in the film Wall Street. When I saw it, I immediately fell in love. That's usually how it goes when you come face to face with a beautiful pre-owned watch.”
