Marketing competition is ramping up between watch brands making plays in the digital space. While legacy platforms such as YouTube, Facebook and Instagram remain steady hubs for marketing activity, some industry leaders plateaued or lost momentum this year when it came to native content. Meanwhile, more agile brands shifted their energy toward younger-skewing, short-form video platforms such as TikTok and Douyin (all 20 brands surveyed are now active on Asia’s video-focused platform, including the most conservative legacy names), and some have recorded impressive growth as a result.
This shift in audience behavior has driven a reshuffle in the digital marketing ranks. Brands that embraced new platforms early improved their standings, while those reliant on heritage-focused, conserva…
Marketing competition is ramping up between watch brands making plays in the digital space. While legacy platforms such as YouTube, Facebook and Instagram remain steady hubs for marketing activity, some industry leaders plateaued or lost momentum this year when it came to native content. Meanwhile, more agile brands shifted their energy toward younger-skewing, short-form video platforms such as TikTok and Douyin (all 20 brands surveyed are now active on Asia’s video-focused platform, including the most conservative legacy names), and some have recorded impressive growth as a result.
This shift in audience behavior has driven a reshuffle in the digital marketing ranks. Brands that embraced new platforms early improved their standings, while those reliant on heritage-focused, conservative posting saw their momentum fade. In terms of content, craftsmanship and celebrity — the “making” and the “mythmakers” of the watch industry — continue to perform strongly.
Digital marketing’s 2025 class
Top 5: Digital marketing battleground
The Vogue Business Watch Index analyzes brand activity and performance across eight social touchpoints, using data collected between September 2024 and August 2025. Four are global social media platforms — Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube — while two are China-native: WeChat and Weibo. WeChat is primarily used for customer service and loyalty programs; Weibo, for public-facing posts. A third China-focused channel, Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book), has also become an important discovery platform for luxury, propelled by lifestyle-led and community-driven content. Then, there’s also Douyin, the Chinese sister app of TikTok.
The Vogue Business Watch Index considers search visibility — a proxy for how easily watch brands can be discovered online — and an omnichannel score, which measures how effectively each brand links its web, social and search presence into a coherent experience.
As for the top five, Cartier’s early decision to build a dedicated online watch community continues to set it apart. The Parisian brand defended its top spot in digital marketing for a second year, proving that its jewelry-driven halo content and @CartierWatchCommunity Instagram account continue to deliver results. Omega, keeping its engagement broad through a mix of sport and entertainment tie-ups, held steady at number two. This included red carpet exposure and the launch of a women’s collection — Aqua Terra in a new 30mm size — fronted by six ambassadors, such as actor Marisa Abela, supermodel Ashley Graham and K-pop star Danielle Marsh.
Ashley Graham attends the Omega Aqua Terra launch event.
Photo: Getty Images
In the Vogue Business 2024 Watch Index, Rolex’s vast market share did not translate to digital strength, but this year, the gap has begun to close. Despite being historically cautious online and absent from TikTok, Rolex climbed two spots to take third place in the digital marketing pillar. The gain reflects a disciplined focus on YouTube, where its arts and sports sponsorship content, similar to a TV documentary format, draws steady long-form engagement. Longines slipped one place to fourth. The Swiss watchmaker’s TikTok focus appears to have come at the expense of its previously strong performance on Facebook, YouTube and Douyin.
Social shifters
At the heritage end, Audemars Piguet, boosted by its collaboration with artist Kaws, its 150th-anniversary campaign and a focus on TikTok and Douyin, where it has grown by 23.2 and 43.2 points, respectively, jumped three spots to 14th place. By contrast, Hublot — an early TikTok pioneer — slipped four places to 13th, as engagement plateaued and its advantage faded.
Audemars Piguet collaborated with the artist Kaws.
Photo: Courtesy of Audemars Piguet
For all these ranking moves, shifting social media dynamics may be to blame. Where TikTok’s high-efficiency reach allowed the likes of Hublot and Zenith to punch above their weight last year, its algorithm now rewards consistent posting over occasional spikes, while YouTube reinforces its status as the go-to space for collectors, continuing to reward brands like Rolex and IWC that invest in regular, long-form storytelling.
Video content as a non-negotiable
In 2025, the momentum has shifted: growth now comes from video-led storytelling on platforms where younger audiences can discover and engage with brands. Video amplifies sports sponsorships, red carpet appearances and cultural collaborations far more effectively than static posts, with TikTok, Douyin and YouTube algorithms rewarding this content via greater reach and virality.
IWC increased its visibility on TikTok (scoring 79.1 in 2024 vs 100 in 2025) and YouTube (73.1 vs 83.7), while extending its reach beyond the traditional watch enthusiast. Audemars Piguet also saw significant growth on TikTok (48.2 vs 71.4) and Douyin (23.9 vs 67.1). The digital space played a central role in the brand’s 150th-anniversary celebrations, with a mini-website, The House of Wonders, allowing visitors to virtually explore its watchmaking facilities in the Vallée de Joux.
While owned by Rolex — a brand that has notably stayed off TikTok — Tudor joined TikTok for the first time during Watches & Wonders in April, quickly gaining traction and earning a digital marketing score of 55.7. Also new to TikTok are Jaeger-LeCoultre and Longines. Despite TikTok only being a recent focus, Audemars Piaget has shown a strong commitment to video content, particularly on Douyin in China, where its performance jumped from 46.1 last year to 94.7 in 2025. This shift, however, has drawn the brand’s energy away from more established Asian platforms such as WeChat, where its score has declined. All brands in the Vogue Business Watch Index are active on Douyin, even heritage players such as Patek Philippe and Rolex.
Staying off video-driven platforms like TikTok seems to work only for giants such as Rolex, which climbed the digital ranking through static imagery celebrating the major tournament wins of its tennis ambassadors, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. This success relies on Rolex’s well-resourced content strategy, as well as the global pull of its select ambassadors.
By contrast, brands that have continued to rely primarily on traditional media have lost ground. Cartier, long dominant on Instagram and YouTube, saw its TikTok score fall from 100 to 75.7, and its YouTube score from 87.9 to 71.3. Omega also slipped on TikTok (scoring 86.4 in 2024 vs 72.8 in 2025) and Instagram (84.5 vs 71.5). Panerai, however, which adopted a different strategy by disengaging from video platforms in favor of Facebook, suffered the biggest losses: from 56.9 to 2.8 on TikTok, and 48.1 to 19.7 on YouTube, losing visibility in the most dynamic corners of the digital sphere. On TikTok, in particular, limited activity — posting just 16 times over the past year — hindered Panerai’s ability to keep pace.
Craftsmanship and celebrities as marketing drivers
This year, audiences are responding strongly to human-centered storytelling, particularly in video format. Investment in craftsmanship and celebrity endorsements is paying off, with posts spotlighting the mechanics of a timepiece or an ambassador wearing a watch, driving the highest engagement across platforms.
The best-performing digital post in the Vogue Business 2025 Watch Index is a TikTok video by IWC, featuring a watchmaker at work. The clip, which has received 2.8 million likes and 83,000 shares to date, focuses on the delicate mounting of a Top Gun watch by watchmaker Florian Salzer, a format that humanizes the craft, builds a connection with its audience and keeps viewers watching and sharing.
Audemars Piguet’s most-watched TikTok also centers on craftsmanship, while incorporating a playful cultural element. In the clip, a watchmaker interacts with a timepiece and a Kaws-designed character that comes to life and wanders through the Vallée de Joux, home to the brand’s manufacturing. The video has collected 105,000 likes and more than 7,400 shares.
Even for Vacheron Constantin, a brand long associated with artist and museum collaborations, its most successful Instagram posts focus on the watches themselves. The top-performing carousel, dedicated to the Historiques 222 in stainless steel, garnered over 45,000 likes, followed closely by a post about the Les Cabinotiers Solaria Ultra Grand Complication, which accumulated over 44,000 likes. By contrast, Vacheron Constantin’s announcement of its personalization service in partnership with New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art attracted around 20,000 likes.
The celebrity factor also continues to drive strong engagement, especially high-profile ambassadors that resonate with younger, global audiences. The most popular posts by Tag Heuer — which climbed four places in the digital ranking from 10th to sixth — feature brand ambassadors. A collaboration post with K-pop star San (@choi3an) received over 600,000 likes on Instagram, followed by a post with Formula One champion Max Verstappen, which achieved over 400,000 likes. Meanwhile, behind-the-scenes footage of house ambassador Raye and producer Mark Ronson creating the song “Suzanne” earned Audemars Piguet 1.4 million views on TikTok.
Even for Montblanc, which invested in an elegant, stylized campaign filmed by Wes Anderson, the strongest posts center on its ambassadors. A partnership with Turkish actor Kerem Bürsin generated over 150,000 likes, while a post featuring Thai singer and actor Suppasit Jongcheveevat (known as Mew) drew over 80,000 likes. Then, Montblanc’s best-performing video tapped into the appeal of craftsmanship — a TikTok revealing how writing instruments are customized with precious gemstones — receiving around 90,000 likes.
Case study: A digital peek inside Audemars Piguet
For its 150th anniversary, Audemars Piguet partnered with US-based entertainment tech company Dreamscape Immersive to launch The House of Wonders, a phygital experience designed to engage traditional watch enthusiasts and new audiences.
Audemars Piguet celebrated its 150th anniversary with The House of Wonders, an immersive experience.
Photo: Courtesy of Audemars Piguet
Debuting in March at the Dreamscape venue in Geneva, the project began as an immersive virtual reality experience before traveling to Audemars Piguet’s AP House in Milan and Shanghai. The journey also lives on through a dedicated website, open to anyone, anywhere.
The project reimagines the brand’s manufacturing facility in Switzerland’s Vallée de Joux as an interactive virtual world. Visitors embark on a cinematic journey that combines real-time rendering, motion tracking and immersive storytelling. The experience recreates the landscapes of the Jura Mountains, highlights the brand’s historic workshops and invites audiences to explore the milestones in its watchmaking heritage — from early complications to its most recent designs.
By adopting immersive, game-like technologies, the brand offers a level of access once reserved for VIP clients visiting the physical manufacturer. The House of Wonders, therefore, lowers the threshold for engagement, allowing a wider audience to interact with the brand beyond a static exhibition.
Crucially, The House of Wonders supports Audemars Piguet’s strategy to reach digitally native consumers, particularly in Asia and among younger audience demographics. It also aligns with the brand’s digital marketing goals, creating content suited to TikTok, YouTube and other video-centric platforms where audiences increasingly expect storytelling that brings craftsmanship to life rather than relying on traditional product imagery.
Ilaria Resta.
Photo: Courtesy of Audemars Piguet
Q&A: Ilaria Resta
CEO | Audemars Piguet
Audemars Piguet celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2025. What were the highlights?
Our 150th anniversary has marked an incredible milestone for Audemars Piguet. It has been a year in which we have celebrated the independent spirit, outstanding horological innovation and exceptional craftsmanship that’s shaped and defined us since 1875.
One of the key highlights this year has been The House of Wonders, an immersive exhibition that opened the world of Audemars Piguet to the public and will be traveling the world, inviting people to experience the craftsmanship, creativity and innovation that defines us.
On the product side, we have continued to push the boundaries of horological innovation. We are particularly proud of a new generation of Calibres — 7138 and 7136 — designed to enhance everyday use. With its intuitive ‘all-in-one’ crown, it allows for seamless adjustment of all functions, and it opens the world of complications to a wider audience. Available in 38mm and 41mm case sizes, this new generation of Calibres powers both the Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet and the Royal Oak collection.
Over the 150 years, what has changed and what has remained the same?
Much has evolved since 1875 — from our global presence and embrace of cutting-edge innovation, to the way we connect with new generations through music, immersive experiences and cultural collaborations.
However, the essence of Audemars Piguet remains unchanged. We are still family-owned, proudly independent and rooted in the Vallée de Joux. What endures is our deep respect for craftsmanship, innovation and our dedication to pushing boundaries.
How has this anniversary been activated in the digital space?
Digital innovation has been an important aspect of our 150th anniversary. We wanted to make this celebration accessible to people all around the world. We created a dedicated microsite and introduced The House of Wonders virtual reality experience, which allowed users to explore the brand’s craftsmanship and heritage, blending storytelling, innovation and interactivity.
The past year has been challenging for luxury brands. How does one measure success in times of crisis?
In a year marked by global challenges, Audemars Piguet has measured success not only through performance, but through the enduring relevance of its craft — preserving savoir faire, nurturing creativity and staying meaningful to new generations while remaining true to its values.
Key takeaways:
- Video platforms are vital for reach and cultural relevance. Video platforms have become indispensable for watch brands seeking a meaningful digital presence. The strongest performers are those that invest in video-centered campaigns to amplify messages tied to sports and cultural activities.
- Craftsmanship and human connection score high. Authentic demonstrations of skill and proximity to the craft outperform traditional product imagery — be it content featuring a watchmaker, a spokesperson, or a recognizable face.
- Star power still delivers — especially beyond the West. Asian pop culture icons — from K-pop stars to Thai and Turkish actors — have generated some of the highest engagement rates, demonstrating the value of collaborating with talent outside the traditional Western celebrity sphere.