Policy
Privacy
We collect as little as we can, we don't track you, and we never sell or share personal information for advertising.
Last updated 28 September 2026.
The short version
- You can read everything on Hey Man, Nice Watch without an account, and without being tracked.
- There are no analytics, advertising or social-media trackers on the site, and no third-party scripts or fonts.
- The only cookies are the ones the site needs to work, listed below.
- If you create an account, send a message or add a watch, we keep what's needed for that — and you can ask us to delete it.
What we collect, and why
When you just browse
Nothing that identifies you is stored by the site. When you search, we keep the words you searched for and how many results there were — with no information about who searched — so we can see what people look for and what's missing. Search records are deleted after 12 months.
Like every website, our hosting provider's web servers keep short-lived technical logs (such as the address of each request and your IP address) to run and protect the service.
When you create an account
- Your email address, the name you choose to show, and your password — stored only in scrambled (hashed) form that even we can't read.
- If you turn on two-step sign-in, a secret for your authenticator app, stored encrypted.
- A record of sign-ins (the email address used, the time and the IP address), kept for 90 days to protect accounts against break-in attempts.
When you show your watches (Collections)
- What you choose to publish: your watches, photos and stories, and how you appear — your name, an alias, or Private collector. Your city, region and country are optional.
- Your email address is never shown. When someone contacts you about a watch for sale, we forward their message to you by email so you can reply directly; we don't keep a copy of the message text.
- We count how many people contact sellers, using a scrambled, one-way code in place of anything that could identify them.
When you contribute a sighting or send us a message
- Your contribution and the name on your account, which may be shown as the contributor.
- Messages sent through our forms: your name, email address and message, so we can answer. We also keep the IP address and browser type for 90 days to fight spam and abuse, then erase them.
Photos
Every uploaded photo is re-processed before it is stored. This removes hidden information such as the camera's GPS location and the date and time it was taken.
Cookies
We use only these cookies, all set by this site. None is used for tracking or advertising, so there is nothing to consent to.
| Cookie | What it's for | How long |
|---|---|---|
hmnw_theme, hmnw_mode | Remembers the colour theme and light/dark choice you picked. | 1 year |
hmnw_csrf | A security token that protects forms from being submitted by other websites. | Until you close your browser |
hmnw_sid | Keeps you signed in. Only set when you sign in. | Ends after 30 days without a visit, or when you sign out |
Your theme choice is also kept in your browser's own storage so it survives if cookies are cleared.
Who else sees your information
We don't sell, rent or trade personal information, and we don't share it for advertising. It is handled only by the services we need to run the site: our web host, where the site and its database are stored (in the United States), and the email service that delivers our messages. We would disclose information only if the law required it.
If we add advertising or affiliate links in future, this page will be updated before they appear, and anything that needs your consent will ask for it first.
People who appear on the site
The sightings database records the watches worn by public figures at public appearances, on screen and on the red carpet. We never include private individuals or children. Everyday ("In the Wild") sightings give the city only and appear at least 7 days afterwards. If you are featured and something is wrong or you'd like something removed, please tell us.
Your choices and rights
- You can change your profile, your watches and how you appear at any time from your account.
- You can ask for a copy of the personal information we hold about you, ask us to correct it, or ask us to delete your account and your personal information.
- Sightings you contributed are part of the reference database; if you close your account we remove your name from them.
To do any of these, email info [at] heymannicewatch [dot] com . We answer within 30 days. If you're in Canada and not satisfied with our answer, you can contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.
Age
Accounts are for people aged 16 and over. The site is not directed at children, and we never knowingly publish information about them.
Keeping information safe
The site is served only over encrypted connections, passwords are hashed, two-step sign-in is available to everyone (and required for administrators), and access to the administration tools is limited and logged. No system is perfectly secure, but we work to protect what you trust us with and will tell you promptly if something goes wrong.
Changes
If we change how we handle personal information, we'll update this page and its date. Significant changes will be announced on the site, and to account holders by email.