Karlsruhe, Germany (June 4th, 2024): – Today Chrono24, the world’s leading online marketplace for luxury watches, announces that: Monaco’s Formula One racing driver, Charles Leclerc, has joined the company as investor. Leclerc who is second placed in this year’s Formula One championships and just won his home race at the prestigious Monte Carlo course now joins Chrono24 in its global expansion as both a young investor and passionate watch lover.
Charles Leclerc and his brother Lorenzo, who consults him in his entrepreneurial ventures and whom he founded a family office dedicated to athletes, All Time, together with join the likes of previous Chrono24 investors including international footballer superstar and luxury watch uber-collector, Cristiano Ronaldo (announced in July 2023), Bernard Arnault’s family investment company, Aglae Ventures, as well as General Atlantic, Insight Partners and Sprints Capital – who together led Chrono24’s Series C round in August 2021, worth 100M € – gaining marketplace with the biggest offering on luxury watches worldwide unicorn status with a valuation exceeding €1B USD. This followed Chrono24’s 2019 Series B financing of 43M € from Sprints Capital, former Richemont director Gianni Serazzi, and YOOX-NET-A-PORTER founder Alberto Grignolo, among others, as well as the company’s 37M € Series A from Insight Partners in 2015.
“We are extremely proud to welcome Charles and Lorenzo into our Chrono24 adventure,” comments Chrono24 CEO Carsten Keller. “These brothers are highly esteemed and share our passion for watches as well as our company’s drive for excellence. Their savvy is formidable, and together, we are poised to reach new heights.”
“The watch world has long captivated me as one of my many passions,” says the world-renowned driver, Charles Leclerc. “There’s a real unification between watch lovers around the world, and my brother and I are excited to be an even deeper part of that community through our investment involvement with Chrono24.”
“The idea of a sporting legend like Charles Leclerc joining Chrono24 as an investor is thrilling,” adds Chrono24 founder and Chairman of the Board, Tim Stracke, who fostered the Formula One driver’s investment when they began the conversation as avid watch enthusiasts in 2022. “He has achieved an incredible legacy already very early in his life, and his prowess as a young investor is a great example of his passion for performance.”
Chrono24 has been the global online marketplace for luxury watches since 2003. It is the #1 address for luxury watches for commercial watch dealers, private sellers and watch enthusiasts across 120 countries, supported by 22 languages. Users within the Chrono24 community track the value trajectories of their 3.7 million+ owned timepieces over time- regardless of whether they were purchased through Chrono24. The total value of all Watch Collections tracked within Chrono24 is more than $50 billion – which makes up 8% of the estimated $750 billion value of all the watches in the world.
About Chrono24 GmbH:
“Chrono24 – The World’s Watch Market” is the world’s leading online marketplace for luxury watches. It offers the largest global selection of new, used and vintage watches combined with an extensive service portfolio, allowing buyers and sellers to complete their transactions in a trusted environment. In April 2024, the marketplace unveiled its new “Certified” Authentication Program, aiming to provide the most transparent authentication process to the luxury watch market through its global watchmaker network. Chrono24 was founded in 2003 and has offices in Karlsruhe, Berlin, New York, Miami, Tokyo and Hong Kong.
About Charles Leclerc:
The Monégasque 26 year-old, Charles Leclerc, currently races for Scuderia Ferrari in Formula One, and was recognized globally for having won the GP3 Series championship in 2016 and the FIA Formula 2 Championship in 2017 before joining Formula One in 2018 with Sauber. A youthful sensation in the racing world, Leclerc went on to join the Ferrari team in 2019, and became the youngest driver to win Belgium’s Pole Trophy for the most pole positions in 2019, and the second youngest driver to qualify on pole position in Formula One at the 2019 Grand Prix.