A jury of 406 executives from across the country’s watch industry cast their votes for the second annual WatchPro Awards, which just took place in New York City.
From among WatchPro’s subscribers, retailers were asked to vote for the watch brands they have most-admired over the past year, and brand executives were voting for the retailers that have impressed them most.
The results were revealed at a dazzling ceremony at Cipriani on Broadway, where over 200 industry leaders gathered to celebrate another record-breaking year for the American watch business.
As China, Hong Kong and even much of Europe has stumbled over the past two years, America has roared ahead, triggering a wave of investment from brands and retailers that has made this the largest and most sophisticated watch market in the world.
WatchPro Awards aim to identify the people and teams that are making the greatest contribution, so our survey focuses on the quality of work being done on the ground and the partnerships that are the lifeblood of the industry.
We also recognize that the watch industry is now enriched with increasingly professional pre-owned and vintage players, and that the primary and secondary market are now in a mutually reinforcing market designed to bring the joy of luxury watches to the widest possible audience.
Relationships are the lifeblood of the industry, and the WatchPro Awards would not be possible without the support of brands, retailers and our valued sponsors including our headline partner for the second successive year, eBay; category sponsors Citizen and WOLF; and support sponsors Horological Society of New York, Redd Retail Group and Luxury Bazaar, which provided a Rolex that was won on the night in a safe-cracker game.
WOLF was also kind enough to pay for an after-party following the black tie Award ceremony.
WatchPro Awards are presented to America’s leading watch brands and retailers.
Finalists and winners on the night needed to be in attendance at the dinner.
2024 WatchPro Awards
Volume Watch Brand of the Year
The first award is for Volume Watch Brand of the Year. This award category is for brands specializing in watches retailing for under $1,500.
Finalists for Volume Watch Brand of the Year are:
- Timex
- Bulova
- Versace
- Seiko
- Citizen
- G-Shock
The winner is: Citizen
Prestige Watch Brand of the Year
Prestige Watch Brand of the Year is for watchmakers that predominately sell pieces for between $5000 and $10,000.
Finalists are:
- IWC
- Panerai
- Grand Seiko
- TAG Heuer
- Zenith
- Hublot
The winner is: Grand Seiko
Multi-Generational Watch Retailer of the Year
The first retailer award is for Multi-Generational Watch Retailer of the Year — family-owned businesses with the deepest roots in the American watch industry.
This award is sponsored by WOLF and presented by Susy Garcia Johnson, WOLF’s Northeast Territory Manager.
Finalists are:
- London Jewelers
- Hamilton Jewelers
- Razny Jewelers
- Manfredi Jewels
- Polacheck’s Jewelers
- W Kodak Jewelers
- REEDS Jewelers
- The 1916 Company
The winner is: Hamilton Jewelers
HAMILTON JEWELERS
Jewelry Watch Brand of the Year
Back to the brands and the next award is for Jewelry Watch Brand of the Year, a category for watch manufacturers with a specialism in highly decorated gem-encrusted timepieces.
The finalists are:
- Cartier
- Bulgari
- Chopard
- Piaget
And the winner is: Chopard
Best New or Refurbished Branded Store of the Year
The award for Best New or Refurbished Branded Store of the Year is for stores that are run directly by brands and aim to give customers a full immersive experience.
The finalists are:
- IWC on Madison Avenue, New York
- Breitling in San Francisco
- Grand Seiko on Madison Avenue, New York
- Citizen Watch America’s multibrand store on 5th Avenue, New York
- Cartier’s Townhouse in SoHo, New York City
- A. Lange & Sohne’s Salon in San Francisco
And the winner is: Citizen Watch America in New York City
Marketing Activation of the Year
Marketing Activation of the Year recognizes outstanding work in the ever-changing field of marketing across physical and digital media and has thrown up a broad and interesting mix of finalists.
Those finalists are:
- Grand Seiko’s opening party for its flagship in New York
- Ryan Gosling wears TAG Heuer Plasma for Barbie performance at the Oscars
- Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Reverso Stories exhibition in New York
- Planet Omega exhibition in New York
- TAG Heuer’s Kith Formula 1 launch at Miami Grand Prix
And the winner is: TAG Heuer’s Kith Formula 1 launch at Miami Grand Prix
Best New Store of the Year
The second award for a new store is for those built by retailers and can include either a multi-brand store under their own name or a boutique created with a brand partner.
There have been some spectacular openings this year and the finalists are:
- Long’s Patek Philippe and fine jewelry, Boston
- CD Peacock in Oak Brook, Chicago
- Burdeen’s on Oak Street, Chicago
- The 1916 Company | Radcliffe Jewelers, Baltimore
- Larchmont Jewelers by Hing Wa Lee, California
And the winner is CD Peacock in Oak Brook, Chicago
Affordable Luxury Watch Brand of the Year
The next award of the is for Affordable Luxury Watch Brand of the Year, a part of the market that is often a gateway into the horological world for new customers.
The finalists are:
- Alpina
- Longines
- Hamilton
- Luminox
- Frederique Constant
And the winner is: Frederique Constant
Best Refurbished Store of the Year
Back to the retailers and the award for Best Refurbished Store of the Year, which is open only to specialist retailers.
There are some amazing projects among our finalists, which are:
- REEDS Jewelers, Wilmington, North Carolina
- The 1916 Company | Hyde Park Jewelers – Newport Beach, CA
- Bachendorf’s, Galleria Mall in Dallas, TX
- Manfredi, New Canaan, CT
- Henne Jewelers, Pittsburgh, MA
The winner is: REEDS Jewelers, Wilmington, North Carolina
Pre-Owned Watch Retailer of the Year
WatchPro’s Pre-Owned Watch Retailer of the Year award is open to specialists in both pre-owned and vintage watches.
The finalists for this award are:
- eBay
- Wind Vintage
- The 1916 Company (formerly WatchBox)
- European Watch Company
- Collectability
- Luxury Bazaar
- Bob’s Watches
And the winner is: Collectability
Luxury Watch Brand of the Year
We move on to Luxury Watch Brand of the Year, which is for brands producing watches predominantly priced at over $10,000.
There are some heavyweight contenders among the finalists which are:
- De Bethune
- H. Moser & Cie.
- Vacheron Constantin
- A. Lange & Sohne
- Jaeger-LeCoultre
And the winner is: Vacheron Constantin
Independent Watch Retailer of the Year
The next award is one of the most hotly contested as we highlight the outstanding work of America’s independent retailers.
This award is sponsored by Citizen Watch America and presented by Eric Horowitz, managing director of Citizen.
The finalists are:
- Polacheck’s Jewelers
- Manfredi Jewels
- Hing Wa Lee
- Razny Jewelers
- Hamilton Jewelers
- W Kodak Jewelers
And the winner of the Independent Retailer of the Year is: Hing Wa Lee
American Watch Brand of the Year
Our next award is for homegrown American watchmakers that are part of a growing renaissance for horological talent in this country.
This award is open to every brand that is based in the United States. They do not need to manufacture in the country.
The finalists are:
- J.N. Shapiro
- Oak & Oscar
- Wilbur Watch Co.
- RGM Watch Co.
- Brew Watch Co.
And the winner is: Wilbur Watch Co.
Multiple Watch Retailer of the Year
The penultimate award is for the Multiple Watch Retailer the Year, a category that is open to businesses with more than 10 stores in the United States.
The finalists are:
- London Jewelers
- REEDS Jewelers
- The 1916 Company
- Bucherer | Tourneau
- Watches of Switzerland | Mayors
And the winner is: The 1916 Company
Lifetime Achievement Award
The final award at the gala dinner was being presented for the very first time by WatchPro and is chosen by our editorial team.
The WatchPro Lifetime Achievement Award is recognition of a lifetime of incredible service to the watch industry.
In the case of this year’s winners, WatchPro recognizes the owners of an independent family jeweler that has grown to become one of the greatest luxury watch and jewelry retailers in this country and is setting a standard that is admired around the world.
This award goes to Mark and Candy Udell who, along with the rest of their family and London Jewelers team have built one of the greatest of all American jewelers.
