New Online Independent Watch Brand Boutique: Skolorr

Had you asked us a few months ago, “where can I go to buy a Hautlence or DeWitt watch online?” our best reply would have been to email said brand and see what traditional retail paths they send you down. Now enter Skolorr (pronounced “scholar”)—a web portal founded by Sky Sit, the former communications officer and web/direct sales head for Linde Werdelin. And it’s staffed by a team with over a decade of experience dealing with independent watch brands in the luxury realm.

The new site presently includes 20 brands, ranging from Hautlence, DeWitt, and Manufacture Royale whom you’ve read about here, as well as more obscure brands like Akrivia and GoS Watches. Akrivia, in particular, has been garnering international attention in recent months, and will be competing in the Grand Prix D’Horlogerie de Genève this coming November.

Admittedly, there’s often reticence towards new e-commerce portals. But the combination of a reputable and transparent team focused on client relations, combined with the fact that its business model cuts the mid-steps of distribution and brick-and-mortar retail, suggests that we would not be surprised to see this new platform do quite well. Indeed, so many of the Swiss watch industry’s major players have jumped on the e-commerce bandwagon in the last year or two that there was a clear need for a digital marketplace supporting the smaller brands without the same level of resources at hand.

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