How Bezel Is Redefining The Luxury Watch Market Through Technology

In a world where luxury and technology intersect, few are pioneering the fusion as deftly as the founders of Bezel. I sat down with Quaid Walker, a tech veteran turned watch enthusiast, to discuss how his team is reshaping the high-end watch market by marrying cutting-edge technology with timeless craftsmanship. In this interview, Walker reveals the challenges they’ve overcome, their unique approach to blending digital and physical experiences, and the passion driving their innovation in a niche industry.

Dave Knox: Let’s start with your founding story. What was the inspiration behind launching Bezel?

Quaid Walker: Bezel is a marketplace for authenticated watches, with both a mobile app and a website. We have over $500 million in listings, and our goal is to create the best place for people to buy luxury timepieces. Everything ships overnight to our in-house authentication experts, ensuring every watch is real, functional, and never stolen. The idea for Bezel came from my own frustrating experience buying my first Rolex after working at Google. I expected a high-end, celebratory process, but I was put on a waitlist and ended up navigating the intimidating secondary market instead. That experience, combined with my background in technology and collecting other items like sneakers and streetwear, inspired me to create a modern, trusted marketplace for watches using technology and a seamless customer experience.

Knox: You mentioned that you started your career with Google. As someone coming from the tech world, how did you tackle addressing the challenges of the current watch industry business model?

Walker: It was about a year-long process of asking myself and my co-founders, are we the right team to tackle this? Every founder goes through that period of imposter syndrome, where you question how you’ll make your mark in an industry. Fortunately, as collectors, we already felt the pain points we wanted to solve on a personal level. A lot of that validation came from speaking with other collectors and understanding the gaps in the market by analyzing the incumbents.

Coming from a tech background at Google, where I worked as a designer and product person, I learned how to take a problem and develop a tailored technological solution. The watch industry is incredibly nuanced, and each product is specific, so the technology has to feel equally bespoke. I felt confident handling the product side of the business, but the watch side required assembling the right experts around the table—whether as employees or advisors—so we could build the necessary credibility.

The unique aspect of our business is this elegant mix of cutting-edge technology on the consumer-facing side and time-tested, analog processes on the backend. Our app needs to be intuitive, easy to search, and trustworthy for collectors. But once a watch is shipped to us, it enters an old-school process that’s been in place for centuries. Watchmakers and authentication specialists meticulously inspect the pieces—even going so far as to smell the accompanying papers to authenticate them.

There are aspects of this business that technology can never replace, and we embrace those moments. Our job is to blend modern product design with a deep appreciation for the traditional techniques that have stood the test of time, creating a sense of trust and transparency for our customers.

Knox: Over the last few years, we’ve seen many marketplaces emerge around collectibles like shoes and trading cards. What has the singular focus on watches allowed you to do differently?

Walker: W hen you’re building for a community that’s highly specialized and great at detecting authenticity, focus is everything. That may not apply to all verticals, but when you’re dealing with high-value items—our average order is over $10,000—buyers are making very considered purchases. Many are first-time buyers, nervous about getting it right, while others are seasoned collectors who can easily sense whether something feels off, either in terms of the product or the process.

Having a singular focus on watches has allowed us to tailor the entire experience specifically to this market, which is why I’m such a proponent of verticalized marketplaces. Everything from the tools we provide sellers, like custom inventory management systems, to how quickly they get paid, is designed for the watch trade. If they were selling cars or art, the process would need to be entirely different.

On the buyer side, there’s a huge emphasis on providing the right information. When you’re buying a watch, the expectations of luxury, details around condition, and understanding prior ownership are all critical. Focusing solely on watches lets us build out features that address these nuances and ensure that buyers feel completely comfortable with their purchase.

A great example of this focus is our concierge service. Every buyer is assigned a client advisor on our concierge team once they create an account—someone who can walk them through their collecting journey, answer questions, and provide that human, high-touch experience. If we were building a marketplace for lower-value items, we probably wouldn’t include something like that. But for watches, it’s all about understanding the fears, apprehensions, and needs of the customer and then fine-tuning the product to address them perfectly.

Knox: Beyond the concierge service, how do you blend the worlds of digital and physical experiences?

Walker: When we first started, many investors and industry folks wondered how we’d sell these expensive, highly considered items without a retail space. The challenge for us was figuring out how to take the best aspects of the physical boutique model—like trust-building and personalized attention—and translate that into a digital experience.

We realized that most of our customers don’t necessarily need to see the watches in person. Often, they’ve already done their research, watched videos, or obsessively followed the watch online. What they really want is the trust that comes from a boutique experience, whether that’s speaking to a knowledgeable salesperson or feeling assured in their purchase. Our approach has been to create that same level of care and craftsmanship in our digital product. The concierge plays a huge role here—it’s about giving customers real human interaction when they need it, with response times under 30 minutes to ensure they feel supported. This lets us push the digital experience further than anyone else in the watch space has so far.

For the future, we also integrate selective physical activations. We partner with brands, clubs, banks, and even sports teams to create pop-up experiences where people can engage with the brand in person. For instance, we recently did this at an E by Equinox, their highest-end clubs, in Manhattan. These physical touchpoints allow customers to see the watches up close when they want, while still keeping our digital-first model.

What’s interesting is how we tailor our service to the spectrum of watch values. The cheapest watch we sold last year was under $1,000, while the most expensive was over $1 million. With that range, different customers have different needs. For very high-value items, we provide a much more personalized delivery and presentation experience, while first-time buyers might want their watch overnighted after a quick chat with a concierge. The key is to accommodate both ends of the spectrum while maintaining a cohesive, high-touch experience across digital and physical spaces.

Knox: You mentioned that your inspiration for the business came from your first Rolex purchase. When you had that idea for the business, how did you approach finding the right co-founders?

Walker: My two co-founders are the exact people I would start any tech business with. One of them, Chase Pion, is my childhood best friend and one of the smartest people I’ve ever met. He has a strong background in finance and operations, and growing up, we always bounced ideas off each other. We knew we had complementary skill sets—me leaning more toward product and technology, and him being very ops-focused and finance-oriented. He’s always grounded me, helping us move from big ideas into real, sustainable business plans.

Our other co-founder, Darryl Johnson, is an exceptional engineer. We started a business together in college, and though we didn’t work together at Google, we overlapped during our time there. He’s just the most talented engineer I know, with a level of craft that’s unmatched. Between us, we had this dream team from a tech perspective—a strong mix of product, operations, and engineering talent.

From there, our focus was on building out the watch expertise we needed. We did this in two ways. First, we got some of the biggest names in the watch world on our cap table to really solidify our credibility. Then we brought in some incredible hires from the watch and auction house industries. Our first hire was Ryan Chong, who was leading private sales at Sotheby’s. He helped us build out our authentication team of watchmakers and specialists.

This mix created a unique dynamic in our office—Google and Amazon engineers working side-by-side with watchmakers who’ve spent decades working with their hands. It’s a powerful competitive advantage because we’re blending two worlds that don’t usually intersect. We’re able to build cutting-edge technology while maintaining the deep, nuanced expertise that’s critical in the watch industry.

Knox: What led you to engaging celebrities as investors in the business?

Walker: The idea behind involving celebrity investors came from wanting to build out our brand and create an unfair advantage in telling our story, even before we had the product fully crafted. It’s this classic marketplace challenge—how do you balance hacking supply versus demand? We decided to focus heavily on acquiring supply early on, which has paid off, with over $500 million in listings without spending a dime on supply acquisition. But the real challenge was building trust with buyers, especially when we were just a few months into the business with little transaction history.

We knew we were going to obsess over trust and authenticity, but that’s what everyone says. At the time, we were the only ones really backing it up, and still are, in my opinion. The involvement of celebrity investors gave us a way to leverage their personal brands, which had already been built on trust, to catalyze the brand we were creating. It wasn’t just about raising capital but doing so in a strategic way that gave us an edge.

These celebrities, like Kevin Hart, John Legend, Steve Aoki, and J Balvin, are people who could buy watches from anywhere in the world. The fact that they chose us and were willing to advocate for us provided an immediate layer of credibility. It allows us to say, “Come shop where these high-profile individuals buy their watches.” That kind of endorsement creates a strong foundation for building trust with new customers, helping us accelerate our growth and positioning early on.

Knox: After having that base of celebrity supporters, how did you decide to approach venture capital as part of your growth plan?

Walker: We raised our first round in August of ’21, during a particularly frothy venture market, and it made sense to raise significant capital upfront. We knew we were building a luxury product, which inherently requires capital. So, we approached the fundraising process by thinking about three key types of investors.

First, all of us were first-time founders, and although we’d built technology products before, this was the first project we fully committed to. We wanted to raise from funds that deeply understood the zero-to-one experience. That’s why we resonated with BoxGroup, who led the round—they had a strong understanding of the seed stage and the challenges of going from nothing to something.

Second, we wanted notable collectors as investors, the type of people who could validate our business early on. This gave us a foundation of trust from collectors who already had credibility in the space.

Third, we sought watch industry insiders—those who hold meaningful influence in the industry. The watch world is relatively small, so getting industry “kingmakers” on our cap table was essential to help us grow and make sure we felt native to the space.

Interestingly, my background in technology and being a watch collector allowed me to bridge the gap between seasoned watch enthusiasts and first-time buyers. This approach helped us grow the market by attracting new buyers. I think that contrast—between not coming from the industry but having a fresh perspective—became a bit of a superpower for us.

As for balancing venture capital with profitability, we’ve always focused on building a business with strong fundamentals, from unit economics to customer acquisition costs (CAC). We wanted to leverage venture capital as a tool to scale and then, ideally, break away from the venture cycle. Now, our CAC is among the lowest in the industry, and our unit economics are in a great place. This gives us the flexibility to continue operating independently or selectively tap back into venture capital if we decide to pursue targeted growth initiatives.

Knox: These days every business needs to think about the impact of artificial intelligence. How are you leveraging AI to improve the user experience?

Walker: It’s such an exciting time to be building, especially with the rise of AI. While we’re not currently raising funds, it’s clear that the venture market is incredibly AI-focused, and businesses that aren’t incorporating AI are feeling pressure. That said, we take a balanced approach. We use AI to personalize the user experience, optimize internal processes, and enhance our authentication flow. However, we’re committed to never letting AI replace the very human elements of our business.

We’ve been pitched countless AI and computer vision solutions for watch authentication, as well as blockchain-based solutions for tracking watches. But we view AI as a tool for personalization and support, not a replacement for the human touch. For example, AI helps us augment our concierge service, but it will never replace the luxury of speaking directly with a person on our team. That human connection is core to the experience we provide.

In terms of watch authentication, we use AI in a two-step process. The first step occurs before a watch even goes live on our platform, where AI digitally reviews photos and information to ensure there aren’t any immediate red flags. This allows us to maintain a high standard for what customers see. Once a watch is sold, though, the second step kicks in: it’s shipped to us and goes through a very manual authentication process by watchmakers and specialists. They use magnification tools, run diagnostic tests, and more. We see this hands-on approach as essential, and we celebrate it. It’s how watches have been authenticated for hundreds of years, and we believe it’s still the best way to build trust with our customers.

So while we’re using AI where it adds value, especially in streamlining and augmenting processes, the core of what we do—especially when it comes to luxury and trust—remains distinctly human.

Knox: Over the course of your career, you have seen what it takes to build brands at the largest tech companies like Google. And now in your own journey as a founder, what advice do you give to fellow entrepreneurs in the startup world?

Walker: On the consumer side, my biggest piece of advice is to find a problem that resonates deeply with real customers, where they’re genuinely excited or frustrated about finding a solution. Build something that feels truly authentic to that problem, instead of a one-size-fits-all approach. I strongly believe in developing technology that’s hyper-specialized and tailored to the needs of the market you’re addressing.

From a founder’s perspective, it’s crucial to be passionate about the problem you’re solving. I’ve talked to many founders who are driven by the potential financial upside in a particular vertical, but they’re not personally invested in the issue itself. Sure, you can be rational and build a business around a problem you’re not emotionally tied to, but if this is going to be your career journey—a 10+ year commitment—you need to ask yourself if you’ll still be excited about the problem when times get tough. At year nine, when things aren’t going as planned, are you still going to get up and feel energized about the challenge in front of you?

For me, watches are that passion. Even when I was at Google, I had a second monitor where I would watch watch videos and track market data. I wake up excited to see what new watches came in today, and that makes the hard decisions and challenges worth it. It’s not just about financial success—it’s about the joy of solving a problem I care deeply about. My advice to other founders is to find that same excitement, so when the journey gets tough, you’ll still love what you’re doing and feel fulfilled by it. That passion will keep you going.