F.A.Q.

Elephants is a platform that enables partial ownership of rare, high-end luxury watches that may not be accessible due to high capital requirements and lack of availability. We conduct in-depth, data-based research to identify and source luxury timepieces with the highest potential. These assets are then securitized and turned into fractions, allowing individuals to partially own them.

There are four main reasons for considering fractional ownership of luxury watches

1. Access to exclusive opportunities: Fractional ownership allows individuals to participate in ownership of high-value assets that are usually reserved for the wealthy or institutional investors.
2. Diversification benefits: Owning a fraction of a luxury watch provides exposure to an asset that is not closely tied to the performance of traditional assets, potentially reducing risk.
3. Potential for long-term gains: Owning a fraction of a rare and highly sought-after luxury watch through fractional ownership may offer the opportunity to increase purchasing power over time.
4. Limited supply, high demand: By owning a fraction of a luxury watch, individuals can gain a share of an asset that is both rare and highly coveted, which may present potential opportunities for growth.

You can own as many fractions as you want with total flexibility and security. We provide relevant information and metrics to help you choose the watch that matches your needs. You can continuously monitor the campaign's progress. At the end of the campaign, we will send the tokens to your digital wallet, along with documents that you can view and download from your personal profile dashboard on the platform.

You agree and understand that you are solely responsible for any Third-Party Fees, and that they are not included in the Fee Schedule. Those are fees from banks or credit card providers that may arise from activities on our platform.

Once we find the right asset, we use blockchain technology to digitalise its ownership. So, we are able to divide it in shares, called “Fractions”, which are directly linked to the physical asset and represent the fractional ownership of the asset. The number of fractions and the minimum purchase amount depend on the price of the asset, and can vary from asset to asset. Thanks to our blockchain technology, our users can always access the information about their fractions in their personal profile section on the platform.

Elephants is a global community-driven co-ownership platform. Being part of the club implies having access to multiple benefits. First of all, together we can have access to iconic timepieces, co-owning them and sharing our passion for watches. In addition, you will become a member of the Elephants club. Being an Elephant will give you access to additional contents about the timepiece you co-own, to better buying conditions and many more additional benefits.

Elephants only lists assets from verified sellers, whether private collectors or reputable businesses. Furthermore, assets are thoroughly checked for authenticity by a third party professional authenticator. Elephants will not list an item with uncertain provenance or anything deemed suspicious.

The watches selected on the platform are unique, vintage and out of production, ensuring their status as rare and iconic. We have built strategic partnerships with certified resellers and top-notch collectors. Thanks to those, we manage to source the most beautiful and rare pieces. Nonetheless, we lock the piece only if we can access it at the right price. Our due diligence team goes through all the legal caveats.

We have a proprietary database that we constantly monitor and improve. Our decisions are based on historical data and future projections. Our research team carefully selects the pieces that show the highest growing value.

Elephants stores, in the name and on behalf of the owners of the token, physical assets in secure vaults in Switzerland. This ensures that the piece maintains its condition throughout the appreciation period. We insure all assets at market value, while keeping it updated with its growth either via our third-party storage providers or with independent specialist insurance policies.

We strive to keep everything as simple as possible. All payments need to be made in Swiss francs (CHF), except for crypto-payments, which should be made in USDC (USD Coin). When using PayPal, the exact amount will be displayed in Swiss francs, and it will automatically convert your currency if it's in euros or any other currency. However, for bank transfers, please select the 'payment in other currencies' option in your bank account to proceed.

You can make payments using the following methods:

• 
  
• Bank transfer
  Please follow the instructions on the checkout page.


• PayPal or debit/credit cards
  We also offer a 'Buy now, pay later' option with PayPal. Eligibility is determined by PayPal.


• Cryptocurrencies
  Please follow the instructions on the checkout page.

Bank transfers and crypto payments are available for verified users in selected countries. Please verify your identity in your profile to see if you are eligible for these options.

We charge a 1.5% annual management fee of the sale price, to cover authentication, storage, insurance and legal costs. Additionally, we receive a 15% performance fee on the potential profits, so we’re dedicated to finding the best watch and the best time to sell it. Our main objective is to find the best offers for you, making our incentives completely aligned with our members.

We store all assets in specialist storage facilities and can provide users with relevant documentation, such as proof of purchase, confirmation of insurance for the asset, photos of the piece, and a legal document backed by a notary which proves the existence of the asset in the safe box. Elephants, via third-party storage partners, holds the asset in custody on behalf of our Fraction holders. For more details about the storage of each item, please refer to the asset page on the website.

Thanks to our network of resellers and collectors we manage to source the rarest pieces, at a fair price. With Elephants you can purchase as many shares as you want, buying fractions of different products without bearing any risk connected to the physical ownership of high-end timepieces. That way, you can own shares of many different iconic pieces at once, instead of only one. In addition, we source and authenticate the watch for you, all backed by legal documentation, and then store it in a safe box located in Switzerland to ensure the piece maintains its condition. With Elephants, your ownership is safe and all you have to do is choose which piece or pieces you are most interested in. We do the rest of the work for you. No more headaches or worries.

If you fall in love with one of our watches, and would like to buy it in its entirety, don’t hesitate to contact us!

Elephants will notify owners of upcoming offers to liquidate the entire asset. When the time comes, the decision to sell will be made by the majority of owners, depending on the percentage each owner owns. Each vote will be based on the number of shares held by each owner. If the majority agrees to sell, the funds, net of fees, will be distributed proportionally according to each owner's percentage of ownership. We are working hard to release a secondary market as soon as possible, in which you will be able to sell your shares to other Elephants members.

The Elephants token is representative only of the ownership right to a fraction of the watch and with the transfer of the token the related ownership right is also transferred. Elephants operates in accordance with Swiss regulations and Swiss anti-money laundering regulations and is affiliated with the SRO SO-FIT.

Buying fractions you are purchasing shares of the watch that are represented as tokens. These tokens are classified by the FINMA (Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority) as Asset Tokens and contain the same legal rights as a share.

The asset is owned by each shareholder according to how many fractions they own. Under certain circumstances, Elephants might retain some Fractions in relation to each asset. This helps align our long-term interests with that of our users. Elephants maintains an internal conflict of interest policy to ensure our users are treated fairly.

Users own the assets of which they are shareholders. Thus, in the unlikely event that anything happens to Elephants, your property is totally safe and segregated. Sales proceedings will be transferred to all the shareholders, according to the percentage owned.

KYC stands for Know Your Customer. Elephants is legally obliged to conduct KYC checks on customers according to local and international laws to avoid money laundering and counter-terrorism financing. Furthermore, by verifying everyone's identity, we maintain legal clarity for all shareholders involved and protect customers’ rights in the best possible way.

Elephants SAGL, a company registered under the laws of Switzerland, collects personal data in accordance with applicable laws and regulations, in particular the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection ("FADP") and the General Data Protection Regulation (EU/2016/679) (General Data Protection Regulation, "GDPR"), both defined as "privacy regulations". For all the specifics, refer to our Privacy Policy.

Elephants has no affiliation or other relationship with any of the brands that produce or manufacture the assets underlying the Fractions. Brands that produce or manufacture the underlying asset retain all intellectual property rights in the underlying asset and they may not be copied or otherwise used without the permission of the brand owners.