Watchmaster
Watchmaster is a Berlin-based digital marketplace founded in 2015 that buys, sells, and certifies pre-owned luxury watches across Germany, the UK, and France, serving individual collectors seeking authenticated timepieces.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersBerlin, Germany
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Watchmaster does
Watchmaster is a Berlin-headquartered digital marketplace founded in 2015 that buys, sells, and authenticates certified pre-owned luxury watches. The company operates a horizontal e-commerce platform targeting individual watch enthusiasts and collectors seeking authenticated pre-owned timepieces from premium brands, addressing the buyer's primary pain point of counterfeit and misrepresentation risk in the secondary luxury watch market. Its core value proposition rests on a rigorous authentication and certification process that underwrites each transaction, supplemented by warranty and verification services that reduce purchase risk relative to peer-to-peer alternatives. Watchmaster monetizes through marketplace transactions on individually priced timepieces, with pricing driven by brand, model, condition, and rarity rather than disclosed subscription or listing fees.
The company's product surface comprises the primary Watchmaster marketplace plus the acquired French platform M.M.C., which was integrated as a retained brand following the 2021 acquisition. Operationally, Watchmaster has pursued a geographic expansion strategy centered on European luxury markets: from a German origin, it opened a London office in July 2021 to enter the UK directly and acquired M.M.C. to consolidate its position in France, establishing a three-country pan-European footprint. The company is private, employs 51-100 people, and has raised approximately $54.6 million across nine funding rounds from 2015 to 2021, with Milano Investment Partners SGR, Cherry Ventures, OLMA Luxury Holdings, and Piton Capital among its principal backers. Leadership is anchored by co-founders Ronny Lange (Managing Director) and Ronny Ahlswede (CMO/CPO), CEO Tim-Hendrik Meyer, COO Robert Morlock, and Chairman Philipp Magin, who is also a founding investor.
Watchmaster firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Watchmaster
- Legal name
- Watchmaster
- Website
- https://watchmaster.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Watchmaster is a Berlin-based digital marketplace founded in 2015 that buys, sells, and certifies pre-owned luxury watches across Germany, the UK, and France, serving individual collectors seeking authenticated timepieces.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Watchmaster industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Luxury Watch Marketplace
- NAICS
- Jewelry, Watch, Precious Stone, and Precious Metal Merchant Wholesalers (42394)
- SIC
- Wholesale-Jewelry, Watches, Precious Stones & Metals (5094)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Pre-owned, Vintage & Certified Pre-owned Watches (CRAKADAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Watch Retail (Authorized Dealers, Boutiques, Omnichannel) (CRAKADAL), Pre-owned Watch Dealers & Exchanges (CRAKAKAB)
Keywords
Where Watchmaster is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Berlin
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Watchmaster business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Watchmaster product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Watchmaster operates a digital marketplace for buying and selling certified pre-owned luxury watches. Each timepiece listed on the platform is authenticated and certified by the company before being offered to buyers. The platform aggregates listings from individual sellers and dealers across major luxury watch brands, serving consumers and collectors in the secondary luxury watch market across Europe.
Product overview
Watchmaster operates a unified e-commerce platform for certified pre-owned luxury watches. The company expanded its portfolio through the acquisition of the French platform M.M.C., combining its German market expertise with M.M.C.'s French market presence to serve customers across Europe.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Watchmaster marketplace
Companies that use Watchmaster
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Watchmaster technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Watchmaster partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- M.M.C.coreWatchmaster acquired M.M.C., a French platform specializing in pre-owned luxury watches. This acquisition represents Watchmaster's expansion into the French market and strengthens their European presence in the certified pre-owned luxury watch segment. The acquisition was part of Watchmaster's broader strategy to expand operations across Europe.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Watchmaster competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Chrono24: Global leader in online CPO luxury watch marketplaces, headquartered in Germany. Directly competes with Watchmaster in European CPO watch e-commerce with broader inventory, deeper seller liquidity, and stronger brand recognition.
- Watchfinder & Co. UK-based certified pre-owned luxury watch retailer, owned by Richemont. Competes directly with Watchmaster in the UK market and shares the authenticated pre-owned watch retail model with showrooms and online channels.
- Bob's Watches: US-based leading online marketplace for authenticated pre-owned Rolex and luxury watches. Closely comparable business model focused on authentication, transparency, and fixed pricing for CPO luxury timepieces.
- SwissWatchExpo: US-based online retailer specializing in certified pre-owned luxury and Swiss watches. Comparable online CPO watch sales model with broad brand assortment and authentication guarantees.
- Crown & Caliber: Online CPO luxury watch marketplace offering buy-sell-trade with in-house authentication. Directly comparable business model to Watchmaster in the authenticated pre-owned watch e-commerce category.
- Prestige Time: US-based online retailer of new and certified pre-owned luxury watches. Comparable online luxury watch retail model with authentication focus and broad brand portfolio.
- Montres Modernes et de Collection (M.M.C.): French certified pre-owned luxury watch platform now wholly owned by Watchmaster. Listed as a peer for completeness given its prior independent market position; post-acquisition it operates within Watchmaster's portfolio.
Emerging players
- Bezel: US-based authenticated luxury watch marketplace with a curated peer-to-peer model. Comparable to Watchmaster in authentication-led CPO watch e-commerce, with a younger brand and tech-forward positioning.
Broad incumbents
- Watches of Switzerland: UK-listed authorized luxury watch retailer with showrooms across the UK, Europe, and US. Competes for CPO watch demand as a broad incumbent with both new and pre-owned inventory, offering an overlapping but wider portfolio than Watchmaster.
Others
- Vestiaire Collective: Global authenticated pre-owned luxury marketplace spanning fashion, accessories, and watches. Comparable in authentication-first resale model and cross-border European footprint, though watches are a smaller share of its assortment.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Watchmaster social profiles
Digital presenceWatchmaster financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Watchmaster leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Watchmaster subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Watchmaster funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds9 records
Investors5 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Watchmaster M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Watchmaster
What does Watchmaster do?
Watchmaster operates a digital marketplace for buying and selling certified pre-owned luxury watches. Each timepiece listed on the platform is authenticated and certified by the company before being offered to buyers. The platform aggregates listings from individual sellers and dealers across major luxury watch brands, serving consumers and collectors in the secondary luxury watch market across Europe.
Is Watchmaster a public or private company?
Watchmaster is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Watchmaster founded?
Watchmaster was founded in 2015. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Watchmaster based?
Watchmaster is headquartered in Berlin, Germany, in the Europe region.
Who are Watchmaster's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Chrono24, Watchfinder & Co., Bob's Watches, SwissWatchExpo, Crown & Caliber, Prestige Time and Montres Modernes et de Collection (M.M.C.). Bezel is listed as an emerging player. Watches of Switzerland is listed as a broad incumbent. Vestiaire Collective is listed as an others.
Does Watchmaster have an API?
No public API is recorded for Watchmaster.
What industry is Watchmaster in?
Watchmaster's product category is Luxury Watch Marketplace. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAKADAM, Pre-owned, Vintage & Certified Pre-owned Watches, with a secondary code of CRAKADAL, Watch Retail (Authorized Dealers, Boutiques, Omnichannel). Its NAICS code is 42394 and its SIC code is 5094.