WatchID launched in April 2024 as the watch identification app built on Horoview's data. Since then a number of apps with near-identical names have appeared on the stores: Watch ID - Identify & Value, Watch ID: Watch Identifier, WatchID AI Watch Value Scanner, Watch Identifier - Watch ID and others. Some are harmless generic tools, some are thin wrappers around a chatbot, and a few collect a subscription before showing a single result. People regularly write to us about an app they believe is ours. This page exists so that you can check in ten seconds.
Three signs you are looking at the original
- The publisher is Horoview SAS. On the App Store the seller line under the app name reads Horoview SAS; on Google Play the developer is Horoview. WatchID is not published under an individual's name or an unrelated company.
- The listing links to watchid.app and horoview.com. The support and marketing links of the official app point to this website. The privacy policy lives at watchid.app/privacy.
- Results come with Horoview listings. Every identification in the official app opens matching listings from Horoview, the search engine indexing millions of watch listings. Copies cannot show that, because the data is ours.
The official WatchID apps and pages
| Platform | Name shown | Publisher | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone | WatchID (listed as watch.ID until October 2026) | Horoview SAS | apps.apple.com/app/id6478837777 |
| Android | WatchID | Horoview | play.google.com, package com.horoview.watchID |
| Web | WatchID web identifier | Horoview SAS | watchid.app/identify |
| API | WatchID API | Horoview SAS | watchid.app/business |
Anything else that calls itself Watch ID, WatchID or Watch Identifier is not us, whatever the icon looks like.
Why the copies exist
"Watch ID" is a descriptive phrase, and the App Store rewards apps whose name matches what people type. When WatchID started ranking for identification searches, other publishers adopted the words. Most of these apps send your photo to a general-purpose AI model and format the answer; they have no reference catalogue, no marketplace data and no way to show you where the watch is for sale. Several carry no ratings at all, or a handful of reviews that mention results that never arrive.
WatchID works differently. The model is trained on real watch photographs and matches against a curated catalogue of 100,000+ references from 500+ brands, then links the result to Horoview's listings so you can compare prices immediately. That is also why the app can tell a Rolex reference from its near-identical sibling rather than stopping at the brand name. Read how the identification works in our guide to identifying a watch from a photo.
What to check before you pay for any watch identifier
- Free scans first. WatchID includes free scans on every account, so you can judge the results before subscribing. Be wary of apps that ask for payment before the first identification.
- A reference number, not just a brand. A useful result names the model and the likely reference, with alternatives ranked by similarity. See why reference numbers matter.
- Listings you can open. If the app claims a market value, it should show you the listings the figure comes from. Ours link straight to Horoview.
- A company behind it. Our about page names the company, the team and the address. A listing with no website and no company name is a warning sign.
- Clear data handling. Our privacy policy explains what happens to your photos and how to delete your account from inside the app.
Spotted a copy that uses our name or screenshots?
We would rather know. Send the store link to our contact page. If an app reuses WatchID screenshots, descriptions or the Horoview name, we report it to the store concerned. If you simply want the real thing, the download buttons on this site always point to the official apps.
Compare the identifiers yourself
Our guide to the best apps to identify a watch walks through what each type of tool can and cannot do, and the overview of identification tools covers web tools, forums and reference books as well. Whichever you choose, the fastest check remains the same: snap the watch, read the reference candidates, and verify them against the engravings on the case.
