If you take one look at TikTok and wonder where to even begin, chances are you’re not a member of Generation Z. Zoomers feel completely at home with the platform’s entertaining content, challenges (#dansetiktok) and daft humour (#prank and, better still, #prankchallenge). TikTok also lets “minorities” – who perhaps aren’t – band together, express themselves and show the world they exist. Not forgetting a certain voyeurism and exhibitionism that have come to characterise social media.
It’s no surprise that the platform’s popularity exploded during the Covid pandemic, as a cure for boredom and/or an outlet for creativity. Content is super easy to share, meaning you’ve probably already had a chuckle at a TikTok video without even realising. In 2020 millions of American TikTokers breathed a sigh of relief after the US withdrew its threat to ban the Chinese app on security grounds (and an undercurrent of rivalry between the two superpowers). Which is all very well, but what does any of this have to do with luxury and watchmaking?
Tick-tock TikTok
On TikTok (as on the app’s “older brother”, Instagram) flexing is the done thing. Showing off luxury possessions is de rigueur, including watches, hence the plethora of watch-based content that you’ll find under hashtags such as #watches (1.8 billion views), #luxurywatches (217.3 million views), #watchesformen (13.2 million views), #watchesforwomen (2.1 million views) or #watchesforme (1.1 million views). Predictably, status-symbol brands rake in the most views, with #rolex way out in front (an incredible 3 billion views – look out for the #rolexchallenge), followed by #hublot, #patekphilippe and #audemarspiguet. A word of warning: fake watches slip through the net among this mass of content.
Biding their time
@gucci, @cartier and @louisvuitton are some of the big luxury names using TikTok, though not specifically for their watches. Videos posted by watchmakers are generally similar in tone to the rest of the brand’s corporate communication, although some aren’t afraid to take a more offbeat approach (see below a list of accounts worth following). Others are waiting in the wings: Rolex, Chanel, Chopard, Frederique Constant, Jaeger-LeCoultre and Omega all have an account but have yet to publish anything.
Influencers, ambassadors and boutiques
While watch brands aren’t yet legion on the app, third parties are keeping up a flow of watch-related content. Some are style gurus for whom watches are an important part of any well-curated wardrobe. Brands can also count on influencers and ambassadors to establish their TikTok presence: @sophiafloersch of the Richard Mille Racing Team is one example. It can even be an inside job (looking at you, @urwerkpierre).
Smaller and more agile, with less risk of reputational damage, retailers and resellers have also jumped on the bandwagon and are tik-tokking to their heart’s content.
Our selection of TikTok watch accounts
1. @misterwatches: This Indonesian-born German retailer has amassed 157,000 followers. Recognisable by a jacket stitched with watches and a great sense of fun, he’s everywhere - including at Watches and Wonders where he filmed a series of irreverent videos in the fair’s hallowed aisles. He’s also a fan of GMT Magazine, WorldTempus’s sister publication.
2. @Breitling: Yes! A brand that has clearly got a handle on the platform’s sense of humour. Look out for the #petsonamission dog-meets-watch videos
3. @iwcwatches: The Schaffhausen brand keeps up a coherent as well as quirky presence. Content often stars Kurt Klaus, the brand’s venerable watchmaker, in such unforgettable videos as “Kurt Klaus’ Guide to Partying in Switzerland”.
4. @jacobandco: The watchmaker-jeweller’s spectacular, red-carpet-ready timepieces are guaranteed to please TikTok’s bling brigade. The Jacob&Co official account has a healthy 1.7 million followers.
@forbeswatches also posts extensively about the brand.
5. @wristaficionado: If you prefer a laidback approach to luxury with a high celebrity count, this New York retailer is for you.
6. @giorgiamondani_official: The Italian entrepreneur, publisher and author shares her backstage access to luxury watchmaking. Ancora!
Not forgetting @hublot, @panerai, @mauricelacroix, @swatch, @haulogerie and @wristdistractions, among others.
Need more #inspo? Influencers and collectors have you covered. The #mywatchcollection hashtag is a great place to start. It’ll introduce you to characters such as @thebryantstyle and his various Tudor, Seiko and Movado, or @kevinolearytv who’ll explain, tongue in cheek, why “watch collecting is a horrible disease” and happily test-drive an Omega on one wrist and an Apple Watch on the other, or cutie @alexcosta and his equally handsome array of Rolex, Hublot, Louis Vuitton and Omega.
Of course, with so much fast-changing content, we can only list a selection of what’s on offer, so if you have other favourite TikTok watch accounts, let us know!
