What The Watch Register does

The Watch Register is the luxury-watch-focused division of the Art Loss Register (ALR), operating the world's largest private database of lost, stolen, and counterfeit watches. Established in 1990 under founding shareholders Lloyd's of London, Christie's, and Sotheby's, the company maintains records on 125,000+ lost or stolen watches across 850+ brands including Rolex, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Omega, and Cartier. The platform combines proprietary database technology with human expert vetting: all serial number entries and searches are reviewed by specialists, supplementing computerized search algorithms. Search capability is delivered through website, SMS, WhatsApp (+44 7862 126517), bulk upload, and API integration for enterprise clients, with 24/7 real-time results and downloadable PDF Search Certificates that serve as legally recognized evidence of due diligence.

The company monetizes across multiple revenue streams: per-search fees (£16 + VAT UK / €19 / $22, with bulk credits from £2.00 per watch), loss registration fees (£15 + VAT per watch), outcome-based recovery fees (20% of net benefit on a no-win-no-fee basis), and recurring auction house subscriptions priced by catalogue volume. Free services are extended to law enforcement and insurers as a customer acquisition and data-collection mechanism. Customer segments span pre-owned watch dealers and jewellers (primary), pawnbrokers, auction houses, insurers, private individuals, and police forces globally. Headquartered at 16 Black Friars Lane, London, the company operates with 11–50 employees as a privately held subsidiary within the ALR group.

Operationally, the database supports substantial throughput: 250,000+ watches are checked on the pre-owned market each year, with approximately 5 lost/stolen watches located per day on average. Roughly 50% of recovered watches are found within one year of theft, and 35% within six months. Recovery cases have historically spanned 34 countries, and the parent ALR group has recovered hundreds of millions of pounds worth of property over its 35-year history. The business operates as the legal entity "The International Art & Antique Loss Register Limited," trading as The Watch Register.

Name

The Watch Register

Legal name

International Art & Antique Loss Register Limited

Website

https://thewatchregister.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Watch Register operates the world's largest private database of lost, stolen, and counterfeit luxury watches, serving pre-owned dealers, pawnbrokers, auction houses, insurers, and law enforcement globally with serial number checks and recovery services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Stolen Property Registry / Watch Provenance Services

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 industry

Pre-owned Watch Dealers & Exchanges (CRAKAKAB)

Keywords

• Lost stolen watch database
• Luxury watch verification
• Watch provenance check
• Stolen property recovery
• Serial number search

Headquarters

HQ city

City Of London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Database Search Services: One-off serial number searches at £16 + VAT (UK), €19 (Euro zone), $22 (US). Bulk search credits available with discounts from £2.00 per watch. Credits valid for 12 months from purchase.
2. Loss Registration: Non-refundable admin fee of £15 per watch (+ VAT) to review and process loss registration requests. Proof of loss (crime reference number and/or insurance details) required.
3. Recovery Services: No win no fee basis. Recovery Fee of 20% of ultimate net benefit if company handles recovery; Location Fee of 5% if client handles recovery themselves. Only charged upon successful recovery.
4. Auction House Subscriptions: Subscription fee based on volume of items checked in catalogues. Includes free checks on suspicious items, expert assistance for title disputes, and certificates for all checked watches.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Watch Register maintains a global central database of lost, stolen, and counterfeit luxury watches and charges fees to verify serial numbers against it. Customers (dealers, pawnbrokers, auction houses, insurers, law enforcement, and private owners) can register losses, query the database, and engage the firm's recovery and seizure support services for a no win-no fee outcome-based fee.

Product overview

The Watch Register is a global database and due diligence platform for the luxury pre-owned watch market. The core offering is a proprietary database of lost, stolen and counterfeit watches (125,000+ watches registered) that enables serial number checks for buyers, dealers, and law enforcement. The platform provides search services via website, SMS, and WhatsApp, complemented by loss registration and specialist watch recovery services. Additional modules target specific customer segments: Dealer Services, Pawnbroker Services, Auction House Services, Insurer Services, and Law Enforcement Services. The company also offers search credit bundles for regular users and API integration for larger businesses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Watch Database Search Online search service that matches a watch's serial number and details against The Watch Register's central registry; available to individuals and institutions via web portal at £16/€19/$22 per one-off search.
• Loss Registration Service Service enabling private owners, insurers, and dealers to register a lost or stolen watch into the registry at a £15 fee per watch, increasing the chances of recovery.
• Watch Recovery Service Active recovery engagement that works to locate and return lost or stolen luxury watches on a no win-no fee outcome-based fee structure; coordinates with police and insurers.
• Loss & Recovery Certificate Official certificate documenting a watch's lost, stolen, or recovered status, with content recognized in legal proceedings; offered as an optional paid add-on.
• SMS Database Search Search service via SMS for users to query the database from mobile devices without web access.
• WhatsApp Database Search Search service conducted over WhatsApp, enabling convenient mobile verification of watch status.
• Dealer Services Package Subscription/bulk package providing watch dealers with discounted per-search pricing from £2.00/watch, bulk upload tools, and other dealer-specific supports.
• Pawnbroker Services Package Service tier tailored to pawnbrokers with discounted high-volume search pricing for counter-side screening of luxury watches.
• Auction House Services Package Custom subscription pricing and dedicated account management to support lot-level due diligence across watch sales events at auction houses.
• Insurer Services / Free Search Tier Complimentary database query access offered to insurance companies and loss adjusters, supporting claims investigation and recovery coordination.
• Law Enforcement Services / Free Search Tier Free database search availability plus recovery and seizure support services for police forces and law enforcement agencies identifying recovered or suspect property.
• Private Individual Services Service tier for individual owners to register lost or stolen watches and engage no win-no fee recovery services without institutional overhead.
• REST API for Institutional Searches REST API access allowing dealers, pawnbrokers, and other partners to integrate The Watch Register's database checks directly into their own systems and workflows.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5 lost and stolen watches located per day
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Art Loss RegistercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1990The Watch Register is part of the Art Loss Register (ALR), the world's largest private database of lost and stolen art, antiques, jewellery and collectibles. Founded in London in 1990, ALR contains information on 700,000 items and checks over 500,000 items annually on the international market.
• Metropolitan Police (London)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership with the Metropolitan Police Flying Squad. Police register stolen watches on the database and receive investigative support. Partnership described as contributing hugely to reuniting stolen goods with rightful owners.
• New York Police Department (NYPD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong history of working with NYPD in watch crime hotspots. Police forces globally use The Watch Register to register stolen watches and identify recovered property.
• FBIcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong history of working with FBI internationally. Partnership contributes to criminal investigations and stolen property recovery.
• InterpolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational law enforcement partnership for cross-border stolen property recovery and intelligence sharing.
• SaferGemsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Watch Register database includes stolen watch data from the SaferGems jewellery anti-crime scheme operated by the Hallmarking Association.
• Fish Brothers GroupminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPawnbrokers and traditional jewellery retailer. Testimonial partner citing importance of The Watch Register for their pre-owned watch business due diligence.
• Loss Management Group (LMG)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerLoss management specialist. Testimonial partner since 2016, successfully recovering lost and stolen watches and receiving positive feedback from insurance company clients.
• BezelminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLuxury watch retailer using The Watch Register to guarantee every watch is free and clear of theft or loss as part of their authentication process.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Real Authentication: Specialist authentication service focused specifically on luxury watches, offering expert opinions on authenticity and provenance. Directly competes for pre-owned watch dealers and individual buyers seeking authentication services.
• Certilogo: Digital authentication and traceability platform for fashion and luxury goods using unique codes and a consumer-facing app. Adjacent authentication infrastructure serving brand owners and consumers, with comparable enterprise SaaS-style distribution model.
• Entrupy: AI and computer-vision based authentication platform for luxury goods including watches, handbags, sneakers and jewelry. Competes for the same authentication/due-diligence wallet of dealers and auction houses but uses a fundamentally different technology approach.
• Art Loss Register: Parent organization and direct sister business running the same database/recovery model for lost and stolen art, antiques, jewellery and collectibles. Operates 700,000+ items in its database and checks 500,000+ items annually — the closest analog and structural sibling to The Watch Register.

Broad incumbents

• Watchfinder & Co. Established pre-owned luxury watch retailer (owned by Richemont) with in-house authentication processes. Represents the broader incumbent model of authenticated pre-owned watch retail versus The Watch Register's standalone database service.
• Chrono24: Largest global online marketplace for pre-owned luxury watches, serving as both a customer and potential competitor to The Watch Register. Operates its own authentication/trust services for high-value transactions on its platform.

Regional players

• Bob's Watches: US-focused pre-owned Rolex and luxury watch dealer running its own authentication workflow. Comparable end-customer base (US collectors and dealers) and overlaps with Watch Register's dealer services, but serves a more limited geography.

Emerging players

• Bezel: Authenticated pre-owned luxury watch marketplace that publicly cites The Watch Register as part of its authentication stack. An emerging customer/partner that demonstrates the platform's role in newer marketplace business models.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/WatchRegister
• Facebookfacebook.com/thewatchregister
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-watch-register
• Instagraminstagram.com/thewatchregister

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Watch Register