The advent of social media has transformed marketing strategies, particularly in the luxury sector. However, among the many facets of luxury, the watch industry has been slower to adapt. Before 2020, many top watch brands like Patek Philippe and Rolex didn’t even have e-commerce platforms to sell their watches online, let alone put much emphasis on digital platforms outside traditional media like Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube.
The pandemic marked a significant shift in the relationship between the luxury watch industry and the digital medium. With the shutdown of brick-and-mortar operations, in-person events, and industry tradeshows, brands had no choice but to go online to sell their wares and stay connected to their clientele. This shift ultimately spurred the rise of watch influencers across social media platforms. Here, we dive into their evolution and some key insights from four leading watch influencers.
Early Growth on Social Platforms
It’s essential to look at two camps of influencers that rose from the shifting landscape of the luxury watch industry during the pandemic. Because the production of new watches largely stopped and the secondary market experienced a massive boom, many collectors became dealers, aiming to capitalize on record-high resale values. Social media platforms like Instagram became a ripe scene for sales. However, this hindered progress for more established luxury watch influencers.
“Social media is relatively new ground, and with that, there’s a certain amount of risk, especially with influencers who rose to fame overnight,” explains Tristano Veneto, aka “TGV”), founder of The Urban Gentry, a YouTube channel created more than a decade ago with nearly 600K subscribers. “Luxury watch brands have naturally been slow to adapt to social media because of this,” he continues. “The risk was made worse with the flipping and dealing hype during the pandemic.”
These flippers and so-called influencers have primarily come and gone as the market has normalized and the secondary market has passed its peak. Alternatively, the key group to look at is the one with staying power. This population of influencers queued in on the expanding presence of brands and collectors in the digital space. In addition to the pandemic effectively requiring brands to build their online presence to stay relevant, the movement also brought droves of old and new watch lovers into the digital realm.
The Power of the Digital Community
Before the pandemic, the opportunities for the community in the watch space were more exclusive and insular, from formal industry events and tradeshows to more casual collector meetups. These occasions were primarily invite-only and reserved for members of the industry or collectors who’d earned their place in the inner circle of the watch world. With the constraints of physical gatekeeping removed in the digital space, a new universe opened to enthusiasts of all levels of interest, knowledge, and socioeconomic standing. Online, the watch industry isn’t just for a select few—it’s for everyone.
“The luxury watch space has historically been dominated by affluent men,” confirms Lydia Winters, co-founder of This Watch Life podcast and the Instagram account @LydiasWatches, which clocks more than 15k followers. “But influencers are bringing more diversity and joy into the world of watches. My aim with anything I create is to be open, be inclusive, and show how fun watches and watch collecting can be for everyone.”
Key individuals like Lydia have tapped into the watch industry’s potential to reach a broader audience and seized it as an opportunity to educate and welcome both newcomers and veterans into the watch space.
“My goal—and what I believe many other creators are doing—is to lower the barrier to entry for collecting,” agrees Georgia Benjamin of her namesake Instagram @GeorgiaBenj with nearly 19k followers. “The idea that watches are only for the wealthy or those with family heirlooms is outdated,” she continues. “I’m here to educate people about the history and magical romance of watches while showing how they can be accessible and an extension of personal style. Watches have shifted from symbols of status to expressions of individuality, and influencers lead that charge by sharing their unique perspectives.”
Making Waves: The Impact of Social Media Influencers
This approach of harnessing more diversity, individuality, inclusivity, and openness has caused a few key shifts. First, it’s helped bridge the gap between the industry’s long-standing core demographic (Boomers/Gen X) and the up-and-coming generation of budding collectors (Millennials/Gen Z).
“I believe social media influencers, and more specifically video content creators, are the future of the watch industry, particularly when it comes to capturing a younger generation of collectors,” asserts Ben Cook, Co-Host of the podcast Wrist Enthusiast Radio and founder of the popular TikTok and Instagram accounts @BensWatches, both of which have amassed more than 155K followers. “Just look at the statistics,” he shares, “58% of Gen Z consumers report having purchased something they saw on social media (5WPR), 71% of Gen Z reports they discover new products on social media (Hubspot), and 58% of Gen Z consumers report having bought something off a recommendation of an influencer (Survey Monkey).”
Another key shift worth examining is the relationship between social media influencers and the prevalence of hype watches in the primary and secondary markets—a trend that’s a bit more polarizing.
“I fundamentally believe watches should be purchased for function, enjoyment, meaning, and style—collected as art, not as commodities for short-sighted profit. If they hold or gain value, that’s just a bonus,” clarifies TGV. “The influencers who understand this will continue to shape and be the future of this watch culture online.”
Lastly, the rise of social media influencers in the watch space has given both traditional media and brand ambassadors a run for their money, as some watchmakers are witnessing the power of influencer marketing on their bottom line.
“Social media influencers are shaping the culture of luxury watches hugely,” affirms Winters. “An influencer feels more like a friend giving you a recommendation, and that’s weighted differently from a major publication or celebrity telling you to like or buy something.” TGV agrees: “Connecting the right brand with the right type of influencer and audience can make or break a product. Today, this can be achieved for far less investment than traditional marketing like celebrity ambassadors or billboards,” he adds.
However, this isn’t entirely true across the board, and the watch industry still has a way to go before fully embracing this new culture in the social media universe.
“The automotive industry is putting a heavy emphasis on influencers, fragrances are dominating TikTok, fashion trends are getting driven by Instagram—these industries understand how important social media is, and they’re doing well in areas where the watch industry is falling short,” explains Cook. “I got my start on TikTok, and even with over 100k followers, I never heard from any of the watch companies I was talking about,” he confesses. “It wasn’t until I expanded to Instagram that watch brands started taking notice.”
“As we’re expanding beyond the old ways of traditional advertising and print media, the difficulty comes when brands attempt to control or expect the same methods of coverage as before, while balancing the expectations of an actively engaged audience unlike before,” TGV explains. “Sharing my real, independent opinions with my audience is at the core of why I make watch content, and thankfully, more brands are warming to this approach on social media and beginning to understand that the quality of the content is more important than just numbers of subscribers or views.”
