Purpose-Built for UK Watch Dealers

Watch Dealer Inventory Software for UK Dealers

Inventory management software for pre-owned and vintage watch dealers. Track movement, case material, reference and serial numbers, service history, and margins on every piece. Manage your stock across Shopify, marketplaces, and in-person at fairs from one place. Built by someone who has run the back office of a UK dealing business since 2013.

gemjam.app

The Challenges Watch Dealers Face

Watch dealing runs on detail: reference, serial, calibre, service dates, box and papers. Lose one of them and the piece is harder to price and harder to sell. GemJam gives each detail its own field on the watch's record.

Every watch has different details to capture

A vintage Rolex Submariner needs reference number, serial, movement calibre, dial variant, and service history. A modern Omega needs box and papers status. A pocket watch needs case material and movement details. Force all three down the same fixed set of columns and the detail either lands in a description box or never gets recorded.

Vintage authentication and provenance

Buyers of pre-owned and vintage watches expect transparency about authenticity, service history, and prior ownership. Without a system that links every piece to its documentation, signals, and chain of ownership, answering provenance questions becomes a paper trail of guesswork.

VAT Margin Scheme for pre-owned watches

Buy a watch you were not charged VAT on, such as one from a collector or a private seller, and it can go through the Margin Scheme if it is goods the scheme covers. You still have to establish which watches actually qualify, apply 1/6 to each margin, and keep records that hold up when HMRC asks to see them.

Multi-channel selling across Shopify, marketplaces, and fairs

Watch dealers list on Shopify, on marketplaces like Chrono24 or Watchfinder, and sell in person at watch fairs and shows. Keeping stock accurate across every channel when each watch is unique means constant manual updates and the risk of selling something twice.

How GemJam Answers Each One

Taken in the order a watch moves: onto the books, through the workshop, out to a buyer.

Custom templates for every type of watch

Build templates with the fields that matter — movement type, case material, case size, bracelet or strap material, reference number, serial number, service history, and papers/box completeness. A vintage watch template can differ from a modern one. You decide what to track.

Automatic margin scheme calculations

The seller's VAT status is captured alongside the purchase, and the margin VAT is worked out the moment the watch sells. A return that used to mean an evening with a calculator becomes a report you open and check.

Push to Shopify, eBay coming soon

Publish a watch to Shopify from inside GemJam. Record the sale and your stock moves in step with the connected Shopify listing. Any channel outside that link you keep in step yourself. eBay integration is in development. Marketplace bridging tools for sites such as Chrono24, Watchfinder, and Bezel are on the roadmap as future integrations — bulk-export listings without retyping every reference.

Service history on every watch

Log every service against the watch record — date, watchmaker, work carried out, parts replaced, and cost. When you come to sell, the full service history travels with the piece and directly supports the price you can achieve.

gemjam.app

One Tray, Four Decades of Watchmaking

A vintage Rolex one week, a modern Grand Seiko the next, a tray of pocket watches at the following fair. Set up a template per category and the form in front of you only asks for the fields that watch actually has.

Movement and calibration

Track movement type (automatic, quartz, manual), calibre, jewels, complications, and beat rate. Filter your stock by movement when a customer wants something specific, or pull a report of every chronograph in inventory.

Case, dial, and bracelet detail

Capture case material (steel, gold, platinum, titanium), case size and thickness, dial colour and signature, bracelet or strap material, and bezel type. Calculated fields can mask serial numbers on public listings while keeping the full number in your records.

Reference, serial, and papers

Record reference number, serial number, year of manufacture, and the completeness of the set — box, papers, certificate, service records, hangtags, and any third-party authentication reports. Buyers of high-value watches expect this level of documentation.

Provenance and ownership chain

Every watch links to its purchase record and the contact you bought from. Track where each piece came from, what you paid, prior ownership, and any auction or estate history — giving buyers the provenance details they expect when paying serious money.

Margin Scheme Records, Kept as You Trade

A pre-owned watch you were not charged VAT on, such as one bought from a collector or a private seller, can go on the Margin Scheme if you choose to use it. Precious metals, investment gold and precious stones cannot go on the scheme. The scheme charges VAT on the profit margin rather than the full selling price. GemJam keeps the stock book records as you buy and sell; whether a watch qualifies still depends on the watch, how you bought it and meeting the scheme's conditions, and you keep your purchase and sales invoices alongside.

A VAT treatment recorded for every watch you buy, with unclear cases flagged for your review

VAT worked out at 1/6 (16.67%) of the margin on each eligible watch

Produces the Stock Book and invoices from the same records

Xero-compatible export, ready to pass to Dext

What GemJam Does for Watch Dealers

Everything listed is in GemJam now, except items marked coming soon.

  • Custom templates and fields
  • Reference and serial tracking
  • Service history per item
  • VAT Margin Scheme
  • Multi-channel (Shopify; eBay coming soon)
  • Photo management
  • Accounting export (Xero/Dext)
  • Unique item management

Watch Dealer Software: Common Questions

Straight answers on fields, authentication, service history, and VAT.

More Than Watches on the Bench?

Sell more than watches? Jewellery, antiques, and designer handbags can all sit in the same system.

Every Watch Documented Before It Reaches the Buyer

Reference, serial, calibre, service history, and margin held on the watch's own record and ready when a buyer asks. Join the waiting list for early access.