Since Austen Chu and Sean Wong founded Wristcheck in 2020, the duo have been on a mission to revolutionize the secondary watch market with new collectors and a decidedly youthful feel in mind – in fact, over 80 percent of their customers are under 30.
With the help of rapidly advancing technology, the platform aims to rid the market of its lack of transparency, championing safe transactions and clarity on the murky realms of margins. Here, buyers knows what sellers net, and sellers knows what buyers pay – simple but effective. But what’s even more effective in building market trust is having a physical retail presence, bringing a tangible element to connect with an audience who seek community in real life.
This week, Wristcheck took to social media to announce the opening of its third boutique in New York City’s Tribeca. The brand’s first US home, it comes following their inaugural Hong Kong space in 2021 and later Macau Boutique at The Wynn.
Wristcheck said: “it’s a place for the community that made this possible. So come through, talk watches, check out the space… and of course, this is Wristcheck, so you already know we’ve got some serious heat in the vault.”
From the screen to the street, the opening comes as part of a larger trend of online watch communities finding a place IRL. Take Time+Tide’s recent announcement of a second investor-funded New York hub following the success of it’s London haunt.
So what makes this opening unique on the scene? Co-founder Austen Chu explained to Revolution: “Our business model is inherently different in the sense that all the watches that are displayed in our store or on our website are consigned with us by actual owners of those watches.” As a result, Wristcheck is transparent about the fact that it makes 8-12% on each watch sold, whereas its competition buy watches at a lower price, service it and mark it up.
The showroom is open by appointment only for now, and visits can be booked via the Wristcheck website. With over 466K followers on Instagram, we’re sure their doorbell won’t be short of action.
18 Harrison St, New York, NY 10013
Tuesday-Saturday: 11am-7pm