Watchuseek’s change in ownership happened in 2014, when founder Ernie Romers announced his retirement and sale of the watch forum. In a 2015 interview, he recalled starting the site in 1998 as a page of watch links, then adding forums as his interest in watches grew. The interview offers a founder’s account of the community’s origins—not an update on who manages Watchuseek today.
How Ernie Romers started Watchuseek
Romers traced the idea to a pair of watches his brother-in-law had bought in Eastern Europe: a Raketa and a Universal Genève. His brother-in-law showed them to him and gave him a book about watches. Romers said he had already made a webpage for several interests, but the new enthusiasm led him to refocus it on watches.
In the 2015 interview, Romers said he began building the watch-focused site in 1998. He described turning his webpage into a collection of links to watch news, information and brand sites, then adding discussion forums over time. That account makes the forum an expansion of an existing watch resource, rather than a project that began as a discussion board.
Romers summarized the progression this way: “Back in 1998 there was not as much information to be found, so I redesigned my webpage to a linkspage to watch news, information and brand websites. I added forums along the way. The rest is history.” The quotation appears in the indexed text of Crown & Caliber’s interview, published March 5, 2015. Read the interview.
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What changed when Romers sold the site
Worn & Wound reported on October 14, 2014, that Romers had announced his retirement and sale of Watchuseek the previous week. The report attributed the decision to health reasons and his desire to spend more time with family, and identified VerticalScope as the acquirer. It also said VerticalScope had described continuity as a priority and reported that existing staff and administrators were unlikely to change. Worn & Wound’s 2014 report documents the transition as it was announced; it does not establish the site’s present ownership.
What Romers said after the sale
In the 2015 Q&A, Romers said he continued working as a team leader at a school for children with special needs and enjoyed having more free time. Asked to identify the greatest post he had seen on Watchuseek, he declined to choose just one. The answer suggests a community too broad, in his view, to reduce to a single standout thread.
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He also spoke about the watches he collected, naming Stowa, DOXA, Oris, IWC, Bremont and Jaeger-LeCoultre. He said he had sold watches he no longer wore and kept his Jaeger-LeCoultre. In a joking response about cost, he named the Grönefeld Parallax Tourbillon as a grail watch. These were personal recollections, not buying recommendations.
Later history—and what remains unknown
A July 2020 Worn & Wound article identified VerticalScope as Watchuseek’s parent company at that time and covered a major redesign. It also described a membership then priced at $20 per year, with reduced advertising and other features. Those are dated details from 2020, not confirmed current pricing or policies. See the 2020 redesign report.
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A September 24, 2020 event page from The Ace List described Romers as the forum’s founder and former owner and said he was no longer affiliated with Watchuseek. The event listing provides a later marker in his separation from the site.
These sources trace the transition from Romers’s founder-led project to a site owned by VerticalScope in the periods they cover. They do not establish who owns or manages Watchuseek in October 2026, so “under new management” should be read as a reference to the historical 2014 sale—not as a current announcement.
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- [Mechanical Movement] This watch has manual self-winding. Please consider that mechanical watches that require manual winding can only keep time for a short time after winding. To prevent running or inaccurate time, it is advised that you verify the time periodically and wind up the chain 15–20 times.
- [Waterproof] Water resistant to 50m (165ft) -suitable for short periods of recreational swimming and showering, but not diving or snorkeling
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Romers’s 2015 view of smartwatches
Romers described smartwatches as gadgets that required frequent charging and predicted they would not replace quartz or mechanical watches. That was his opinion in 2015, not a present-day market assessment. The interview is most useful as a record of how he said Watchuseek began and how he viewed the hobby at the time.
Quick Recap
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- Precise Time Keeping:Automatical Mechanial Self-Winding Movement, provide precise and accurate time keeping. Fully winded, the power reserve of your watch can reach 36 hours.
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- Waterproof For Daily Use: Mildly Water Resistant NOTE:Only resistant splash or drip, not suitable for shower, swimming and diving. Too much water contact or usage in extreme Hot or Cold temperature will shorter watch life.
- Comfort: The strap is soft and comfortable and environmental friendly.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
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