Mark and Candy Udell, co-owners of London Jewelers, have won the very first WatchPro USA Lifetime Achievement Award.
The award was presented at the WatchPro Awards in New York City last week, where over 200 leading executives from the American watch industry gathered to celebrate their world-leading achievements over the past year.
London Jewelers was founded in 1926 by Charles London, grandfather of Mark Udell, as a clock repair business that later evolved into a retail jeweler and watch specialist.
Mark started in the family business when it was just a mom and pop single-store jeweler in Glen Cove on Long Island, New York, and was soon joined by his wife Candy.
The couple have been married for 51 years and been involved in the family business for over five decades, growing London Jewelers to become the largest family-owned fine jewelry and watch retailer across the states of New York and New Jersey.
Today, with a fourth generation of the family now deeply involved in running the business, London Jewelers has 17 showrooms including destination multibrand stores and boutiques for the likes of Rolex, Patek Philippe, Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels across a territory stretching from The Hamptons on Long Island to Short Hills in New Jersey.
Developing London Jewelers over 50 or more years has been made possible by the deep partnerships and friendships Mark and Candy have made with customers, watch and jewellery brands and the hundreds of people who work for the company.
In a speech at the WatchPro Awards, they expressed their gratitude to everybody in the industry that has helped them along the way.
In response, a standing ovation from the room demonstrated the appreciation that executives from the brands and fellow retailers feel in return.
Growing London Jewelers remains an endless process of building and renewal.
The company’s flagship parade of boutiques at the Americana Mall in Manhasset, Long Island, is currently undergoing a major expansion and refurbishment of its Watch Salon.