Chrono24 now insures watches bought on its marketplace at their current market value, set on the day of a claim, up to €25,000 including VAT.
Key Highlights
- Chrono24 Watch Insurance, run with XCover.com, covers a watch bought on Chrono24 at its current market value, up to €25,000 or £25,000 including VAT.
- Two packages, Damage and Damage & Theft, both settled without a deductible.
- Offered from launch to residents of the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain, with further markets to follow.
- Cover applies in the owner’s country of residence and worldwide on journeys of up to 183 consecutive days.
The Question of Insured Value
Insuring a fine watch has always turned on a single figure: what the watch is worth. Retail price, secondary-market value and replacement cost can sit far apart, particularly for discontinued, rare or highly sought-after references, and each of them moves over time. An owner who insures at the purchase price may see the cover trail the market; one who insures generously pays a premium on a value above the market. Home contents policies, as Chrono24 observes, often cover watches only up to a set amount.
Chrono24’s response, announced on 23 October 2026 and reported by WatchPro, is a policy attached to one specific watch and named on its certificate, with the insured value established at the moment a claim is reported. For the marketplace, it extends a relationship that already runs from purchase and insured delivery to the Watch Collection, the digital inventory in which owners follow their pieces.
“Another step toward making it simpler and safer to buy and own a watch.”
Tom Beitschall, General Manager EMEA, Chrono24
How the Market Value Is Set
According to the Chrono24 help pages, the market value is the price the watch would achieve on Chrono24. XCover.com determines it from actual sales and listing prices of comparable watches on the platform, of the same brand, model, condition and rarity, at the time the claim is reported. Where the market value remains undetermined, the original purchase price applies. In every case the ceiling is €25,000 including VAT.
Cover therefore follows the value of the watch in both directions, without any adjustment by the owner. A reference that appreciates after purchase is insured at its new level, within the limit. The marketplace’s own transaction data is what makes such a valuation possible.
Two Packages, One Watch
The Damage package covers the risks of daily wear: a fall, a breakage, contact with liquids, fire, lightning, weather or improper handling. The Damage & Theft package adds theft, with a police report filed within 48 hours of the incident. Loss and misplacement remain outside both packages. In the event of a claim, XCover.com has the watch repaired or pays out its market value, and meets the full cost without a deductible.
Repairs are entrusted to an authorised watch workshop of the owner’s choice. For a watch with a market value of €2,500 or more, the workshop’s estimate and diagnosis are submitted first, and work begins after written approval from XCover.com. The threshold refers to the value of the watch rather than the cost of the repair, so even a minor intervention on a valuable piece follows this sequence. The policy concludes after three repairs, once repair costs reach the watch’s market value, or after a full payout.
Who Can Take It Out
The watch must have been bought on Chrono24 and carry a market value of up to €25,000. Once it appears in the owner’s Watch Collection, the insurance can be added within 14 days. The policyholder must be at least 18 and resident in one of the six launch markets; watches used for commercial purposes fall outside the scheme.
The premium is paid once, at purchase. Cover runs for one year, as stated on the certificate, without automatic renewal or subscription. An owner may withdraw within 14 days for a full refund, or cancel later for a proportional one. The policy belongs to the watch and its owner: when the watch is sold, cover ends and the remaining term is refunded in proportion.
Behind the product, XCover.com is the trading name of Cover Genius Europe B.V. in Amsterdam, which arranges and manages the policies. The insurer is Helvetia Global Solutions AG, based in Vaduz, Liechtenstein.
What It Means for Collectors in the Middle East
At launch, the policy is reserved for residents of the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain, and WatchPro reports that further markets will follow. Collectors in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman will follow the next stages of the rollout with interest. One provision already reaches the region: cover extends worldwide on journeys of up to 183 consecutive days, so a European resident spending the winter season in Dubai or Doha keeps the watch protected throughout the stay.
The launch also reflects a wider movement in which the value of a watch is followed long after the sale, a theme explored in our analysis of after-sales as luxury’s new test of loyalty. For readers comparing what the same watch costs across the region, our Gulf Luxury Watch Prices index follows one reference through six markets.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Chrono24 Watch Insurance cover?
Accidental damage such as a fall, a breakage, contact with liquids, fire, lightning, weather or improper handling, up to the watch’s current market value with a maximum of €25,000 including VAT. The Damage & Theft package adds theft, with a police report filed within 48 hours.
How is the market value of the watch calculated?
XCover.com sets it from actual sales and listing prices on Chrono24 for comparable watches of the same brand, model, condition and rarity, at the time the claim is reported. If the market value remains undetermined, the original purchase price applies.
Who can take out Chrono24 Watch Insurance?
Buyers aged 18 or over who live in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands or Spain, for a watch bought on Chrono24 with a market value of up to €25,000. The policy is added within 14 days of the watch appearing in the owner’s Watch Collection.
Is Chrono24 Watch Insurance available in the Gulf?
At launch it is offered to residents of six European markets, with further markets to follow. A policyholder resident in one of those markets is covered worldwide on journeys of up to 183 consecutive days, including stays in the Gulf.
What happens to the insurance when the watch is sold?
The policy ends with the sale and stays with the original owner. The sale is reported at xcover.com/account and a proportional refund is made for the remaining term.
