Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

Watchems ("we," "us," "our") operates the website at watchems.com. We are an independently run watch photo gallery. For questions about this policy, email hello@watchems.com.

2. What data we collect

We collect only what is necessary to operate the platform:

Account data

When you create an account, our authentication provider (Clerk) processes your name, email address, and profile image. We do not store passwords directly — authentication is handled entirely by Clerk.

User-generated content

Photos you upload are stored in our database along with your display name and the date of submission. Photos are stored on Vercel Blob storage. Photo metadata is stored on Upstash Redis.

Analytics and performance data

We use Google Analytics 4 and Vercel Analytics to understand how the site is used. This includes page views, referral sources, device type, and general geographic region. We do not enable Google's advertising features or share analytics data with third parties for advertising purposes.

Technical data

Our hosting provider (Vercel) automatically logs IP addresses, browser type, and request timestamps as part of standard server operations. These logs are retained according to Vercel's data retention policies.

3. How we use your data

• To display your photos in the gallery
• To authenticate your identity when you sign in
• To prevent abuse (spam and malicious uploads)
• To understand site usage and improve the platform
• To respond to support inquiries

We do not sell, rent, or share your personal data with third parties for marketing purposes. We do not send marketing emails.

4. Third-party services

We use the following third-party services to operate the platform:

• Clerk — authentication and account management
• Vercel — hosting, image storage (Blob), and analytics
• Upstash — database for photos and gallery data
• Google Analytics 4 — website analytics

Each service has its own privacy policy governing how it processes data. We recommend reviewing their policies if you have specific concerns.

5. Cookies

We use a minimal number of cookies:

• Authentication cookies — set by Clerk to maintain your signed-in session. These are essential and cannot be disabled while using an account.
• Analytics cookies — set by Google Analytics to distinguish users and track sessions. You can opt out of Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.

We do not use advertising cookies or tracking pixels.

6. Data retention

• Account data is retained as long as your account exists. Delete your account through Clerk to remove it.
• Photos are retained as long as they are published. You can request removal by emailing us.
• Analytics data is retained according to Google Analytics and Vercel Analytics default retention periods (typically 14 months for GA4).

7. Your rights

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate data
• Request deletion of your data
• Object to or restrict certain processing
• Request a copy of your data in a portable format

To exercise any of these rights, email hello@watchems.com. We will respond within 30 days.

8. Children

Watchems is not directed at children under 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us and we will delete it.

9. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last updated" date. Continued use of the site after changes constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

10. Contact

Questions about this privacy policy? Email us at hello@watchems.com.