Horologists Under Review – How an App Aims to Digitalise Watch Collecting

Since its official debut at this year’s Watches & Wonders in April, Horologists has been striving to create a comprehensive digital experience for modern watch collecting – a platform that brings together the buying and selling of pre-owned timepieces through authorised retailers, the cataloguing, insuring, and tracking of personal collections, as well as a knowledge component featuring news, podcasts, and videos – all within one app. To achieve this, the Horologists app collaborates with carefully selected retailers who, in turn, maintain close partnerships with established watch brands. Most notably, however, the Horologists app introduces a feature that allows users to contact retailers directly and engage in an exchange on equal footing.

Yet the question remains: is the Horologists app merely a technical gimmick without real added value or a genuinely useful tool that lives up to its stated ambition of creating “a digital home for watch enthusiasts”? We tested the Horologists app and its functions – and summarised our findings in this article.

Home – News, Videos, Podcasts, Events and Retailer Updates at a Glance

Divided into five sections primarily dedicated to communication with certified retailers of pre-owned watches, as well as to the purchase and sale of such pieces, the Home section of the Horologists app serves the purpose of keeping users informed about the latest developments and upcoming events in the world of watchmaking. To achieve this, the Home tab focuses on two main menu items. First and foremost, the News tab presents the full spectrum of specialist watch media, featuring the latest articles, videos and podcasts in a clear and accessible layout. Horologists stands out by allowing users to customise their feed according to their preferred sources and brands – making the Home menu adaptable to individual interests and media habits.

The second main item, the Calendar, provides an overview of upcoming events, trade fairs and auctions from across the watch industry. The third menu item, Profile, allows users to manage all settings related to their preferences, account, retailer profile and the Horologists app itself.

Collection – Digital Management of One’s Watch Portfolio with Market Valuations and Insurance Options

Within the Collection section, the Horologists app allows users to digitise their watch portfolio and track the estimated development of each piece’s market value over time. The price history, which draws on market data provided by WatchCharts.com, can be displayed in a detailed graph that traces daily values up to one year into the past. Once a watch model has been identified from Horologists’ extensive database and added to the user’s personal collection, it becomes possible to record comprehensive information such as purchase price, purchase date, country of origin, box and papers, serial number, and condition.

In addition, users can upload various documents – including certificates, invoices, and instruction manuals – for each individual watch. This reflects one of the app’s core services: creating a digital link between collectors and authorised retailers, while also allowing users, if desired, to offer watches from their own collection to those partner retailers. In the following section, the Retailer tab, users can grant specific retailers access to selected watches within their collection and, if they wish, offer them for sale. However, all stored information and documents remain private and visible only to the user. According to Horologists, a dedicated “Trade-In” function is currently under development, which aims to further streamline the sales process in the future.

The Collection area also enables users to create a wishlist of desired timepieces and view their estimated values. This feature – which will play a particularly relevant role in the next section, the Retailer tab – allows retailers to see at a glance which models or brands their clients are currently interested in. Incidentally, if a particular watch cannot be found in the Horologists database when attempting to add it to a collection or wishlist, it can simply be entered manually.

Insurance

In addition, the Collection section offers users the option to insure their watches directly through the Horologists app. For this service, Horologists partners with the ArtPrivat All-Risk Insurance provided by Allianz. The policy covers a wide range of potential risks – including theft, fire, water damage, vandalism, and accidental damage – whether at home or abroad.

However, the insurance solution via Allianz comes with a significant limitation: eligibility requires the policyholder’s primary residence to be in Germany, and the minimum insured amount is set at €500,000. This sum includes household contents such as watches or watch collections, as well as art and jewellery.

To take out a policy, users can schedule a consultation with an Allianz representative via a dedicated section within the Horologists app. That said, the application process is not yet fully digitalised. According to Horologists, a tailored insurance solution is currently under development – one that will feature a fully digital application process within the Horologists app, allowing users in the future to insure not only their entire collection but also individual watches separately.

Retailer Section – Direct Contact and Personalised Offers from Authorised Dealers

As the defining feature of the Horologists app and therefore positioned at the centre of its navigation bar, the Retailer tab serves as the platform’s core element. It enables users to establish direct connections with the currently eight authorised retailers available within Horologists, representing a total of 13 different locations. These can be viewed and selected via an interactive map. Establishing a connection with a retailer means linking the app – and thus one’s personal account – to a chosen dealer in order to receive a more personalised service.

On one hand, this connection allows the retailer to access information regarding the user’s wishlist, as well as their likes and dislikes within the Explore section (more on that below). This information is required to initiate the connection. On the other hand, users have the optional ability to share details about the watches stored in their collection, thereby granting the retailer insight into their portfolio.

Once connected with a retailer, the Retailer tab in the navigation bar – as well as the Home tab – provides the option to communicate directly with the selected boutique via chat, to submit product enquiries, to offer watches from one’s own collection for potential sale, or to discuss other trade-related matters. The retailer’s most recent responses are displayed under “Latest Messages” within the Home tab. It is worth noting that users can only be connected with one retailer at a time, although the existing connection can be terminated at any moment.

This function reveals one of Horologists’ key advantages: the app builds a digital bridge between watch collectors and authorised retailers, acting as a communication platform that enables direct, peer-level consultation. In doing so, it positions itself as an alternative to much of today’s online watch trade, which is often characterised by a lack of transparency, absent authenticity guarantees, and impersonal service. When it comes to selling, many users are likely to appreciate the security of offering their often high-value timepieces not to private buyers, but directly to authorised retailers. It should be mentioned that the purchase contract is concluded between the private seller and the retailer. The Horologists app merely serves as an intermediary and not as a sales platform – a principle that also applies to all watches already listed in the Certified Pre-Owned shop. As the operator, Horologists takes no commission.

In addition to enabling direct contact with an authorised dealer, the Retailer tab offers several other functions that are available independently of an active connection. Users can, for instance, schedule an appointment with a retailer if interested in a particular watch, book a service appointment when maintenance is required, or submit other requests via a contact form. Furthermore, users can access each retailer’s social media feed and online listings – for example, in the case of Oberleitner in Wiesbaden. The tab also lists the brands represented by each respective retailer.

How Does Horologists Select Its Retail Partners?

But how does Horologists select its retail partners? Dealers featured within the app are chosen based on two key criteria: first, that they are authorised retailers of leading watch brands, and second, that they meet Horologists’ standards of integrity, advisory competence, and product authenticity. At present, all retailers listed within the app are located in Germany. These include Mahlberg, with boutiques in Lübeck, Hamburg, and Bremen; Oeding-Erdel in Osnabrück and Münster; Laerbusch in Mülheim an der Ruhr; Gadoro in Cologne; Gadebusch, which operates two locations in Cologne including the Tudor Boutique; as well as Oberleitner in Wiesbaden, Scheuble in Würzburg and Ulm, and Dührkoop in Ingolstadt. Nevertheless, it is Horologists’ stated goal to continuously expand its network with new partners and, in the long term, extend its reach beyond Germany’s borders.

Shop – Certified Pre-Owned Luxury Watches from Authorised Retailers

The fourth section of the Horologists app, the Shop, provides secure access to the online selection of Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) luxury watches offered by the eight current partner retailers. From timepieces such as the Nomos Glashütte Tangente and Patek Philippe Annual Calendar to historical pocket watches or the extravagant creations of the independent brand MB&F, users can browse the full online inventory of authorised retailers featured within Horologists. The app allows navigation either by brand or directly by popular collections – such as the Omega Speedmaster or the Breitling Chronomat – making it easy to explore the available selection.

Explore – Discover and Rate Watches via an Interactive Swipe Function

The fifth and final section, Explore, introduces a kind of mini-game that allows users to rate watch models through a simple swipe gesture. Swiping left indicates a “dislike”, expressing disinterest in a model, while swiping right marks it with a “like”, signalling that the watch matches one’s personal taste. These likes and dislikes then form the basis of an individualised feed curated according to the user’s preferences as revealed in the mini-game. Linked to this swipe feature is the Shop: whenever a liked watch is available as a listing from one of the partner retailers, the app automatically provides a direct reference to it – allowing the user to view the offer in the shop immediately. In addition, the Explore section allows users to browse watches by various categories – such as “Most Collected”, “Most Popular”, or “Timeless Choices” – as well as by new arrivals, trending brands, or recently added models.

Conclusion and Outlook on Horologists

The concept behind the Horologists app brings together several key aspects of modern watch collecting – direct communication with authorised retailers, the buying and selling of pre-owned watches, the management, insurance and tracking of one’s own collection, as well as a news component – and integrates them into a holistic vision of an app designed to offer expert, personalised consultation on par with that of a physical boutique. To realise this ambition, every retailer partnering with Horologists receives a dedicated companion app – accessible both via browser and smartphone – which serves as a counterpart to the customer version. This dealer-side interface enables communication with users and provides insight into their wishlists, likes and dislikes, as well as their collections.

But does the Horologists app, at this stage, succeed in uniting all these functions in a meaningful way? In essence, yes – the foundation for realising this concept has been successfully laid. However, our own trial run revealed a few areas that still require improvement. For one, the range of offers within the in-app shop remains limited, largely because only a few of the partner retailers currently operate online stores. Furthermore, communication with retailers occasionally proved difficult, as responses were sometimes delayed or absent – which, in places, affected both the user experience and the app’s core promise of seamless interaction.

Nevertheless, it can be said that this young app shows clear potential, and the founders’ plans for the future sound equally promising: “Horologists will continue to expand its network of retailers and integrate new digital services for watch enthusiasts. A particular focus will be placed on the seamless integration of innovative digital solutions – notably a fully digital insurance service for individual watches. In addition, the development of an auction feature is already in progress.”

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