Calling yourself a watch enthusiast means knowing everything the watch on your wrist. You can name its model and reference number right off the top of your head. After all, you want to spare yourself the embarrassment of not knowing this on the spot when someone asks, right?
But what about when you see a watch on someone else’s wrist or in an Instagram post or magazine? And what’s that watch’s worth, again? Testing your own watch knowledge is fun, but it sure can be sobering from time to time.
The dial will normally tell you the watch brand and sometimes even its model name. The manufacturer can usually be found beneath the hour marker at 12 o’clock. With any luck, there will also be a clue as to the model above 6 o’clock. This will come in the form of the model name or the movement (e.g., “Automatic”). This is also where you’ll find its water resistance (e.g., “300 m”) or other special features (e.g., Omega’s “Co-Axial” escapement).
You’ll now have a few names and terms that can help you identify the watch you’re looking at. But there’s a catch: Some models come in countless variants and designs, including the popular Rolex Submariner. You’ll always find the same model name on its dial: “Rolex Oyster Perpetual” and “Submariner.” If this is the case and you still want to know exactly which edition you’re looking at, that’s when it’s time to delve deeper.
If you don’t feel like trekking to the jeweler every time you want to identify a watch, you probably rely on the internet. Social media and Google Images can help you get to the bottom of your search. Armed with the brand and model names on the dial and perhaps some of the watch’s features, you’re set to go on Google or Instagram to find the matching images, narrowing them down to the watch you’re searching for. Kind of a pain, right? This is where the Watch Scanner comes into play.
It’s a new feature that requires just a single photo taken on your smartphone to identify the watch you have in front of you (or a picture of it). The tool compares the photo with a database of around 15,000 watches and over a million similar images from more than 6.5 million previous and current listings on Chrono24. Providing you with the brand, model, and reference number, the Watch Scanner also gives you the timepiece’s estimated current market value. Just like with the Watch Collection, this calculation is based on the 460,000 listings on Chrono24.
The Watch Scanner lets watch enthusiasts test their knowledge and makes it easy for every user to find exactly the right watch to purchase. Scan the watch, and you’re one click away from perusing listings for it on Chrono24, adding a watch to your Notepad, and even getting its current market value right on the spot. This is especially helpful if you’re thinking of selling a watch. If you like the value listed, you’ll have your listing on Chrono24 even faster, with the basic information about your watch already filled in for you. How about that for saving time! And in the coming years, the Watch Scanner will continue to “learn” from based on user’s feedback, increasing the number of watches it recognizes in its database. So take on the challenge, and help make the Watch Scanner even better by showing it watches it doesn’t know yet.
Try the Watch Scanner today. The app is available now for iOS and Android.
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