Small Watch Retailers Ride $85 Billion Market Wave as Younger Buyers Treat Timepieces as Investments

Online-first model helps independent sellers like Watch Aces capture share of growing luxury watch demand

Mar. 3, 2026 at 9:41pm

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The global watch market, estimated at $85.33 billion in 2025, is drawing in a new generation of buyers who view timepieces less as accessories and more as collectible assets. Smaller online retailers like Watch Aces are positioning themselves to capture a share of that demand, scaling from a family garage to selling across 16 brands including Tissot, Citizen, and Movado. Industry analysts note that the online channel has lowered barriers for smaller players, with e-commerce now accounting for a growing share of global luxury watch sales.

Why it matters

This trend highlights how the rise of e-commerce and changing consumer preferences are disrupting the traditional watch retail landscape. Independent online sellers are gaining ground against department stores and authorized brick-and-mortar dealers, as younger buyers increasingly treat luxury watches as long-term investments rather than just fashion accessories.

The details

Watch Aces, an online retailer operated by Lent Lily LLC, launched in 2017 out of a family garage with five brands and now retails across 16. The company says American consumers wanted a straightforward way to shop for designer watches online from recognized brands like Michael Kors, Fossil, and Tissot. Industry data shows quartz and mechanical watches together held approximately 68.46% of global watch market revenue in 2024, reflecting continued demand for traditional craftsmanship even as smartwatch adoption grows. Watch Aces carries both mechanical and smartwatch categories to serve the full spectrum of consumer preference.

  • The global watch market was estimated at $85.33 billion in 2025.
  • Watch Aces launched in 2017 out of a family garage with five brands.
  • The watch market is projected to reach $191.24 billion by 2035, growing at a CAGR of 8.41%.
  • In the US, the watch segment accounted for roughly $28.1 billion in 2025.

The players

Watch Aces

An online retailer operated by Lent Lily LLC that sells timepieces across 16 internationally recognized brands through an online-first model.

Murat Balci

The CEO of Watch Aces.

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What they’re saying

“We started with five brands out of our garage in 2017 and have since grown to 16. American consumers wanted a straightforward way to shop for designer watches designer watches from recognized brands like Michael Kors, Fossil, Emporio Armani, and Tissot online. We built around that demand, and the growth followed.”

— Murat Balci, CEO of Watch Aces

What’s next

Whether small retailers like Watch Aces can sustain growth alongside industry giants will depend in part on how brand partnerships evolve and whether online-first models can build the kind of long-term customer trust that established dealers have cultivated over decades.

The takeaway

This case highlights how the rise of e-commerce and changing consumer preferences are disrupting the traditional watch retail landscape, with independent online sellers like Watch Aces gaining ground against department stores and authorized brick-and-mortar dealers as younger buyers increasingly treat luxury watches as long-term investments.