- Where to Buy High-End Watches with Cryptocurrency
- 5 Finest Luxury Watch Retailers That Allow Crypto Payments
As digital technology constantly shapes the boundaries of luxury and finance, an interesting, but also somewhat expected convergence emerged in 2021 – the marriage of cryptocurrency and high-end timepieces.
While vendors like CryptoEmporum, Bitdials, and Watchbox were already accepting crypto payments for luxury watches, major brands like Tag Heuer and Breitling also jumped on the bandwagon, skyrocketing this trend.
Today, if you’re looking to swap your crypto for luxury watches, below are our top recommendations you can turn to that can make it happen.
Tag Heuer – Premium Swiss Watchmaker Even Accepts Dogecoin
The avant-garde Swiss watchmaker may have been late to the crypto party, but hey, better late than never!
Last year, they joined the crypto revolution by allowing payments in 12 digital currencies. Frédéric Arnault, Tag Heuer’s CEO, spilled the beans in a video interview in these words: “Crypto payments are one more service we offer our customers… We have already sold a few hundred pieces in cryptocurrency.”
When buying a watch with crypto, Tag Heuer gives you a 15-minute window to seal the deal at a fixed exchange rate. After that, the rate may change to keep up with the ever-changing crypto prices.
Which means you can now purchase the world’s first Swiss smartwatch, TAG Heuer Connected with your DOGE HODLings. Blending the elegance of traditional watchmaking with modern features, connected watches are basically the James Bond of timepieces – elegant, tech-savvy, and always ready for action.
Hublot – Partnerships That Keep On Giving
Who would have thought the rebellious kid on the luxury watch block would become the crypto world’s best friend? While others flaunt their “classic and traditional” looks, Hublot dares to stand out and, sometimes, gets the flake for it.
They teamed up with OSL, the digital asset brokerage pros, way back in 2018. To celebrate Bitcoin’s 10th anniversary, they unleashed a jaw-dropping limited edition 210-piece Big Bang Watch. Back then, you could only snag one with Bitcoin.
Hublot also has a partnership with Ledger, the world’s leading crypto and digital assets platform, which led to a 50-piece limited-edition Big Bang Unico watch integrated with a Ledger Nano X crypto wallet.
Today, you can purchase most of Hublot’s iconic timepieces through its online boutique – thanks to another partnership with BitPay – not only with popular options like Bitcoin and Ethereum but also with meme coins like DOGE and Shiba Inu.
Breitling – Offers an NFT with Each New Watch
Do you know that the original Navitimer 806 Breitling, the one that graced the big screens in the iconic James Bond flick “Thunderball” back in ’65, ended up in the oddest of places – a boot fair – and sold for a mere $33?
Such mysterious circumstances can never befall a Breitling anymore due to the nature of the blockchain. In 2020, Breitling became the world’s first luxury watchmaker to offer Ethereum-based NFT passports for all its upcoming timepieces. Today, NFT passports are available for all Breitling watches produced since 2013.
This proof of ownership protects your piece and unlocks a world of benefits, such as Breitling’s premium services like an online estimation tool and easy tradability with a simple blockchain transaction.
Now, if you’re eyeing that gorgeous Breitling’s Premier B21 Chronograph Tourbillon 42 Willy, you can get it for approximately 2.72 BTC (excluding taxes) at today’s exchange rate.
CryptoEmporium – One-Stop Shop for 17 Luxury Watch Brands
Often dubbed the best place to spend your satoshis, Crypto Emporium is an e-commerce store allowing users to make their online shopping crypto-enabled. It serves over 125 countries (including the USA), so essentially, it’s a crypto version of Amazon. Here you can get your hands on anything you can think of, clothes, perfumes, cars, even properties, hardware like gaming consoles or software like game licenses, and even handhelds like Nintendo Switch, so you can have something to play with during your lunch break.
Within the luxury watch category, Crypto Emporium also features, you guessed it, exclusive watch brands like Phillippe, Omega, Cartier, Rolex, and Panerai, to name a few. It’s a particularly great place to shop for Rolex watches because it offers 20% rewards boost for every Rolex purchase.
If you don’t want to splurge, the platform also boasts an impressive collection of pre-owned luxury timepieces, so you can have your cake and eat it, too.
What truly fascinated me is its impeccable organization. Tidiness reigns supreme as you can filter your search based on Country of Origin, Brand, Condition, Papers Availability, and Price. Each item is properly labeled with a price tag in BTC – leaving no room for confusion about the exchange rate. Unlike many brand shops that convert the price to BTC (or crypto) during checkout, Crypto Emporium keeps it simple and transparent.
BitDials – World’s First Crypto-Only Luxury Marketplace
BitDials stands out as a pioneer in the luxury e-commerce industry. Established in 2016, it emerged at a time when online crypto stores were virtually non-existent.
Their collection of luxury watches is even bigger than Crypto Emporium, boasting 39 prestigious watch brands from across the globe. You can filter and sort pieces alphabetically by availability, brand, and material. Another fact that sets BitDials apart is their credibility. The marketplace enjoys an enviable 4.8 rating on Trustpilot.
Bitcoin remains the primary currency displayed, but you can also shop with Ethereum, Litecoin, and even less common options like Monero and Z-cash.
However, there’s a reason I positioned it fifth on my list. Despite a vast catalog of over 1800 watches, only a fraction of them – around 250 – are actually available for purchase (luckily, their best-selling Rolex GMT-MASTER II “PEPSI” is still up for grabs). This limitation makes finding a suitable watch somewhat challenging
