W. E. Clark & Son is opening a third store. The company is moving into a high street unit in Uckfield, Sussex, that was previously taken by Chatfields jewellers. The store joins W.E. Clark & Sons positions in Lewes and Eastbourne. Clarks is a family jeweller selling watches including Tissot, Accurist and Bering alongside jewellery. In September, […]
Posted inEXHIBITIONS, INTERNATIONAL, LEAD STORY, NEWS, SIHH
Richemont-backed Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie adds 12 brands to its club
Switzerland’s Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH) has added 12 partner brands to its association, taking the total to 41 watchmakers. The organisation, created in 2005 by Audemars Piguet, Girard-Perregaux and the Richemont Group promotes fine watchmaking around the world, through training, information and the organisation of events. Its annual showcase, SIHH, takes place in […]
Posted inNEW PRODUCTS, NEWS, UK
Storm London hopes its Magnitor will sow seeds of global peace
Storm is doing its bit for world peace this month with the launch of Magnitor, a watch that makes a statement about global wars, nuclear threat and terrorism, the company says. The watch looks like it would survive Armageddon with a steel plate in front of a dial that has an aperture in the shape of […]
Posted inEDITOR'S CHOICE, NEW PRODUCTS, NEWS, UK
Mondaine makes a watch for today’s environmentally-conscious consumer
Mondaine may stick religiously to the Swiss Railway’s SBB clock design for the design of its signature watch collection, but that does not mean it fails to move with the times. Proof of the constant innovation comes this month in the form of the Essence series, which is made from sustainable materials. The watch’s case […]
Posted inINTERNATIONAL, NEWS
End of inventory buy-back helps Richemont profits to rocket
Richemont has issued a trading update to the Swiss stock exchange that says it expects to report an 80% rise in profit for the six months ended September 30. The company is required to announce any significant changes to forecasts to the stock market, and the dramatic rise in profit triggered the update. The improving picture […]
Posted inNEWS, UK
Essex luxury watch heist lands criminal with a 12 year jail sentence
Chelmsford Crown Court has handed down a 12 year jail sentence to a man who raided a pre-owned luxury watch shop in Essex. Luxe Watches in Buckhurst Hill was attacked in January this year by Joshua Jordan-Rose, who posed as a customer before the robbery. The court heard how Mr Jordan-Rose and an unnamed accomplice […]
Posted inEDITOR'S CHOICE, LEAD STORY, NEWS, UK
Wenger secures over 30 doors and online placement with H.Samuel
Wenger has secured space at more than 30 H.Samuel stores along with online placement with the retailer. The deal, which was announced by head of Burton McCall watch division Colin Lee last night, is initially for around 10% of all H.Samuel’s UK stores, but may be extended if it proves successful. It follows a factory visit by […]
Posted inNEW PRODUCTS, NEWS, UK
Armin Strom encourages customers to design their own watch from scratch
No self-respecting billionaire wants to sit down to dinner next to somebody wearing exactly the same watch. Armin Strom is all-but eradicating this risk by letting customers design their own watches using an online app where people can choose the base model, movement, case material, the style and colour of the dial and hands, the […]
Posted inEDITOR'S CHOICE, INTERNATIONAL, NEWS
Watch industry mourns the death of Roger Dubuis
Roger Dubuis, who created his eponymous watch business in 1995, has died at the age of 80. The company, which is now owned by Richemont, is known for creating some of the world’s most rare and expensive watches in modern times. Mr Dubuis learnt the technical and creative skills need to develop his highly complex […]
Posted inEDITOR'S CHOICE, INTERNATIONAL, LEAD STORY, NEWS, Research, UK, WATCHPRO AWARDS
WatchPro to give away 2017 State of the Watch Business Report at Awards Dinner
Every guest at the 2017 WatchPro Awards will be given a free copy of the 2017 State of the British Watch Business Report. The report is the most comprehensive investigation into the biggest watch brands, distributors and retailers operating in the UK today. It will reveal the turnover and operating profit for each of the top […]
Posted inNEW PRODUCTS, NEWS, UK
Camden Watch Company crowdfunds its first automatic collection
The Camden Watch Company returned to Kickstarter this month to fund the launch of its first collection of automatics. Within a week, the £18,000 target was hit, with 64 backers paying to be first to receive the No.29 Automatic timepieces. In total, 61 watches were sold via Kickstarter, including 14 limited editions. Camden Watch Company […]
Posted inNEWS, UK
Cluse proving popular with multiples and independents says Peers Hardy
Peers Hardy began working with Cluse a year ago, and has already secured placement with John Lewis, Beaverbrooks, Harvey Nichols, and 113 independents including Argento, T H Baker and The Dressing Room. The rapid success helped the fashion watch brand to be named as a finalist in WatchPro’s 2017 Awards alongside Olivia Burton and Daniel Wellington; rivals […]
Posted inOthers
VIEW FROM THE TOP: Glashütte Original CEO Thomas Meier celebrates German watchmaking
Glashütte Original, now owned by Swatch Group, can trace its history back over 170 years. It is one of Germany’s greatest watchmakers, creating timepieces every bit as sophisticated, precise and stylish as its peers over the border in Switzerland. Its watches are almost entirely German, with only 5% of components coming from other Swatch companies, […]
Posted inNEW PRODUCTS, NEWS, SMART WATCHES
Tommy Hilfiger adds connected smartwatch to its AW17 line up
Movado Group has developed a smartwatch as part of its Tommy Hilfiger line up for AW17. The TH24/7 You, which is reaching retailers this month, is equipped with a caller ID display for all incoming calls, a built-in fitness tracker and push notifications showing text and app alerts. It is also possible to respond to […]
Posted inEDITOR'S CHOICE, NEWS, Research, UK
Average price rises 31% in the past year across the watch market
The average price paid for a watch in Great Britain rose by over 31% in September compared to the same month in 2016. All luxury watch brands have increased prices more than once over the past 12 months in an effort to minimise the price advantage enjoyed by Britain since the Brexit vote crashed the pound […]
Posted inEDITOR'S CHOICE, IN MAG, INTERNATIONAL, INTERVIEWS, NEWS
Q&A: Junghans CEO describes his company’s role in the history, present and future of German watchmaking
Junghans has been a leading clock and watchmaker in Germany since the turn of the 20th century. The company’s current CEO, Matthias Stotz, is a master watchmaker who demands the highest standards of his team married with a respect for the history of horology in his country. WatchPro spoke to him about the post, present […]
Posted inNEWS, UK
Q&A: Bremont co-founder reflects on triumphant 1918 launch
Earlier this month, British aviation watch specialists Bremont hosted a spectacular party at London’s Imperial War Museum to commemorate the centenary of the RAF. To mark the occasion the brand launched a limited edition watch called the 1918, with a percentage of the proceeds from its sales being donated to the Royal Air Forces Association. Bremont’s co-founder Nick English took […]
Posted inEDITOR'S CHOICE, INTERNATIONAL, NEW PRODUCTS, NEWS, UK
Casio creates extreme sports camera that looks like a G-Shock and talks to a Pro Trek smartwatch
Casio has created a portable action camera aimed at sport and extreme activity enthusiasts that directly competes with the popular GoPro family. The Casio GZE-1 is designed to look like a G-Shock timepiece and can be activated by a Casio Pro Trek smartwatch, a smart phone, or the dedicated remote controllers. The camera is also as […]
Posted inEDITOR'S CHOICE, LEAD STORY, NEWS, UK
London jewellers hire special forces teams to protect shops and staff
Luxury jewellers and watch shops are employing former special forces and retired police officers to help protect their stores and staff from a wave of violent robberies in central London. Mappin & Webb on Regent Street, Watchfinder in Mayfair and Boodles in Chelsea have all been attacked in the past two months by armed gangs […]
Posted inNEWS, UK
Police packs six exclusive timepieces into a Justice League Heroes Box
Police has created a 500 piece limited edition watch gift set as part of its partnership with the Justice League movie release. The gift set is offered alongside a full range of watches produced by Inter City Group that are being introduced to retailers ahead of the highly anticipated DC Comics movie that opens in the […]