>SHOP

keep my inbox inspiring

Sign up to our monthly newsletter for exclusive news and trends

Follow us on all channels

Start following us for more content, inspiration, news, trends and more

Top 5 luxury watch brands on TikTok
Trend Forecaster

Top 5 luxury watch brands on TikTok

Tuesday, 14 April 2020
close
Hope Frost

Read More

CLOSE
3 min read

As TikTok’s popularity grows, watch fans are increasingly using the platform to show off their collection. We take a look at which brands are getting the most views, and what the videos are about.

TikTok is a fast-growing platform, enticing users with an endless scroll of videos lasting between 15 and 60 seconds each. While brands are still getting to grips with the most effective way to utilise these short formats, at 1.5 billion downloads TikTok is clearly an aspect of social media they can’t ignore, particularly when seeking to tap into a younger demographic: 43% of the platform’s users are aged 16 to 24.

A word of caution: as on any other social media, not all the watches featured on TikTok are authentic. We spotted a number of fakes when preparing this survey. Having an authentic presence is one way brands can counter this problem.

Having searched the hashtags for each of our partner brands, here are the top 5 with the most views. Figures correspond to the total number of times the videos that use the hashtags have been viewed.

Rolex – 375.2M

With hundreds of millions more views in the hashtag, Rolex was disproportionately popular compared with other brands. This could be because most TikTok videos are set to music and there are so many songs with Rolex in the name. Users are also posting videos of themselves dancing to an Ayo & Tayo song, and labelling them #RolexChallenge. Strong brand awareness means Rolex is popular across every demographic, including the younger age range that makes up the majority of TikTok users. Using social listening tools, we found that 32.4% of Rolex mentions online come from 18-24 year-olds, who are also the most active on TikTok.

Hublot – 17M

Using social listening tools, we found that 62% of mentions of Hublot on social media are by 18-24 year-olds. While some videos are posted by individuals who use the platform to present a watch collection that includes Hublot, most videos are a pretext to flash a diamond-studded Hublot to music. This aligns with a major culture for creating TikTok videos showing off expensive possessions.

Patek Philippe – 7M

Patek is another brand that’s popular on social media in general. As previously, some videos focus on gem-set watches and more elaborate designs. However, an equal number of posts feature classic designs and show close-ups of the movement. This suggests that Patek owners are more serious collectors and, while the brand is less talked-about on TikTok than Rolex or Hublot, content comes from genuine watch fans.

Richard Mille – 6.5M

A lot of the posts in this hashtag are lifestyle-based, showing Richard Mille watches as part of an outfit or paired with a luxury car. There is also a far greater emphasis on the value of the watch: many of the posts quote the price in a caption or in text. These videos are similar in tone to those for Hublot watches, focusing heavily on the status-symbol factor.

Audemars Piguet – 5.8M

Almost all the posts in this hashtag are close-ups of the watches with far greater diversity in terms of design. While this hashtag does feature bling for the sake of bling, the overall emphasis is nonetheless on the watch and the design, with users adding captions inviting others to share their opinion. Fans of the brand on TikTok, which includes a younger demographic, appear to be more interested in the dial, movement and design than the price of the watch.

Back to Top