Here's an absolutely shocking story that none of us saw coming on what was otherwise an ordinary Thursday in August (generally the sleepiest month in the watch industry). News has just broken that Rolex is acquiring renowned retailer Bucherer. You read that correctly. After a nearly 100-year-long authorized retailer relationship between the two brands, Rolex will now become owner of Bucherer.

Obviously, there are tons of questions raised by a story like this, and we will continue to update as we learn more, but there are a few things that we do know via the announcement that came from Rolex this morning.

Image credit: Andreas Rentz/Getty Images

As many know, Rolex also owns the Tudor brand, which similarly operates as an independent entity with its own CEO and manufacture in Le Locle. Time will tell how the structure between Rolex and Bucherer will manifest itself in this new ownership structure with the international retailer. 

According to the press release, Bucherer operates more than 100 locations globally. Fifty-three of those locations retail Rolex and 48 retail Tudor. Bucherer also serves as an official after-sales service center for both brands.

It is worth noting that Bucherer also owns Tourneau, which it purchased back in 2018. 

This is massive news in our industry, and we will be monitoring it as things progress. Stick with Hodinkee for more updates as they come in.