Watchmaster is a technology company.
Watchmaster has raised $20.0M across 3 funding rounds.
Watchmaster has raised $20.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Watchmaster has raised $20.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Watchmaster's investors include Cherry Ventures, Hoxton Ventures, TCV, Erik Blachford, oliver holle.
Watchmaster is a Berlin-based technology company founded in 2015 that operates Europe's fastest-growing online marketplace for pre-owned luxury watches.[1][2] It serves individual sellers and buyers by offering a fully integrated platform for watch valuation, in-house certification, refurbishment, and trading—either through its own balance sheet for popular models or a consignment model for others—solving the problem of opaque secondary markets by making certified, refurbished luxury watches available at 15-40% below MSRP, often comparable to new ones.[1] With over 60 employees (though some sources report 24) and operations in 7 geographies including new sites in London and Paris, Watchmaster generates around $18.1 million in revenue and builds customer loyalty through affordable access to fine watches as tradable assets.[1][3]
Watchmaster was founded in 2015 by Stephan Heller and Ronny Ahlswede, both with prior experience at high-growth tech firms like Rocket Internet, Groupon, and Quandoo.[1][2] The idea emerged to professionalize the fragmented secondary market for luxury watches, transforming them into accessible, tradable assets via technology-enabled services like certification and refurbishment.[1] Early traction came from building a team of seasoned executives—such as Tim-Hendrik Meyer (IBM, Groupon), Robert Morlock (Blacklane, BCG), and Michael Loretz (Groupon, Airbnb)—plus support from serial entrepreneurs Philipp Magin and Ronny Lange (Groupon, Quandoo, Auto1), enabling rapid scaling to operational presence across Europe.[1]
Watchmaster stands out in the luxury watch resale space through these key strengths:
Watchmaster rides the explosive growth of secondary markets for luxury goods, fueled by e-commerce platforms digitizing high-value resale and sustainability trends favoring refurbished items over new production.[1][3] Timing aligns with rising demand for accessible luxury amid economic pressures, where tech enables trust via certification—countering fraud in opaque watch trading—while market forces like inflation and collector interest amplify pre-owned appeal.[1] It influences the ecosystem by pioneering fine-watch liquidity in Europe, inspiring similar models in jewelry and collectibles, and contributing to a more efficient, consumer-friendly secondary market.[1][2]
Watchmaster is poised for continued expansion by deepening its consignment network, entering more markets, and leveraging AI for valuations or personalization to capture global luxury resale growth.[1] Trends like blockchain provenance tracking and metaverse watch trading could shape its path, potentially evolving it from European leader to international player while enhancing liquidity in a $20B+ pre-owned watch market. This builds on its core mission, making luxury watches a democratized asset class for the next generation of traders.[1]
Watchmaster has raised $20.0M across 3 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $6.0M Venture Round in October 2020.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2020 | $6.0M Venture Round | Cherry Ventures, Hoxton Ventures, TCV, Erik Blachford, oliver holle | |
| Feb 1, 2016 | $8.0M Series B | Cherry Ventures, Hoxton Ventures, TCV, Erik Blachford, oliver holle | |
| Nov 1, 2015 | $6.0M Series A | Cherry Ventures, Hoxton Ventures, TCV, Erik Blachford, oliver holle |