Expensive watches have a firm place in Cristiano Ronaldo’s life of luxury. At official occasions and on Instagram, he always shows himself with exclusive pieces on his wrist. His private watch collection is said to be worth several million euros. Now a German company is also getting some of the glamor of the prominent watch collector: The football star is becoming an investor in the luxury watch platform Chrono24.
According to the Karlsruhe company, it is “the world’s leading online marketplace for luxury watches”. Dealers and private sellers from all over the world can offer their luxury watches here. Apparently, Ronaldo also likes that, who is investing as an investor with an unspecified amount. Ronaldo has invested “a significant amount,” Chrono24 co-boss Tim Stracke told Handelsblatt. The superstar even wanted to invest more, but the company was so well funded that it wasn’t necessary.
In 2021, Chrono24 had already collected 100 million euros in a financing round, after 80 million in 2015 and 2019. The company is said to be worth more than one billion dollars today. Well-known investors include the family of Bernard Arnault, head of the luxury empire LVMH and one of the richest men in the world.
For Chrono24, Ronaldo’s appeal is more important than Ronaldo’s money. “As a longtime watch collector and regular user of Chrono24, it is my pleasure to become a shareholder of the company,” Ronaldo said in a company press release. “No one brings as much passion for luxury watches to the world stage as Cristiano,” adds Chrono24 CEO Strack. There is also a photo on which Ronaldo Strack shows a very special example from his watch collection: a golden model by Franck Muller set with diamonds.
According to Chrono24, it has more than nine million monthly users and more than 530,000 offers from 3,000 dealers and 30,000 private sellers every month. In addition to the headquarters in Karlsruhe, the company has locations in Berlin, New York, Miami and Tokyo. With Ronaldo as a partner, the company now wants to drive further global expansion, explains Stracke.
Sources: Chrono24 / Handelsblatt
