Ebay sign

eBay signs content creation deal with Watchonista Studios

Watchonista has been retained by eBay as a consultant and content provider with a mandate to strengthen its reputation as the world’s biggest trading platform for luxury watches.

Watchonista has been retained by eBay as a consultant and content provider with a mandate to strengthen its reputation as the world’s biggest trading platform for luxury watches.

The deal will see Watchonista Creative Studios, which produces articles, images and video for a number of global watch brands, generating content for eBay and using its influence to promote its service to buyers and sellers in the watch collecting community.

Watchonista has teams in Switzerland and the United States that will work on the content and promotional side of the agreement.

“We are going to use our expertise to help new watch fans with explainers and we are going to be consultants that help position eBay’s latest offerings to brands and the wider watch industry,” says Kyle Snarr, chief marketing officer for Watchonista.

Josh shanks 01
Josh Shanks.

Josh Shanks, USA editor-in-chief, adds: “We all have experiences of buying and selling watches on eBay, and we want to bring those to life in a way that shows how eBay got to where it is today — the largest trading platform in the world for luxury watches. We have authority and passion for eBay. We believe in it.”

eBay first approached Watchonista a year ago with the offer of an advertising-led partnership. That was initially declined, but the conversation developed into the more creative partnership launching today, according to Mr Snarr.

eBay has been working to improve its reputation as a safe space for trading high end timepieces. It launched its Authenticity Guarantee last year, and is following that up with an escrow service that protects people’s money while a transaction is working through.

Tkamdar watchpro
Tirath Kamdar.

Tirath Kamdar, GM of Luxury at eBay, says the Watchonista deal will help to inform newcomers and seasoned collectors about the improvements the organisation is making.

“eBay’s watches category offers collectors and enthusiasts a dynamically unparalleled selection of vintage and new timepieces in terms of its breadth and depth,” Mr Kamdar states.

“With an industry authority like Watchonista as a partner, we’re able to further steep ourselves in the language of collecting, adding to our recently launched @ebaywatches,” he adds.

The agreement with Watchonista comes on top of a year long partnership between eBay and WatchPro that includes a quarterly report on the auction market for luxury watches.

The reports remind the industry that eBay operates within the same ecosystem as venerable houses like Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Phillips but use their global reach and technology to attract brand new watch enthusiasts into the market.

eBay & WatchPro Special Auction Report Vol.2: How 2020 transformed the auction world

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *