Nothing about the watch market is just ‘ticking along’. The supply-side controls and constraints, the exponential growth in the secondary market for pre-owned watches and the speed of online innovation all significantly impact prices and liquidity in the market.

The founders of Zing Cover felt that, by contrast, the insurance market for watch collectors had barely moved with the times. This is why Rob Korzinek and Matt Nunney, both watch enthusiasts, as well as technology and insurance experts, created Zing Cover.

Zing is insurance for watch collectors built by collectors in close partnership with watch market retailers, dealers and experts, and it works on a refreshingly different basis from traditional or household insurance. Zing only accepts customers by referral from their network of trusted watch dealers and platforms, their platform automatically collects granular data about the watches they insure, they then use a combination of watch market data sets and their partners’ expertise to keep their customers’ insurance values up-to-speed with market fluctuations and, when it comes to claims, they draw upon their partners’ access to the market to track down and source repairs and replacements.

Most collectors first encounter Zing when adding to their collections with Zing partner watch dealers, where they see Zing’s specialist cover available with a single click at the e-commerce checkout, in-store on Zing tablets or through a range of post-purchase delivery channels. Then having become a Zing customer, they can start to manage their collection through their Zing account with the watches in their collection automatically linked to the originating watch dealer.

Once in the club, Zing customers can add other watches to their Zing account with Zing taking care of obtaining up-to-date valuations from their watch market network and they can continue to add or remove watches as their collection evolves. Within their account they can also track the valuations of their watches and initiate claims.

All of this means that Zing already fully understands its customers’ collections when it comes to claims. Because Zing is a specialist insurer, its customers speak to claims handlers who genuinely get the nuances of the collectible watch market.

Where Zing further elevates the claims experience is by working directly with its partner watch dealers, combining a specialist claims service with its partners’ expertise and access to the market, even for the scarcest models. So Zing’s customers have the assurance of knowing that if it comes to a claim, they will be dealing with genuine watch market specialists who will work with them to formulate a strategy for sourcing a suitable replacement for their lost, damaged or stolen watch.

Beyond the watch market, Zing also works with partners across the luxury goods industry including jewellery and designer and limited edition assets. What’s consistent is that wherever market they operate in, it’s underpinned by partner retailers who are experts in those markets.

For too long the watch market and watch collectors have suffered a dysfunctional relationship with the insurance industry, with options for collectors dominated by insurers more adept at dealing with bricks and mortar than their customers’ ‘passion possessions’.

Matt and Rob have built a totally new model of insurance based upon expertise, innovation and market collaborations deep within the watch market. It’s this that has driven such rapid market adoption in so short a space of time.

To become a Zing customer, speak to your watch dealer to see if they’re a Zing partner.

For more information, see zingcover.com