1916 Co. and WonderCare seal exclusive, Chubb-backed watch insurance
Bottom Line Impact
If executed with frictionless enrollment and strong SLAs, the partnership can add a high-margin service layer, lift retention 200-400 bps, and strengthen The 1916 Companys competitive moat while positioning WonderCare as a preferred insurtech for HNW watches.
Key Facts
4- Announced 2025-10-20: exclusive partnership between The 1916 Company and WonderCare to offer watch insurance to collectors and enthusiasts
- Coverage is underwritten by Chubb, ranked #1 personal lines insurer for high-net-worth families in the U.S.
- Category focus: luxury timepieces; program positioned as a streamlined, integrated solution for peace of mind
- No financial terms or geography disclosed; exclusivity indicates a single-partner arrangement for The 1916 Company
Time Horizons
Executive Summary
The 1916 Company has entered an exclusive partnership with WonderCare to offer streamlined luxury watch insurance underwritten by Chubb, the leading U.S. HNW personal lines carrier. This embeds a high-trust service into the client journey, creating a defensible differentiator, new fee revenue, and richer data for retention and upsell.
Actionable Insights
Immediate Actions (Next 30-90 days)
Set a 12-month attach-rate target of 20% for new and recent watch sales with quarterly milestones and P&L accountability.
Rationale: A clear KPI aligns sales, e-commerce, and clienteling around monetizing trust and improving lifetime value.
Role affected:CEO
Urgency level:immediate
Embed pre-filled quotes in checkout and clienteling apps via API; enable 1-click binding and digital certificate storage in the client vault.
Rationale: Frictionless enrollment can add 5-8 ppt to attach-rate while creating a service hub that increases engagement.
Role affected:COO/CTO
Urgency level:immediate
Short-term Actions (6-12 months)
Deploy co-branded Chubb x WonderCare messaging in post-purchase journeys and service reminders; A/B test pricing prompts and risk education.
Rationale: Trust cues from a #1 HNW insurer and education on loss risks materially lift conversion at key touchpoints.
Role affected:CMO
Urgency level:short-term
Negotiate revenue share on premiums and claims service fees; model unit economics to ensure contribution margin >10% after support costs.
Rationale: Insurance can be accretive if economics and claims admin costs are controlled; clear thresholds prevent dilution.
Role affected:CFO
Urgency level:short-term
Risks & Opportunities
Primary Risks
- Regulatory and licensing complexity could delay multi-state or international expansion and dilute exclusivity benefits
- Claims experience spikes or denial controversies could trigger reputational damage with HNW clients
- Operational friction if advisor tools and APIs are not stable, reducing attach-rate and client satisfaction
Primary Opportunities
- Increased retention and trade-in velocity from insured clients, improving lifetime value and inventory circulation
- Cross-sell of service plans, authentication, and insured shipping to create a comprehensive protection bundle
- Data-driven allocation and sourcing using insured value signals to optimize high-demand SKUs