What Is GlobalWatchDatabase and How Does It Protect Watch Owners?

Our goal is to create a global watch registration, management and security database that links a watch’s serial number to the legitimate owner’s account. No personal details are required, just a username and email. It’s about the watch, not the owner.

This means a registered watch can remain connected to its ownership record wherever it goes. If a watch is marked ‘Stolen’ on GlobalWatchDatabase and a prospective buyer searches its serial number, they will immediately see its status as ‘Stolen’.

Watch manufacturers maintain their own internal databases, but the pre-owned market is global. If you purchase a watch online, particularly without its original box and papers – and it later turns out to be stolen, you could unknowingly find yourself in possession of stolen property.
That is why carrying out your own due diligence before purchasing a pre-owned watch is so important.

GlobalWatchDatabase is also designed as a watch management platform. Owners and collectors can securely store their watch details, photographs, documentation and other important information in their private account, accessible whenever they need it.
(This can also ad credibility if you decide to sell your watch online too, by attaching the GWD certificate.)

Why Watch Registration Matters

Imagine you are on holiday and your home is burgled. Instead of trying to remember serial numbers or locate paperwork, your watch information is already accessible. You can update its status to Stolen and have the information available for police and insurance purposes.
The same applies if your watch is stolen while travelling. Most people don’t carry their watch paperwork around the world with them.

If you do purchase a watch online, our advice is simple: before buying a pre-owned watch, request the serial number. And if you purchase a brand new watch, register it on GlobalWatchDatabase.com.

We’re also often asked which database is the “best” place to register a new, pre-owned, lost, or stolen watch. Our answer is equally simple: Register it with all the major watch databases.

The more places a stolen serial number is recorded, the greater the chance of it being identified. The watch community needs to work together, from online platforms, insurance companies, watch databases, law enforcement and authorized dealers as well as watch manufacturers.

The global watch market is evolving.

Watch security and ownership need to evolve with it.

That’s what we’re working to achieve at GlobalWatchDatabase.