China’s second larget e-commerce platform, JD.com, has officially launched a new alliance with more than a dozen of its international watch brands, including new partner Chopard (which opened an online flagship store on JD.com in August), as well as Tag Heuer, Zenith, and others. The announcement came two days before the site’s ‘Super Watch Day’ last Friday, which provided customers with exclusive deals through the website’s app.

Tag Heuer opened its first e-commerce flagship store in China on JD.com in 2015. Other notable watch brands on JD.com include IWC, Longines, Nomos, Omega, Tudor, and Baume & Mercier.

E-commerce is huge business in China but luxury watch brands, wary of intellectual property issues and brand image, have had to be wooed by online platforms. According to digital intelligence firm L2, some 60% of watch and jewellery brands currently have some sort of e-commerce presence in mainland China.

JD.com has managed to convince brands to partner with it through strict policies about counterfeit goods and services such as a new luxury product oriented ‘white glove service’ that personalises luxury watch (and jewellery) delivery courtesy of a black-tied courier service direct to the customer.

Categories: Baume & Mercier, Chopard, E-commerce, Industry news, Longines, News, Omega, TAG Heuer, Tudor, watches, Zenith