Chrono24 Alternative: In-depth review of all online watch marketplaces in 2020

The online watch market is growing at a tremendous pace. Millennials and Generation X are todays watch buyers who are online savvy and the COVID-19 situation makes buying a pre-owned luxury watch online a safe place to buy your watch for all generations. But what are the alternatives to the largest and most well-known watch platform Chrono24? In short, what is the best Chrono24 alternative? And how safe is it to buy a watch on Chrono24 or one a Chrono24 alternative? In this blog we will provide an in depth review of all online web shops and marketplaces you can go to today. We have also written a full in depth review on Chrono24 as a market place. We have also written an in-depth blog about the Chrono24 fees and about selling in Chrono24 for both private sellers and professional dealers. 

Online marketplaces and web shops

You can divide the online watch market in two subtypes, being marketplaces (such as Chrono24, eBay and CataWiki) and web shops (such as Chronext, Crown & Calibre, Jomashop and Bob’s watches to name a few). Some online web shops also have a brick and mortar shop, where you can try on the watches they have on sale. In this blog we will explain the advantages and disadvantages and also how Relleb is servicing the community of watch buyers in this online watch market. We also have a general blog about advantages and disadvantages of these online watch market archetypes on our blog Analysis of the online pre-owned luxury watch market and different online platforms.

 

 

Summary analysis:

Here below we included a summary of the online watch marketplaces available in 2020. If you want to know more about the details supporting the ratings of the advantages and disadvantages scroll down below. Spoiler: there are some great links in the detailed text below…

# Relleb (Marketplace)

Relleb is a new marketplace that was founded in 2020 by two watch enthusiasts, Marcel and Kenny. It is a platform to safely buy and sell watches, without commissions, with an escrow checkout and an authentication service by an experienced watchmaker.

Basically the best place to go and sell your watch for the best price. And for buyers the best place to find a watch with certainty over authenticity. In addition they arrange a pickup service when a watch is sold and take care of shipment and insurance. Hassle free. No fraud. No fakes. 

Checkout the homepage of this new marketplace here.

#1 eBay (marketplace)

+++          Extensive offering of models and brands

+++          Wide range of payment methods

++             Insured shipping

+               Search engine

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-/-/-/-       No clear authentication of watches

-/-/-          No escrow account

-/-/-          High commissions for sellers

-/-             Weak customer experience

‍See below for a detailed review.

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#2: Watchrecon (marketplace comparison)

++++      Strong watch community

+++        Highly collectible pieces

++           No commissions for sellers and buyers

+             Limited risk of unauthentic watches

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-/-/-        Limited offering of watches

-/-/-        Limited search engine

-/-/-        No structured payment methods

-/-           No default shipping methods

‍See below for a detailed review.

 

#3 CataWiki (marketplace auction)

++++     Tremendous auction deals

++++     Strong watch tracking functionality

+++        Extensive offering of vintages watches

+++        Wide range of payment methods

+/-          Free shipping (mostly insured)

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-/-/-/-/- No proper authentication of watches

-/-/-/-/-  No proper verification of watches and sellers

-/-/-/-     High buyers commission (9%!) and Seller commission (15%!)

-/-/-        Shipping type is determined by the seller

‍See below for a detailed review.

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#4 Other local online marketplaces/auctions (Etsy, Markplaats):

+++         Local sellers are easier to research and contact

+++         Competitive pricing and lower commission

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-/-/-/-/-   No seller verification

-/-/-/-/-   No watch authentication service

-/-/-         No escrow account (mostly)

-/-/-         Local sellers can be criminals/committing fraud

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#5 Large online web shops (Chronext, Bob’s Watches, Crown & Calibre, Jomashop):

+++++   Authentic watches

++++      High quality watches

+++         Personalized customer service

++          Wide range of payment methods

+             Watch trade in service

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-/-/-/-/-  Very high premiums/watch prices (c.10%-20% higher than marketplaces)

-/-/-/-    Official brand parts are more expensive

-/-/-        High shipping costs

-/-/-        Limited offering of brands and models

-/-           Hidden costs for services (e.g. restock fee, warranty commissions)

-/-           Unclear warranty and return policies

 

#6 Small online web shops

+++++ Amsterdam Vintage Watches (Amsterdam, Netherlands)

+++++ Watchworks Haarlem (Haarlem, Netherlands)

+++++ Craft + Tailored (LA, USA)

+++++ Hodinkee (New York, USA)

 

In-depth analysis

#1 eBay (marketplace):

eBay is one of the largest marketplaces on the planet. Although it is not widely known as a watch marketplace, they have a broad offering and are considered the second largest online watch marketplace of the world. For eBay, the watch business is one the most important revenue streams and they say every 5 seconds a watch is sold via eBay. This is also supported by their investments in setting up a verification and authenticity process (since April 2020).

Advantages eBay:

+++ Extensive offering of models and brands: eBay is a world-wide known platform and active in 27 countries worldwide. A search on Rolex shows over 40.000 results (also Rolex accessories). Although for the Rolex GMT with a Tiffany & Co countersign there is generally no result at all. So this market place does provide a lot of access to different countries and markets but rare pieces are not often offered. Lowering the number of models and brands being offered. But in case you are searching for your first Rolex Submariner or Datejust, there are plenty of options.

+++ Wide range of payment methods: There are a multitude of payment methods including PayPal, Visa, American Express and Mastercard. You can even pay on credit.

++ Insured shipping: Your watch is shipped with insurance as a default although it is still possible to send the watch uninsured. We strongly recommend to only ship your watch fully insured. Make sure you get the proof of shipping (and the track and trace code) and make sure you don’t pay more for the shipping than needed. eBay even indicates the delivery and shipping costs based on your and the sellers location.

+ Search engine: The search engine is strong, although far less extensive than Chrono24, but it works good and for easy searches you can use the search bar and type what you are searching for. In addition you can create a watchlist and get notifications whenever a watch is sold or the price changes. This can be helpful in case you want to score a good deal.

Disadvantages eBay:

-/-/-/- No proper authentication of watches: there is not a lot known of the verification process which was only launched by eBay in April 2020. And when you click on the “learn more” button at authenticity verified you will land on a page that is empty and only shows the watch. Whenever you dive into the FAQ and articles published by eBay about this service you will see there is only a high-over explanation about how to sell through eBay Authenticate. Unfortunately eBay also wants to do it all via photo’s, asking some questions to the seller and having an expert to quickly look at it. General validation checks and questions are posed. Checks such as a sellers ID, Company Chamber of Commerce number, VAT number and proof of location is performed. Questions are limited and not efficient as they only go as far as questioning when the watch was last serviced, if it is original (of course they will say yes…), if the timekeeping is still accurate and whether the watch is waterproof. We all know this is not good enough and doesn’t provide any real support. On top of that, based on only photo’s it is impossible to state a 100% sure if a watch is authentic. So once again, eBay is also providing a false sense of certainty over authenticity.

-/-/- No escrow account: eBay does offer a 14 days money back guarantee, but your money is transferred to the seller after two days after the buyer submitted the payment. So good luck on getting your money back in case you find out the watch you bought is not authentic…

-/-/- high commissions for sellers: you would say this is the sellers problem, but in fact it is not. The buyer ultimately pays (at least a part) of the seller fees as the sellers still want to make a margin on their sales. By comparing the mostly sought after watches such as a Rolex Datejust and Rolex Submariner the prices are about 5%-10% higher compared to Chrono24. It seems that even the merchants commission amounts to 20% for the authentication and verification process, which still lacks anyways.

-/- Weak customer experience: Although eBay operates in the higher segments of the luxury market, also selling luxury bags and other luxury good, their customer focus is way off. The personal connection is low and there aftersales is nil. So don’t expect to be treated like you would like when you are spending a fortune on a watch.

 

#2: Watchrecon (marketplace comparison)

Watchrecon functions as centralized search index where buyers can compare prices between the small online marketplace platforms that offer watches. Many forums and (mainly informational) watch websites offer watches to their communities. This in many times mostly include real watch enthusiast but have a generally low number of offered watches. The websites that are centralized here include Breitling Watch Source, Chronocentric Chronotrader, Omega Forums, Paneristi, Reddit WatchExchange, Seiko & Citizen Watch Forum, The Rolex Forums, Timezone, UhrForum, Vintage Rolex Forum, Wallet Friendly, Watch Watch Forum, Watch Freeks, Watchnet, Watchuseek and Wrist Sushi. In case you want to buy a highly collectible and unique piece, this is one of the best Chrono24 alternative in the market today.

Advantages Watchrecon:

++++ Strong watch community: the offerings gathered on Watchrecon are extracted from many websites that have a strong watch community with lots of watch collectors and genuine watch enthusiast that contribute to the website and the offering of watches. The social connection serves as a shield to fraud schemes and fake watches.

+++ highly collectible pieces: within these watch communities some highly collectible pieces sometimes come up for sale. In case these are offered on one of the platforms listed on Watchrecon, they will end up on this website. So in case you are a true collector this can be a great way to buy a highly collectible piece.

++ No commissions for sellers and buyers: Watchrecon and the forums on which the watches are being sold do not charge a commission. Unfortunately this does not directly result in lower prices overall, private sellers just have a bigger margin in most cases.

+ Limited risk of unauthentic watches: because the watches are sold on forums and in discussion pages (Watchrecon just makes a list of these) you can easily read some background information about the seller and potential buyers. On top of that watch enthusiast active in the discussions on the forum can quickly address fake or unauthentic parts on the watch listed. You still have to vet the seller, but the community active on the forum the watch is listed on helps you and -especially compared to eBay and Chrono24- contain of real watch collectors with knowhow that are helping you on a daily basis.

Disadvantages Watchrecon:

-/-/- Limited offering of watches: because this marketplace is based on small watch communities the offering of watches is generally very low. Searching on “Rolex” generally gives about 50 search results.

-/-/- Limited search engine: Although the number of watches is very limited, the search engine is very basic and to be honest the website doesn’t feel like a state of the art website where you want to wonder around.

-/-/- No structured payment methods: it is not possible to buy the watches via Watchrecon itself, it is merely a consolidation tool. The result is that you have to arrange a payment method with the seller and as such there is no further protection offered.

-/- No default shipping methods: Buyers have to agree a shipment method with the sellers on their own account. Once again, we strongly recommend insured shipping with a renowned party such as FedEx or UPS.

 

#3 CataWiki (marketplace auction):

CataWiki is a well-known marketplace, albeit auctions, known for selling mostly vintage watch pieces. It is world-wide active in a multitude of countries and the website is available in 14 languages including English, Dutch, German, French, Russian, Chinese and Spanish. Making sure more than 80% of the world-wide population can read the website. Next to watches they sell a wide variety of vintage goods ranging from cars to stamps. In this blog we only go in-depth on the watch market side of CataWiki, which is considered one of the largest revenue streams for the website. In case you want a good deal on a limited piece, this can be a great alternative to Chrono24 or eBay.

Advantages CataWiki:

++++ Tremendous auction deals: Since CataWiki is an auction marketplace it is one of the best places to make a great deal. Of course there can be a minimum reserve price for watches, but about 30% of the watches does not have minimum reserve price.

++++ Strong watch tracking functionality: CataWiki has a strong customer auction experience as the website and application (for mobile phones and tablets) offer functions which enables potential buyers to track listings and pricing very detailed. In case you have a specific time piece you want to bid on, you can enable notifications on that timepiece that update you whenever there is a new bid and also informs you about the ending time (until when that watch can be bid on).

+++ Extensive offering of vintages watches: In general CataWiki offers around 6,000 watches every moment of the day in their actions. Since they attract many vintage goods buyers from all over the world, it comes not with a surprise there offering is mainly vintage watches. Every now and then there are some highly collectible pieces, but these tend to be rare.

+++ Wide range of payment methods: There is a wide range of payment methods ranging from bank transfers, Visa, Mastercard to even iDeal. They don’t mention specific escrow accounts, but based on the timing of their payouts to sellers we know CataWiki waits until they have a received the buyer confirmation from the shipping partner before they disburse the cash to the seller.

+/- Free shipping (mostly insured): Free shipping is commonly applied to some slots (watches being offered). Based on reviews and market experience we know some sellers send watches fully insured as a default, but in case it is free you have no authority to state what type of shipping you want. We recommend to contact the seller or CataWiki in advance to know what type of shipping you are signing for before you make “an offer they can’t refuse”.

Disadvantages CataWiki:

-/-/-/-/- No proper authentication of watches: Although every slot shows the in-house expert who reviewed the timepiece offer and indicated the proposed value, it is known fake watches are being sold on CataWiki on a daily basis! Our friends (we like them) at Amsterdam Vintage Watches made video about it (click here to see), where they exposed a number of fake watches being sold. Unfortunately even with price indications valued by experts up to €40,000 are not authentic!! The worst part is there was article written on Esquire where the watch expert of CataWiki advises customers to do their own research and involve watch experts in their own network (friends and family) to have a look as well. What is then the value of the watch experts in CataWiki??? If you buy anything on this platform, we strongly recommend you to research the seller and the object closely.

-/-/-/-/- No proper verification of watches and sellers: Also on CataWiki sellers are only asked a couple of general questions and minor checks are performed before they are allowed to sell watches on the website. Checks such as a valid ID and Chamber of Commerce extract are performed. Questions only go as far as asking if the watch still has accurate an timekeeping and whether it is revised or not (if serviced, they will explicitly say this in the offer despite any further research). Again, very light reviews and providing a false sense of certainty to buyers.

-/-/-/- High buyers commission (9%!): CataWiki charges a very high buyers commission of 9% on the winning offer. There are countless blogs, articles and forums written full of people who were surprised by it. At least, now you know.

-/-/- Shipping type is determined by the seller: the way of shipping is determined by the seller. Not ideal as they are biased to keep their costs as low as possible. Especially considering the high commissions held back by CataWiki there is a high possibility the seller will opt for the cheapest solution putting your newly bough watch at risk.

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#4 Other local online marketplaces/auctions (Etsy, Markplaats):

Apart from all the marketplaces above, there are tons of small online marketplace which have a local presence (such as Etsy and Marktplaats) or even international (Amazon). Based on their platforms they carry their own characteristics which can vary widely between the marketplaces. We have listed the most common advantages and disadvantages of local online marketplace such as Etsy and Marktplaats:

Advantages local marketplace:

+++ Local professional sellers are easier to research and contact physically: local professional sellers can more easily be researched on local forums and contact is easier as the language is almost always equal to the buyer. In addition the store can be more easily be found and entered (in case applicable).

+++ Competitive pricing and lower commission: smaller online marketplaces generally carry lower commissions and more competitive pricing as the number of potential buyers is low compared to the larger marketplaces. Scoring a great deal on a local marketplace is not uncommon.

Disadvantages local marketplace:

-/-/-/-/- No seller verification: Local online watch marketplaces will likely have not a great seller verification process. They might have a “zero tolerance” to fraud schemes, but it is unlikely they have a waterproof authentication process.

-/-/-/-/- No watch authentication service: Local online watch marketplaces almost never have an authentication service. Your local authorized dealer is your only hope…

-/-/- No escrow account (mostly): most of the times seller and buyer agree to a method for payment. An escrow account is many times not an option. If it is, make use of it.

-/-/- Local sellers can be criminals/committing fraud as well: Sellers on local online marketplaces can be criminals as well. We recommend not to meet in person with the actual cash money in your pocket and if you do, do it at a safe spot!

 

#5 Large online web shops (Chronext, Bob’s Watches, Crown & Calibre, Jomashop):

There are many online web shops selling pre-owned and new luxury watches nowadays. Business is booming and many parties find their way to the market. All of these web shops are characterized by having their own stock and, in many cases, have their own service centers and watchmakers. As far as we know they are not certified service centers of either Rolex, Audemars Piguet and Patek Phillipe for example, and as a result they will likely still rely on the service centers of these brands. Nevertheless, if you want an authentic watch with good quality, they are a very solid alternative to Chrono24, eBay, CataWiki or any other marketplace platform when you want to buy a watch online. But you have to pay for it big time.

Advantages large online watch web shops:

+++++ Authentic watches: The larger online web shops for watches such as Bob’s Watches, Chronext, Jomashop and Crown & Calibre have their own watchmakers and observe all watches in hand. In this way they ensure all watches on their stock are authentic. Both Chronext (mainly UK) and Crown & Calibre (USA) are awarded for their quality and making sure only authentic watches come onto the market. And in addition, for example Jomashop, provides some explanation regarding authenticity, stating that “Jomashop guarantees you the utmost in quality, authenticity, and reputability” and “all our [Jomashop] watches have the original manufacturer's serial numbers intact”. Reviews written by buyers support this.

++++ High quality watches: Since those large online web shops have their own service center they are able to make sure the watches are looked after and taken care of before the end up on the website for sale.

+++ Personalized customer service: although the customer service departments are not 24/7 opened, Crown & Calibre and Bob’s Watches can provide a great service to their customers especially in the USA (their home market). In addition to that, Chronext provides brick and mortar stores in the UK where you can get the offline experience as well. Nevertheless, their online customer experience is way better than Chrono24 or eBay. So if you like to be treated well when you spend a fortune, these large online web shops can be a great alternative to buy your watch.

++ Wide range of payment methods: Most large online web shops provide a multitude of payment methods, ranging from payment by bank transfer to a pre-financing option like Affirm (at Jomashop) where you can get a loan to buy a watch.

+ Watch trade in service: For example Jomashop offers a trade in service, whereby customers can hand in their current timepiece for another (and evenly hand in extra cash or get a cash back). Don’t think you will get the highest price you can find on Chrono24 or eBay in case you sell a watch to an online web shop, expect to sell it for between 20%-40% less. Yes that can be a disappointment…

Disadvantages large online watch web shops:

-/-/-/-/- Very high premiums/watch prices (c.10%-20% higher compared to marketplaces): due to high overhead costs for servicing, customer service and sometimes brick and mortar stores, the prices are way higher compared to online marketplaces.

-/-/-/- Official brand parts are more expensive: as they perform a service on every watch, the expenses go up even more when they have to replace parts. Rolex parts on the grey/secondary market are generally 20%-100% more expensive. And since none of the large online web shops are certified brand dealers, they incur high costs for the servicing which are charged on the customer.

-/-/- High shipping costs: since these web shops are situated in a specific region (USA or UK for example), shipping to another area can be very expensive.

-/-/- limited offering of brands and models: all online web shops have their own stock and as such limit the availability of brand and models available for potential buyers.

-/- hidden costs for services (e.g. restock fee, warranty commissions etc.): some of the large online watch web shops have hidden costs. As for example Jomashop incurs a stocking fee on items above $4.000 and sometimes you have to pay additional commissions for warranties and insurances. In addition Crown & Calibre approves watches being send back even after you have removed their red sticker (which stands for being checked and serviced), but will refund you the final sales price minus “an inspection fee” of 10% or up to $500.

-/- Unclear warranty and return policies: Warranty policies of the large web shops can be a real hassle to get through. It is hard to read and even when you have a doctorate degree it can be misleading. However, most of the times the return policy for pre-owned luxury watches is around 14 days and for new watches up to 30 days (at Jomashop 30 days). At Crown & Calibre you even have to contact them within 7 days for a return number after date of shipment (!). This means if shipping costs 6 days, you have 1 day effectively to ask for a return. Also, when you buy a watch at Jomashop, be sure to register the warranty on the website. The warranty varies from 1 year to 5 years, depending on the web shop you are buying it from and whether the watch is new or pre-owned. For example Crown & Calibre provides a warranty of 1 year on their pre-owned watches and Jomashop up to 5 years on new watches.

 

 

#6 Small online web shops

Please know there are also a variety of even smaller online watch web shops such as Craft and Tailored (Los Angeles), Amsterdam Vintage Watches (Amsterdam) and Hodinkee (New York City). These can be a very good alternative to the other options here above as they generally only sell authentic watches and provide high quality on their watches. But be ready to pay high premiums for the service and quality. In addition there are a lot of parties selling watches at very poor quality and sometimes also fakes. Make sure to research the seller and involve any experts you know in case you want to buy a watch via a small online web shop.

Very dependent on the web shop, we give you some good places to go to!

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+++++ Amsterdam Vintage Watches (Amsterdam, Netherlands)

+++++ Watchworks Haarlem (Haarlem, Netherlands)

+++++ Craft + Tailored (LA, USA)

+++++ Hodinkee (New York, USA)

 

#7 Relleb.com marketplace

Relleb was founded to provide certainty over authenticity for buyers. The market is flooded with criminals and sellers that sell poor quality watches, fakes and frankenstein watches. The information gap (between sellers and buyers) results in a general bad name for the grey market of pre-owned luxury watches. We have a very experienced team of experienced watchmakers who perform authentication and quality tests to verify if your watch is fully authentic and correct. In addition we have a fully integrated customer journey where you will be updated with photo's and videos when our watchmaker is authenticating the watch and you will be complemented with our Relleb Authentication and Quality Assessment report. We started supporting collectors around the world in safe online buying at other platforms, but after a very succesfull period we launched our own platform for safe online buying and selling of watches.

Advantages Relleb:

Certainty over authenticity: Our team of highly skilled experienced watchmakers authenticate each timepiece by hand with utmost care. We have the tools and only the best watchmakers to make sure your watch is 100% correct and authentic.

Low commission fees: we have low costs as we have no watches on stock and only operate a platform and a watch authentication center. Our seller commission starts at 2% and buyer comissions for authentication start at €149.

Amazing customer experience: we believe our online customer experience should be better than anywhere else. We will share photos and videos of the authenticity checks and will complement the watch with our Relleb Authentication and Quality Assessment report. This includes all details about the checks we have performed and our conclusions on the quality of the watch. Please visit our story on Instagram (@rellebdotcom) to see what kind of checks we perform!  

Fully insured shipping: We provide free insured shipping with signature together with our partner FedEx. The watch will be wrapped in soft material in an extra durable box. You also have the option to choose for Express priority shipping. Just tick the box with Express priority shipping when checking out. You will receive a track and trace and the watch will only be delivered on your doorstep where you have to show your ID and provide a signature for receipt. Make sure you are home and don’t forget to tag us @rellebdotcom on Facebook and Instagram!

 

Some Q&A based on questions from our Readers

Which is the best website to buy watches

The best websites to buy luxury pre-owned watches is the platform that ensures authenticity and assurance over quality. There are not many platforms as you can read in this blog that provide that, but Relleb is a platform that does. Buy on the Relleb marketplace or buy through Chrono24 or a Chrono24 alternative with Relleb's protection service. 

Where can I buy high end watches?

High end watches can be bought in physhical stores or through online marketplaces. Chrono24 and Chrono24 alternative platforms such as Relleb are suitable platforms for purchasing luxury (pre-owned) watches online. Online marketplaces normally offer a wider range of watches against on average lower prices compared to physical stores.

Is it safe to buy luxury watches online?

Buying luxury watches online is safe if you know what you are doing and if you involve the right experts along the way. If you do not, then you as a buyer might be exposed to many risks. By using the Relleb protection service you can safely purchase luxury pre-owned watches online with 100% certainty over authenticity and quality