Introduction

Watchmaking is a craft that’s meant to be felt, above all else. From the delicate touch of a watchmaker’s tweezers to the exquisite heft of a watch held loosely in-hand, the experience of a watch is something you need to have in person as much as possible all the way down the line of production from assembly to purchase.

Or at least, that’s the ideal. But if you’re like me, that’s not so much an option. Personally, I’m in a bit of watchmaking landlock (it’s over 200 miles to the nearest dedicated watch store). Some of us, however unfortunate it may be, must resort to looking for our next dream watch online.

If you’re in the same boat, we might as well swap notes. Let’s walk through the best places to find watches online, as well as what you should be looking for and keeping in mind as you go. It may not be ideal, but you can still find your next dream piece online if you approach it properly.

What to Know for Buying Watches Online

Buying watches online is a more difficult process than you might think. Don’t get me wrong, it’s the easiest thing in the world to fork over a couple hundred (or thousand) dollars to a website online and hope and pray that you get a watch in the next few days that is both authentic and looks remotely like the pictures in the listing.

But if you’re not into the idea of paying for an authentic watch and getting a fake… you might want to handle it more carefully.

One of the first things you’ll want to look at is if the website you’re buying from is an authorized dealer. This should be pretty apparent on their website and should be clearly expressed.

If it’s not, chances are they’re not getting their stock directly from the watchmaker. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, per se, but it does increase the risk a little bit when you move from the white market (authorized dealers) to the gray (secondhand).

If you’re looking at a watch from a well-known authorized dealer, you’re golden. No more research needed!

However, let’s say you’re taking a look at something a little more risky, like eBay. With so many sellers who clearly aren’t selling directly from the company, you’ve got quite a bit more to consider.

First, how are the pictures? If all the images are grainy and unclear, it’s likely that either the seller is extremely inexperienced (red flag) or trying to hide something related to the watch’s condition or authenticity (major red flag). Unless you’ve got a very experienced eye, you’ll want to skip over anything in this category. 

Next, how experienced is the seller? Is the watch listed on a website that’s been around for a while or by an eBay seller who has a lot of positive ratings? Are the pictures professional and clean-looking? These are all significant green flags that make any watch listing far more attractive.

After looking at the pictures and the seller’s experience, be sure to actually read the listing and all provided information about the watch.

A professional dealer will include notes about the watch’s condition and anything else you should be aware of like its provenance. The absence of any of these details can be a red flag, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for every little detail.

The 15 Best Places to Buy Watches Online

Okay, with that breakdown complete, let’s get into the list! I’ll be evaluating each of these dealers and websites according to the same criteria that I said you should be paying attention to earlier.

Let me also note that these are in no particular order, since each site will have its pros and cons and many will also have entirely different selections and focuses. As such, make sure you stick around to the end to make sure you’ve found all the best options for your future watch shopping!

Exquisite Timepieces

How could I start anywhere else? Your favorite watch dealer and blog is a great place to buy your next luxury watch, and you’re even already on our website reading this anyways.

ETP is a full authorized dealer for over 60 brands, so you know that you’re getting perfectly authentic and brand-new watches.

Their catalog is well-developed and well-suited to match the tastes of any collector, from smaller independent brands like Atelier Wen and GoS to many of the largest brands like Tudor and Omega.

On top of the extremely extensive authorized catalog, ETP also features an extensive pre-owned section with fully authenticated watches from even more brands than are offered new to sale.

It only takes a moment of looking through the pre-owned catalog for any experienced collector to realize just how extensive and reasonably-priced it is.

I know I write this with not a little bit of bias, and you might be rolling your eyes at my glowing praise of what I consider to be the finest watch dealer out there, but I encourage you to take a look through ETP’s website for yourself to examine it based on the criteria I set forth earlier. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.

eBay

After ETP, I want to get this one out of the way. eBay is a bit of a controversial home for watch selling. Anyone can list almost anything, which means eBay abounds with fakes, homages, and poorly-running watches.

That said, if you’re willing to brave the dangers, you can get some pretty high-quality watches, and especially lovely vintage pieces. More than anywhere else, you’ll want to examine each listing carefully.

The old adage “buy the seller” is king: find experienced sellers with lots of positive ratings and who primarily sell watches, and you should be safe. eBay’s new Authenticity Guarantee also comes in handy, but it’s notably had some flaws and you won’t want to rely on that alone.

If you handle it well, eBay is one of the best places to buy older watches. It’s okay for new stuff too, but there’s such a high volume of watches that pass through eBay that almost anything will turn up eventually if you set a saved search for it. Just be careful! It’s a world of fakes and scams out there.

Watches of Switzerland

With Watches of Switzerland, we’re safely out of the risky secondhand world of eBay once more and back firmly ensconced into the realm of authorized dealers. WOS is definitely one of the finest in this category, if size and scope are any measure of quality and success (they are).

They’ve got over 50 brands ranging from affordable (Tissot, Tudor) to ultra-high-end (Bovet, HYT, Patek Philippe). Notably, WOS also features quite a few brands that you’ll have a hard time finding anywhere else, like MB&F, William Wood, and ID Genève.

Notably, WOS also claims to have the largest selection of vintage and pre-owned anywhere on the web. That’s nothing to sneeze at, and they back it up with listings for some of the greatest watches of all time like a Cartier Crash and Patek Philippe Calatrava Cloisonné.

Each one of these watches is thoroughly authenticated and also comes with a two-year warranty. It’s definitely one of the very best options out there for both vintage and new.

Chrono24

Chrono24 is a massive marketplace for luxury watches, featuring over 9 million users every single month and a not-insignificant 4.8/5 score on TrustPilot. Like eBay, Chrono24 features watches sold by their owners, but it’s a much safer place to both buy and sell.

As a buyer, payment is only transferred 14 days after you actually receive the watch to both ensure that 1) you get the chance to see it in person and 2) you actually even get a watch at all before the seller gets their due. If anything isn’t as it was described in the listing, you can send it back.

That’s a serious level of protection, and it helps to make Chrono24 one of the most trusted places to buy and sell watches that aren’t directly from a dealer.

Think of it like eBay, but safer. Plus, their 22 years of experience speak most eloquently of all to the safety and trust behind this program. It’s hard to ask for anything more than that!

Teddy Baldassarre

Teddy Baldassarre is the eponymous creation of its founder, an independent watch influencer who has over time grown his company into a massive community with both a well-respected blog.

Today, TEDDY is an authorized dealer for over 40 brands that has also retained a huge social media presence (over 2 million followers!). One of the strongest impressions I have from scouring the website is that it’s one of the most beginner-friendly ways to buy a watch.

There’s always a real person waiting to act as a virtual assistant if you have any questions, and their catalog features quite a few quality entry-level brands like Bulova, DOXA, and Frederique Constant.

That said, there’s still a significant place given to very high-quality watches on the website with brands like Zenith, Omega, and Grand Seiko. It’s a great place to get into watches and a great place to get your hands on any number of curated and affordable pieces that are just begging for a place in your collection.

Pride & Pinion

For the brainchild of YouTube’s most aggressive watch dealer, Nico Leonard, Pride & Pinion is a surprisingly low-key way to buy a watch. Their website is clean and modern, without overly trying to sell you things while still being sure to bring some of their best watches to your attention.

Interestingly, they’re only authorized dealers for four watch brands. In a sense, you could argue that this helps them branch out more into anything and everything that catches the eye of their curating team.

Regardless, you can rest assured that everything they offer has been thoroughly authenticated by the experts running the place, and there’s also a 14-day window to request a return after receiving your watch if everything isn’t quite as you’d hoped.

In terms of the catalog and offerings, there are some seriously spectacular watches available for sale here, from a Richard Mille GMT Flyback Chronograph to a stunning rose gold Patek Philippe Nautilus, and not a few vintage options thrown into the mix just for kicks.

The pictures are professional and comprehensive, and everything about the website instills a great sense of confidence in finding your next timepiece. It’s definitely one of the best options out there!

The 1916 Company

Formerly known as WatchBox, The 1916 Company is another one of the most well-known and well-trusted dealers in the watch market today.

They’ve got 31 authorized brands, and that number includes a large proportion of the very finest ones out there, like Cartier, Breguet, Grand Seiko, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Omega, and more. In particular, you should note the presence of De Bethune in their catalog.

As a smaller brand, De Bethune isn’t commonly offered by dealers. Significantly, The 1916 Company doesn’t just sell their watches but actually owns a controlling stake in De Bethune, so they put some serious priority behind each of their available watches.

That’s just a little side note, but you’ll definitely want to come here to purchase any De Bethune you might have your eyes on.

With sales for both new and pre-owned watches and excellent high-quality pictures from every angle for each listing, you’ve got all the boxes checked and this dealer passes with flying colors.

It’s just another one of those dealers that’s just great. Nothing too much in particular that stands out for me to comment on, because they’re at the top of their game and doing everything right. A+!

The Hour Glass

Based out of Singapore, The Hour Glass has far and away one of the very best-curated catalogs of watches I’ve ever seen. Independent brands like Akrivia, Daniel Roth, Krayon, and Sarpaneva rub shoulders with industry giants like Ulysse Nardin, TAG Heuer, Omega, Panerai, and Rolex.

And honestly, that in itself is insane. Almost every other dealer you’ll see leans hard one way or the other on the spectrum of brand size. It’s either all microbrands or all giant companies—there’s rarely any in-between. That’s a line that The Hour Glass straddles perfectly.

Their curated catalogs for both F.P. Journe and BVLGARI exist alongside each other, each one complementing the other without feeling like either is underrepresented. And the same is true for each of its brands.

It’s hard to imagine a more perfectly balanced catalog steeped in the intricacies of watch collecting than the one offered to any discerning collector by The Hour Glass.

Watchfinder & Co

Thanks to its founding date in 2002, Watchfinder & Co is one of the more long-running retailers out there, and its experience shows. Like Chrono24, anyone can buy or sell on Watchfinder, so they primarily target pre-owned watches.

Unlike Chrono24, everything is mediated directly through Watchfinder—you’re not buying from the seller, you’re buying it from Watchfinder after they’ve bought it from them.

Every listing is adorned with high-quality images, and even better than that, each watch is inspected by certified watchmakers to determine its condition and performance. Plus, the whole operation is owned by Richemont, the conglomerate behind brands like IWC and Cartier, so you can be confident that it’s authentic, well-funded, and here to stay.

Ahmed Seddiqi

As the most renowned retailer in the UAE, Ahmed Seddiqi’s 75 years of experience and steady growth from a single store put it firmly in a class of its own.

In fact, it’s a bit of an understatement to just call them a retailer: Ahmed Seddiqi is also the powerhouse behind Dubai Watch Week, an extremely popular event frequented by collectors and prestigious watchmakers alike.

Their catalog is just as you’d expect from such a prestigious and renowned retailer: 82 brands from Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet to Greubel Forsey and Konstantin Chaykin provide a look into what’s important to Ahmed Seddiqi. That is to say, everything.

That’s exactly the type of collector who fits in well here. The one who approaches watches with a sort of wide-eyed admiration and appreciation even as he or she picks at fine details and unpacks the nuance of every choice made. I don’t know about you, but that’s exactly the type of passion for watches that I admire most.

Auction Houses

The best watch auction houses out there might not be retailers like all the other options on this list, but they are still some of the best places to buy watches online.

Thanks to the wide diversity of auction houses and their material, you can get your hands both on more affordable watches at great prices as well as ultra grail watches that hardly ever come to market.

If you’re the type of collector who’s got your eye on a “Paul Newman” Rolex Daytona, for example, there’s no better place to look than the catalog of Christie’s, Phillips, or Sotheby’s. For more affordable pre-owned watches, check out Jones & Horan, Bonham’s, and Fontaine’s, among others.

Plus, if you’re the type of nerd (like me) who loves to check out retailers just to see what the best stuff on the market is, there’s no better place to do that than past auction listings. Everything passes through their hands, so who knows? You just might find your next grail without even looking for it.

Bob’s Watches

Founded in 1999 as an online-only retailer for watches, with a special focus on Rolex, Bob’s Watches is one of the best places to buy preowned watches with absolute confidence in their authenticity and price.

Every watch they offer is certified by Watch Certification Services of America, the leading database and authority for identifying stolen and fake watches.

Their list of brands, admittedly, is somewhat more restrained than most of the others—just 11 options are featured, but Bob’s hits all the big names like Rolex, Cartier, and Patek so you’ll almost certainly be able to find what you’re looking for.

Plus, if you’re not quite sure what you’re looking at or whether the you’re interested in is a good purchase, they’ve got a huge list of resources to help you break down everything from the model’s history to its comparison to other watches to even its care after you buy it. Now that is a comprehensive buying experience!

Bucherer/Tourneau

I’ve made quite a big deal about experience thus far in the article. After all, it is one of the best indicators of quality and enduring appeal in this industry.

But just about every other brand here is absolutely blown out of the water by Bucherer in that regard, thanks to its founding date of 1888.

As a Swiss brand with over 66 stores worldwide, you’ve got a clear and globe-spanning emphasis on luxury and hospitality, but it doesn’t stop there.

Bucherer also bought Tourneau, an American company born in 1900, in 2018, adding to its portfolio of timeless experience.

It was itself then bought by Rolex in 2023, so all that experience now has the big guns of the world’s largest watchmaking company behind it.

Featuring 40 brands, Bucherer and Tourneau offer a wide selection of watches from the finest maisons, and pair it with an extensive and fully certified pre-owned program.

No need to verify everything here, as Bucherer can certainly be trusted, but there are still extensive pictures of each watch so you can get a great look at each one’s quality. You can tell they’ve had 137 years to get it right, and at this point, it’s just about perfect.

Lunar Oyster

Lunar Oyster is a much lesser-known retailer focused on offering you the very finest vintage and pre-owned watches imaginable.

This is, in my opinion, the perfect place to go for any discerning vintage collector with a deep pocketbook. Do yourself a favor and take a look through their listings: everything is perfectly calculated to have you drooling.

They’ve got everything from a 1958 Omega Ranchero to an unpolished 1993 Rolex Daytona to independent offerings like F.P. Journe, Urban Jurgensen, Laurent Ferrier, and Roger W. Smith.

There are no authorized dealer agreements here, admittedly, but you can buy with extreme confidence thanks to the gorgeous and high-definition photography that accompanies each listing. Seriously, you could frame some of these pictures on your wall.

It’s clear that these watches are offered by a talented expert, as the images not only feature the important parts of the watch like the dial and caseback but also show all of the hallmarks and any slight blemishes with clarity, so you know exactly what you’re getting. Vintage at its finest!

Analog/Shift

If anyone could give Lunar Oyster a run for their money, it’s these guys. Where the former, as a small company, is forced to focus on a small, carefully curated selection of exquisite vintage watches, Analog/Shift has created a shockingly extensive catalog of vintage watches in nearly perfect condition from a wide variety of brands.

There’s also something for every budget here, which will make your wallet just as happy as you are—try, for example, their current listing for a Bulova Accutron in perfect shape at just $995, or a quirky Universal Genève “Bathtub” for just shy of $2,000.

Their images are extensive and highly professional, capturing each watch in a variety of lights and angles, and each one is accompanied with a brief but thorough description of the model’s history. For curated vintage watches all across the price spectrum, Analog/Shift is the place to go.

Conclusion

Whatever you’re looking for, whether new or vintage, pre-owned or untouched, there’s a retailer out there to meet your needs.

Each one has their own advantages and their own specialties, so whether you’re searching for a great deal on a Certified Pre-Owned Rolex or for an antique Breguet triple calendar, one of these retailers will suit you just fine. Happy hunting!