Skolorr – The Next-Gen On-Line Marketplace For Independent Watchmakers

Skolorr, to be pronounced as scholar, is a new on-line platform where you can buy timepieces from a number of artisan watchmakers and independent brands.

Independent watchmaking, or indie watchmaking, has been hot over the last few years. You will find some brands that made fame for themselves for larger audiences, like MB&F, Hautlence and Voutilainen, but you will also often find some new names (to you). The interesting part about independent watchmaking is that they have small production numbers, often tailored to wishes of their clientele. There’s also the tendency of doing as much themselves as possible, even when it is very expensive to do so, it is about the quality of finish of the final product, not so much about quantity and margins. Once you open up to the world of independent watchmaking, you will start to look at the watch industry with a different pair of eyes, I can assure you that. Where the large brands are mainly becoming assembly factories, the small artisan workshops and watchmaking ateliers are closer to the image of luxury watchmaking that you had in mind when you were new to (mechanical) watches. You could say, in a nutshell, that part of the fun of independent watchmaking is also about discovering new things. New ideas. Admitted, we don’t cover the independent brands as much as we would like to here on Fratello, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have huge respect for them. We are often bound to the watch shows where they appear, and there do our photoshoots and interviews.

Skolorr developed an e-commerce platform where you can meet with the independent brands, look at their collections and finally, do a safe and fast transaction.

You will buy a timepiece directly from the makers. Skolorr operates as a matchmaker between fans of haute horlogerie and brands, you will not only find interesting pieces being offered for sale, but also can find a lot of background information on the brands and the watches you’re interested in. Besides that, Skolorr offers a concierge service for finding that particular timepiece from one of the connected watchmakers.

According to Skolorr, it often takes between 6 and 12 months to make a high-value purchase in this segment. Skolorr aims to cut down the search process, by helping the collector to find his (or her) special timepiece.

One of the biggest issues with purchasing watches on-line is the payment process. Since there is no physical store or sales man where you buy the watch, you have to wire your money and wait for response. That is still one of the biggest breaking points when it comes to e-commerce for (luxury) watches. How to deal with this properly? Skolorr offers Escrow payments, to ease the mind of the on-line buyer. Once the buyer receives his (or her) watch of choice, the payment in Escrow is being released to the watch brand.

Behind Skolorr is a team of skilled and experienced people that have their roots in the watch industry. Founder Sky Sit has worked within the independent watchmaking industry for nearly a decade and is a friend of the Fratello website for many years.

Skolorr Team, from left to right: Kea Bose (Communication), Sky Sit (Founder) and Marika Hannotin (COO)

Skolorr call themselves the curated destination for the finest independent watches. Currently about 20 brands  are offered on Skolorr, some known and some lesser known indie brands.

Every brand has their own page filled with background information, links to informative websites (like ours) with in-depth reviews of the watches being offered as well as an overview of the models that are offered. You will find limited edition watches, numbered editions and regular collection models. Some connected brands even offer piece uniques, like GoS.

Make sure to visit Skolorr’s website.