For Professionals Only, Worldwatch.market, a Brilliant New Approach to the Global Watch Trade

The watch trade market has become sprawling. Digital channels have been added to single-brand and multi-brand points of sale: specialised platforms, digital media that have evolved towards an additional retail offering (limited and dedicated series), social networks (Instagram, WhatsApp, Telegram) flooded with offers of second-hand (and sometimes new) pieces. A jungle characterised by a common denominator: reaching the end consumer through a B2C model. Worldwatch.market offers a new, different and clever approach by focusing on B2B, a global channel exclusively reserved for watch business professionals. In a trade still powered by spreadsheets and group chats, Worldwatch.market is quietly changing the way the watch world works. From the inside out. We’ll be talking with Stan Duin, founder of worldwatch.market.

Pascal Brandt, MONOCHROME – Worldwatch.market introduces a fresh approach to the watch trade. How do you see your role in today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape?

Stan Duin, founder – Let’s start with a car-sales analogy, because everyone gets it. Walk into a good BMW dealership and say, “I’m trading my Porsche”. Your salesperson lets you do a test drive, opens a wholesale app in the meantime, sees live listings from dozens of other dealers, and when you come back, he answers, “Fine, we’ll take it for €72k”. That confidence exists because the wholesale layer of the car market is digitised and liquid. In the watch world, we haven’t reached that level of speed or clarity, yet.

Walk into most jewellery stores with a watch and you’ll still hear, “Hmm… gold weight is €3k, how about that?” because the dealer doesn’t have instant visibility on where to sell the piece or what it trades for behind the scenes. WhatsApp groups, spreadsheets, and guesswork still rule the trade.

We’re building the layer this trade has always needed. We’re a private, invitation-only, B2B network; inventory manager, dealer-to-dealer marketplace, and multichannel listing hub rolled into one. When the backstage runs smoothly, every consumer-facing stage (B2C platforms, boutiques, auctions) becomes faster, better priced, and more transparent.

What inspired you to build a platform focused purely on B2B? Can you walk us through how the idea came to life and how you structured the company around it?

As a watch dealer myself (VintageMasters), I used WhatsApp quite a lot to buy and sell watches. A year ago, I tried to solve a simple problem: WhatsApp was full of watch listings, but everything was messy. My first thought was “let’s just put those chats on a website”. Then I realised that was like asking for a faster horse; dealers really needed a new kind of vehicle.

“If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” – Henry Ford

So we built a rough demo in a few months and showed it to a few trusted dealers and platforms. Their reply was, “When can we move all our stock in?” That told us we were on the right track.

We’ve bootstrapped the whole way, which means no outside investors and no pressure to chase quick revenue. Every feature still answers one test: would I, as a dealer, use this every day? That freedom means we can partner with anyone: platforms, auctions, brands, without political friction.

Momentum kicked in during the Geneva auctions and the Rikketik watch fair last November: over 100 dealers joined the waitlist in one weekend. That’s when we knew it was time to scale. Worldwatch.market is steered by a tight, high-calibre team. I draw on my VintageMasters experience to set the course, while our Head of Product turns rough ideas into smooth, rock-solid features.

Our seasoned developers keep our platform fast and safe. Our dealer-relations manager, with two decades of auction and trading experience, curates and supports the network. A strategic advisor with a vast industry network opens the right doors. And a circle of ambassador-dealers, respected veterans, make sure every release solves real-world problems.

Access to Worldwatch.market is by invitation only. How do you vet and select which retailers are allowed to join?

The goal isn’t just to verify identity, it’s to preserve trust across the board. Access begins with a circle we already trust. From there, we work outward, hand-selecting names from the waitlist. Each applicant is weighed on three things. First, stock mix: vintage versus modern versus independents, we balance the menu so the network stays useful. Second, selling power: volume dealers create liquidity, but smaller specialist boutiques add the rare pieces that keep everyone checking in. Third, geography: we avoid clustering too many of the same profile in one region.

With volume dealers, we always hop on a quick call, not just to verify, but to build a real relationship. The idea is that new dealers log in and instantly see watches they want, and buyers for what they have. That instant value keeps the flywheel turning while preserving the trust that makes the whole system work.

What makes Worldwatch.market different from other platforms in the watch space, and where do you see your unique value?

While some platforms connect dealers to collectors, we focus on making the supply chain behind them faster, cleaner, and more trusted. If those retail platforms are the racetrack, we’re the pit lane. We’re not trying to compete with consumer marketplaces, we’re building the infrastructure that helps them run better.

Here’s how:

• One-click listings: Dealers enter a watch once in WWM, then push it to wherever they sell with a tap.
• Pre-vetted sellers: Everyone on WWM is verified. Platforms and collectors benefit from cleaner, trustworthy listings.
• Faster stock movement: Dealers can sell or trade slow-moving pieces inside WWM, which frees them up to bring better, fresher watches to the public.

So even though most collectors may never log into WWM, they’ll still feel the difference: more watches, listed faster, by dealers who’ve already been screened and organised. The future of the watch market won’t be built through rivalry, it will be built through connection.

What is the core value Worldwatch.market offers retailers right now, and how does it improve their day-to-day business?

Worldwatch.market was built for one reason: to make life easier for the people who keep the watch world moving.

• Most dealers work alone. We give them a community.
• They waste hours making listings. We give them one clean system.
• They wonder who to trust. We verify every member.
• They pay high fees. We charge a fair, flat rate.

Simple tools. Real trust. A stronger community. That’s what we’re building.

Even though Worldwatch.market is B2B, how do collectors ultimately benefit from what you’re building?

Collectors may never log into WWM, but they benefit every time a dealer uses it. Because dealers can trade watches with each other in seconds, new pieces appear on retail sites and in shop windows days, sometimes weeks, sooner. Every seller on WWM is identity-checked, which means the watch in front of you has already passed an extra layer of security, less worry about fakes or shady paperwork. Need something rare? Your local dealer now has a global trusted network at their fingertips and can track it down for you fast.

We also believe we should give something back to the industry when things go well. A portion of every subscription goes to projects that keep watchmaking healthy, like education, apprenticeships, and future talent. So when a dealer uses WWM and you buy a watch that moved through our network, you’re helping the broader watch world thrive.

Faster finds, fairer prices, and a stronger future for the passion; that’s what collectors gain.

As a private collector, can I register today?

No. WWM is strictly for verified watch professionals. That’s where we can deliver the most value, fastest. But if your dealer’s on the platform, you already benefit: faster sourcing, better prices, and a direct line to the global trade.

When you walk past a boutique, you see polished displays, not the hustle happening out back. Worldwatch.market powers that hidden hustle. By helping dealers trade faster, price smarter, and connect behind the scenes, collectors benefit too: watches show up sooner, pricing makes more sense, and trust runs deeper.

We’ve already secured key partnerships with platforms, auction houses, and supply partners, and continue to build quietly with others who share our goal: to improve flow, strengthen trust, and elevate the entire watch market. Collectors and dealers aren’t separate worlds. When one thrives, the other benefits. Worldwatch.market is helping both move forward. Quietly, but with real impact.

More details at worldwatch.market.