About A&E
Learn how A&E Watches became a trusted San Francisco Rolex specialist,
family-owned since 1990, with in-house service and decades of experience.
Rolex Experts in San Francisco Since 1990
Founded in 1990, A&E Watches is a family-owned watch store in San Francisco specializing in pre-owned and vintage Rolex watches, in-house service, and long-term client relationships. From our showroom at 888 Brannan Street in SoMa, we help collectors, first-time buyers, and longtime clients buy, sell, and service Rolex watches with confidence.
Our Story
A&E Watches began with a chance encounter and a sharp eye for value. While working in a downtown San Francisco jewelry shop in 1990, founder Avi Dayan met an older gentleman with deep knowledge of fine watches and jewelry, and that conversation opened the door to Swiss timepieces.
Avi started with what he could find and afford: vintage pocket watches, Longines, Omega pieces at flea markets and estate sales. The more he learned, the clearer it became that Rolex sat in a category of its own — beautifully built, reliable, and always in demand, even when markets moved.
Later that same year, Avi and his brother opened A&E Watches in the San Francisco Gift & Jewelry Center, where the business remains today. That first Datejust they bought and sold was around $250; today, that reference is worth many times more, and between those numbers sits a lifetime of restoring watches and earning the trust of Rolex buyers in San Francisco.
If you are looking for a pre-owned Rolex in San Francisco, our current inventory reflects more than three decades of hands-on buying, evaluation, and service.
Our Process
A&E Watches has grown by focusing on a single lane: Rolex and other fine Swiss timepieces, supported by careful evaluation and straightforward advice. Over the years, we have become known in the Bay Area for expertise in used Rolex watches in San Francisco, as well as vintage Cartier, Tiffany & Co., and selected estate pieces chosen for long-term value.
We are proud members of the International Watch and Jewelry Guild and remain a second-generation family business rooted in San Francisco’s watch and jewelry community. That reputation matters when you are buying, selling, or trading a watch, because it means the person across the counter plans to be here long after the transaction is done.
Unlike many online-only sellers, A&E combines a physical showroom with an in-house service center. When you sell your Rolex to A&E , or bring in a watch for evaluation or service, you are working directly with the team that inspects, services, and supports these watches every day.
Our Certified Standard
Every eligible watch we sell goes through the A&E Certified Pre-Owned process before it is listed online or placed in the showcase. That process includes detailed authenticity checks, condition review, and documentation so that you know exactly what you are buying.
Serviced models include an A&E Certified Authenticity Report and an extended 5-year A&E warranty, providing long-term confidence that is rare in the pre-owned Rolex market. If you want the full technical breakdown of our testing and service steps, you can learn more about our Certified Pre-Owned process here
For many clients searching for a used Rolex in San Francisco, that combination of in-house service, documentation, and warranty is why they choose A&E over private sellers and anonymous marketplaces.
Visit Our San Francisco Store
Luxury watches are still a hands-on experience. A screen can show you photos, but it cannot replace seeing the dial under light, feeling the bracelet on your wrist, and asking questions in person.
Our showroom is located at 888 Brannan Street, Suite 161, San Francisco, CA 94103, in the SoMa neighborhood. If you are looking for a watch store in San Francisco where you can browse in-stock Rolex inventory, get a fair offer for a watch you no longer wear, or schedule Rolex repair in San Francisco, we would be happy to meet you.
About the Founder
Avi Dayan is the founder of A&E Watches and a Rolex specialist with more than 35 years of experience in the watch trade. Before starting A&E, he worked with diamonds in San Francisco in the 1980s, cutting and polishing stones and learning to see the fine details that separate ordinary pieces from exceptional ones.
That discipline carried over into watches. When he turned his focus to Rolex, it was with the same long-term view: paying attention to how watches are built, how they age, and how they hold value over time. Decades later, Avi remains active in the showroom and the lab, helping clients compare references, evaluating trades, and protecting the reputation that he and his family have built in San Francisco.
About the Founder
Avi Dayan is the founder of A&E Watches and a Rolex specialist with more than 35 years of experience in the watch trade. Before starting A&E, he worked with diamonds in San Francisco in the 1980s, cutting and polishing stones and learning to see the fine details that separate ordinary pieces from exceptional ones.
That discipline carried over into watches. When he turned his focus to Rolex, it was with the same long-term view: paying attention to how watches are built, how they age, and how they hold value over time. Decades later, Avi remains active in the showroom and the lab, helping clients compare references, evaluating trades, and protecting the reputation that he and his family have built in San Francisco.
