atchBox has announced the appointment of Andy Zhang as CEO of WatchBox China. Based in Shanghai, Zhang will be instrumental in driving WatchBox’s expansion into mainland China, giving a major boost to the company’s forthcoming growth initiatives and establishing a valuable resource and community for local watch collectors.

A watch enthusiast since his primary school days, Zhang has been an avid collector since the early 2010s, drawn to the distinguishable design language of brands like A. Lange & Söhne, Patek Philippe, Richard Mille, and leading independent watchmakers. Prior to his arrival at WatchBox, Zhang served as the Director of Watches in China for Phillips where he concentrated on sales and business development, and he spent the preceding years at A. Lange & Söhne as the Business Development & Client Director for the APAC and China regions.

Zhang is the co-founder of Lange Nation (#langenation), a passionate community born in 2014 in the social media space, and he was an initiator and co-organizer of the 2018 Shanghai Watch Festival, a momentous celebration of horology attended by the emerging new generation of watch collectors across Asia. It was this experience that propelled him to leap from the enthusiast realm to work in the watch industry.

Andy Zhang, new CEO of WatchBox China

WatchBox Global CEO and co-founder Justin Reis said, “Andy brings an entrepreneurial spirit and a true love of horology to WatchBox. Our global expansion strategy targets regions with a strong growth forecast for the luxury watch segment and revolves entirely around the interests of our community. Andy’s experience demonstrates a shared philosophy around community, a command of high horology, and grasp of the distinct cultural identity of watch enthusiasts within the domestic Chinese market. We are excited for him to join our team as we embark on this next chapter.”

According to the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry, exports of Swiss watches to China for the period from January through June has positioned the market second to only the United States for worldwide distribution since 2020. Consumer appetite for luxury watches is strong across both the primary and secondary markets, and despite stringent Covid restrictions, the Chinese market has surpassed its pre-pandemic results.

Zhang shared, “I’m excited to work with the global WatchBox team to develop a dynamic business for collectible luxury watches in China, adapting to the economic growth in the market, and bringing together the primary and secondary watch markets. My mission is to elevate our watch culture through education, direct collector engagement, and access to extraordinary timepieces as we celebrate the dynamism of the local watch community.”

WatchBox will officially open the doors to the Shanghai Collector’s Lounge in late 2022, and services for collecting, selling, and trading watches commence immediately.