Born in Switzerland. Built in the US. Perfected in Japan.

GVA Watch Advisors was founded by Sean Johnson, a Swiss-American watch specialist with 15+ years of experience in the international pre-owned watch trade.

Raised in Geneva and trained in the United States, Sean built his career buying, selling, pricing and advising on watches in New York, including on 47th Street and at Sotheby's. He later helped scale the Jewelry & Watches business at The RealReal ahead of its IPO and served as Head of Watches at Freeman's, where he grew the department fivefold in 24 months and set multiple company records.

Sean also served as a consultant to The Watch Register, a leading international database of lost, stolen and counterfeit watches, further strengthening his expertise in provenance, due diligence and risk management in the secondary watch market.

Today, based in Tokyo, Sean brings that experience to GVA Watch Advisors, helping professional watch dealers worldwide access Japan's extensive secondary market.

His expertise spans sourcing, valuation, due diligence, auctions and cross-border transactions, with market insights featured in Forbes, Robb Report, Hodinkee, WatchPro and JCK.

Sean is a GIA Graduate Gemologist and FHH-certified Watch Expert and currently serves as a Watch Advisor to The Fine Art Group.

GVA Watch Advisors combines international watch-market expertise with local access in Japan, giving dealers a trusted partner on the ground.