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“I am as real as they get as I will always speak the truth,” thunders Nico Leonard van der Horst towards the end of a 16-minute YouTube video in which he ranks watch brands such as Cartier and Hublot on a scale that includes “God-Tier” and “Meh”. Since it was posted at the end of last year, the video has been watched by 1.4 million people, liked by 41,000 and has over 4,000 comments.
The ranking video, which Van Der Horst produces annually, is typical of his brash and entertaining style of video — speaking to camera, swearing, writing styles off as “useless” and “ridiculous”, and calling out watch brands’ claims. Such a video could not be more antithetical to the polished elegance portrayed by luxury watchmakers in their campaigns. Yet, it is one of many that are proliferating on YouTube, shedding light on niche brands, driving sales and reaching new audiences with their emphasis on truth telling. YouTube has become a force in watch retailing, despite its lack of polish.
In an industry in which five brands — Rolex, Cartier, Omega, Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe — hold 54 per cent of the market share, according to the latest report by Morgan Stanley, there is fierce competition among smaller players to emerge. The most common way for brands to work with YouTube content creators is to send them watches to review — accepting the risk of a roasting in return for the enhanced brand awareness. Occasionally, brands sponsor content — covering the production costs or paying the creator — but more often, YouTubers prefer to remain neutral.
YouTube has a high penetration across all age groups: 95 per cent among 18 to 29-year-olds, 91 per cent among 30-49-year-olds and 83 per cent among 50-64-year olds in the US, according to American think tank Pew Research Centre. YouTube’s younger audience is a big draw for luxury players looking to attract the next generation of consumers. Around 95 per cent of teenagers in the US use YouTube, versus 67 per cent who use TikTok and 62 per cent Instagram, per Pew Research Centre. Generally, video has taken off across social media: Instagram has been investing in short-form video, to compete with TikTok and in response to the changing ways younger generations consume information, shop and interact on social media. YouTube has also offered up a short-form video format, YouTube Shorts, which has been gaining traction among fashion and beauty creators.
However, it is YouTube’s original, longer-form video format that seems to suit timepieces. “Watches are highly detailed, and the visual medium of video allows us to appreciate the craftsmanship, quality of materials and tiny design elements,” says Olivier Billon, founder and CEO of global influencer marketing agency Ykone, which has created campaigns for the likes of Cartier, Chopard and Omega. “Mechanical watches, in particular, come with a wealth of information about their working and history, and YouTube allows for in-depth discussions,” Billon adds.
“Instagram lacks detail, TikTok lacks the community and engagement elements, but YouTube is the place for analysis in medium-length content,” agrees Adrian Barker, who has 276,000 subscribers on his eponymous watch review YouTube channel.
Unlike Instagram, where influencers monetise their content by collaborating with brands, YouTube shares a portion of its advertising revenue with content creators (about $0.18 per 1,000 views), which proponents say fosters more authenticity. This can be an advantage in terms of building loyal communities, but poses a risk for luxury brands. Barker, for example, points out that he can openly express his opinion that the Hublot Classic Fusion is “overpriced” at £10,400, and suggest a Tudor diver watch for £3,000 or a Grand Seiko Snowflake for £5,400 as cheaper alternatives.
“If someone takes the time to watch a 10-15 minute video, it is because they find it genuine, and they become more engaged,” says Justin Hast, a watch-focused content creator across YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. He believes that YouTube creates intimacy and trust. Hast says his YouTube channel has the highest engagement in terms of comments and private messages, and he has received thank you notes from people who have discovered a new watch or accessory through the channel.
Being strategic
Established brands are also exploring the YouTube opportunity. Swiss luxury watchmaker Piaget has collaborated in various ways with YouTubers such as Time + Tide (99,300 subscribers) and Capital Laura (2,420 subscribers). Partnerships include producing sponsored content such as a virtual tour of its workshop in Plan-les-Ouates on the outskirts of Geneva. “YouTube is fully part of our media strategy,” says Fatti Laleh, global director of image and communication, explaining that it helps to raise awareness of product launches among new audiences.
At the Geneva office of global auction house Phillips, the watches on sale are not only presented in a classic catalogue but also on YouTube. Arthur Touchot, international head of digital strategy at Phillips, says the primary purpose of the videos is to educate and grow its audience. He says they have observed a positive effect on sales, too, though it can be hard to properly track the customer journey. Among Phillips’s most successful videos is one in which actor Sylvester Stallone presented five of the watches he was auctioning, which was watched by over one million people (Phillips sYouTube channel counts 12,800 subscribers). “Mr Stallone is not a watch expert, but he was adding the emotional element,” Touchot says.
Some brands have tried to capture the YouTube audience with their own channels. Bulgari has a dedicated section for watches within its branded YouTube channel, which overall has 210,000 subscribers. In it, the creative director of Bulgari Watches, Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani, personally introduces the new super-tiny movement Piccolissimo, or a new model of Octo Finissimo, one of the brand’s most successful designs, from the initial sketch guiding the viewer through the assembling of the machine until the final product.
Still, the value of YouTube is in seeding to creators who can drive sales among their own communities. “One day, we noticed that we were selling a lot of watches in South Korea without knowing why. So, we tracked the traffic and saw that it was coming from the Korean YouTube channel Watchvillain (77,300 subscribers),” says Guillaume Laidet, who leads the relaunched watch brands Nivada Grenchen and Vulcain and the newly launched Argon. The brand had sent Watchvillian the Nivada Grenchen Super Antarctica (retailing for $750 on its website) to review; 100 pieces sold on the day the video was published.
Piaget’s Laleh doesn t see the rawness of some YouTube reviews and videos as off-putting: “Anything helps [to raise awareness], and it is very refreshing,” she says, noting that the audience picks and chooses according to their taste. But Oliver Müller, founder of the consultancy LuxeConsult and one of the authors of the Morgan Stanley report on watches, warns that the online space is full of self-appointed “experts”. He advises brands to be careful when choosing who to collaborate with: “Brands have to think about adding value and think long term.”
Van der Horst credits YouTube for the 500 per cent growth of his watch resale website Pride Pinion since the beginning of the pandemic. “[YouTube] creates new watch buyers, and we capitalise on these,” he says. “If you are serious about buying an expensive product, you want to be properly informed, and that is not done with a photo on Instagram and a two-line caption or even a written article. The best way to communicate that and the most successful way is video. So, YouTube is the answer.”
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