Much of the Fine Watch Room at Harrods is now behind construction hoardings as a major refurbishment gets underway. The luxury watch destination will partially re-open ahead of the key Christmas trading period, Harrods says, but the full reveal of an expanded two level luxury watch department connected by a striking spiral staircase will be […]
Posted inLEAD STORY, NEWS, UK
Mr Porter targets ‘contemporary’ watch buyers with exclusive Piaget online deal
Three collections from luxury watch and jewellery brand Maison Piaget are set debut on award-winning luxury men’s online retailer Mr Porter today. Piaget, which has a long-standing history as one of the leading Swiss fine watch and jewellery manufacturers, is launching its Altiplano, Piaget Polo and Possession collections on the site. Mr Porter is expected […]
Posted inINTERNATIONAL, NEW PRODUCTS, NEWS
IWC Schaffhausen adds colour to watch offering with blue debut
Swiss watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen is expanding the colour selection in its product portfolio by launching its two most desired items in a new hue. The Swiss watchmaking company is launching the Portugieser Automatic and the Portugieser Chronograph with a stainless-steel case and blue dial. For its latest blue highlights the company is now unveiling […]
Posted inNEW PRODUCTS, NEWS, UK
Swatch capitalises on Skin collection success with follow up campaign
Less than a year on from the launch of its Skin campaign, watch brand Swatch is following up the range with a sequel. The brand is preparing to roll out nine new models in two case sizes for men and women. These subtle looks to achieve a simple, easy- to-wear elegance, featuring Skin’s innovative double […]
Posted inINTERNATIONAL, NEWS
Urwerk adopts New York state of mind in celebration of landmark achievement
Urwerk is embracing a New York mindset in honour of its founder’s story to mark 20 years of business. The company, which only produces 150 timepieces each year, has produced a wristwatch in honour of its heritage. The brand, which was set up in 1997 in Brooklyn, is using its founding story as inspiration for […]
Posted inINTERNATIONAL, NEWS
Smartwatches ramp up news content in move to be convenience-orientated
Global media houses, such as the BBC and CNN, are expanding their smartwatch capabilities in a bid to offer more convenient breaking news. The move towards smartwatches from the media industry comes after it was announced that as of June 2017 approximately 9% of adults in America use smartwatches. The current figure is expected to […]
Posted inNEWS, Research, UK
Xupes.com charts the rising prices of the best watches to buy as investments
Pre-owned luxury goods retailer Xupes.com has created an online tool that shows the growth in value of certain luxury watches since 2014. The tracker produces a graph displaying the average price increase for over 1,000 models from leading brands such as Rolex, Breitling, Tag Heuer, Omega and Cartier. In an effort to promote the purchase of […]
Posted inNEW PRODUCTS, NEWS, UK, VIDEO
Dior time-travelling animation promotes launch of Mini D de Dior Rose des Vents watch collection
Dior has marked the arrival in store of its Mini D de Dior Rose des Vents watch collection with the release of a quirky animation illustrating a journey through time in the company of Christian Dior. In the short film, created by Victoire de Castellane, the duo travel through time visiting dinosaurs and pyramids before experiencing the future. The star, […]
Posted inNEW PRODUCTS, NEWS, Others, UK
Shade of black is key to latest watch collection from Glasgow design studio Instrmnt
With a plethora of minimalist brands competing for attention in today’s fashion watch market, it takes a fresh approach and unique story to make any sort of impact. Trying to do just that is Instrmnt which, as well as removing vowels from its name, commissioned acclaimed photographer Neil Bedford to produce a set of images to […]
Posted inFEATURES, IN MAG, LEAD STORY, NEWS, UK
BRANDS IN FOCUS: Seiko shifts upmarket with Knightsbridge boutique opening
Seiko is on the march in the UK. Among the most consistent and respected brands with British jewellers, the company is now positioning itself for a steady push upmarket with more elite models selling at higher price points. A new boutique, which opened in London’s ultra-affluent Knightsbridge last month, is all part of that strategy. […]
Posted inEDITOR'S CHOICE, FEATURES, IN MAG, NEWS, UK
MARKETING MASTERCLASS: The art and science of today’s advertising options
It may feel as if everything we ever knew about marketing has been made obsolete in the past five years. But Greg Turzynski, who was managing director of ZenithOptimedia when it was the UK’s largest media company and now runs his own communications consultancy, says that mastering modern applications of timeless techniques is the key to […]
Posted inINTERNATIONAL, NEWS
Oris targets 500 million customers shopping on Alibaba ecommerce platforms
Oris has joined TAG Heuer, Zenith and Tissot in opening an online store on Tmall, an online ecommerce platform run by China’s Alibaba Group. Liu Xiuyun, general manager of Tmall’s apparel division, said most of Tmall’s users are young and members of the middle class, driving a rebound in luxury sales growth as more brands […]
Posted inOthers
Zenith supports Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride, raising money for prostate cancer research
Zenith Watches is supporting the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride for a second year in a row. The event is expected to bring together 70,000 vintage biking enthusiasts at 600 meetings in 95 countries around the world to support research on prostate cancer and men’s mental health on behalf of the Movember Foundation. The UK has 34 events taking place […]
Posted inEDITOR'S CHOICE, FEATURES, IN MAG, INTERVIEWS, NEWS, UK
CHANGING FACE OF DISTRIBUTION: Turning fresh faces into winners at Peers Hardy
Are winners in the fickle world of fashion watches born or made? That is the question WatchPro put to Peers Hardy, which has overseen spectacular growth of Ice Watches and Daniel Wellington in the past seven years, and now intends to repeat the trick with a fresh line up of watch and jewellery brands. Distributors […]
Posted inEDITOR'S CHOICE, NEWS, UK
Beaverbrooks opens two Surrey shops on the same day
Beaverbrooks opened two new stores yesterday in Bracknell and Guildford. It helps that the two Surrey towns are just 40 miles apart, allowing head office executives to attend both openings. The latest openings expand the Beaverbrooks network to 71 stores nationwide. The new Bracknell store is in the recently opened Lexicon shopping centre. The Guildford store […]
Posted inEDITOR'S CHOICE, INTERNATIONAL, LEAD STORY, NEWS, UK
EXCLUSIVE: Aurum Holdings expects to hit sales of $1 billion this year
Aurum Holdings expects turnover to top $1 billion this year as its booming UK business is joined by 17 Majors Jewelers boutiques in the United States. In an interview to be published in WatchPro‘s October edition, Brian Duffy, chief executive of Aurum Holdings, also thinks the company can become the biggest retailer of Swiss watches […]
Posted inEDITOR'S CHOICE, NEWS, UK
Bournemouth villa built for Harriet Samuel set for third life as retirement flats
A cliff-side villa built for Harriet Samuel, the creator of H.Samuel in the 19th century, is set to be redeveloped into retirement flats if plans submitted to Bournemouth Council are approved. The building has had a chequered history since it was built 130 years ago. It was converted into a hotel that closed in 2002 and […]
Posted inEDITOR'S CHOICE, NEW PRODUCTS, NEWS, UK
Braun and Dezeen use unique dark blue dial on co-designed limited edition
Braun and Dezeen have collaborated to create a limited edition timepiece in a never-before-seen dark blue colour. Dezeen is global architecture and design publication and style authority that ran its own online watch shop until this summer, but closed it due to falling profit margins. Braun’s limited edition BN0031 joins a collection of reissued watches based on […]
Posted inINTERNATIONAL, NEW PRODUCTS, NEWS
Czapek designs double focal point guilloché for latest Quai des Bergues models
The watch face of Czapek ‘s 2017 Quai des Bergues Guilloché puts all other features of this watch in the shade. Described by the company as a ‘Ricochet’ guilloché, the pattern takes inspiration from an ancient design created by Francois Czapek in the 1850s. Its main characteristic and unique feature is the presence of a double focal point, […]
Posted inINTERNATIONAL, NEWS
Manhattan master developer may hold up opening of America’s first Watches of Switzerland
The first Watches of Switzerland in America may be delayed until next year, according to US reports. The luxury watch store, owned and managed by Aurum Holdings, was due to open ahead of Christmas this year in Hudson Yards, an 28 acres of land at the western edge of Manhattan, New York, that will include […]