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A New Dawn in the World of Luxury Watches

If you have ever considered, are in the process of buying, or just educating yourself in the world of luxury watches…what a crowded marketplace you may find yourself entering. Every pocket, from a few hundred pounds to hundreds of thousands, and every shade of taste, is catered for. There are famous high street brands, ultra-cheap watches sold in garages, and, of course, the internet. Millions of ‘genuine’ watches are bought every year, not to mention innumerable fakes. Yet, in a tiny corner of this enormous market, some watches are being made to the individual order of their owner, and Britain is at the forefront of this revival.

The displays of famous-name watches in most High Streets can be confusing: the more they try to be different from each other, the more they seem the same! Today’s vast market could not exist without mass production. In fact, there is an interesting comparison between clothes production and watch manufacture. Many buy their clothes in stores such as M&S, Next, and Primark. However, mass production cannot satisfy individuality, so there has always been a small, steady demand for tailored and bespoke clothing: hand-made from top quality materials and carefully fitted. It costs more, but it looks and feels better, and it will outlast the cheaper alternatives many times over. The buying experience is also more enjoyable, with a leisurely and old-fashioned level of service.

Of course, alot of watches are made in the Far East, just like so many of the clothes and other products that seem to flood our country: a far cry from the days when British manufacturing led the world in innovation, craftsmanship and volume. And many are made in Switzerland, for so long the home of high-end watchmaking, although many of their renowned names are now owned by conglomerates such as LVMH, Richemont and Swatch.

Historically, England was the centre of horological excellence. Such names as Tompion, Graham and Harrison reverberate through history, and in the 20th and 21st centuries George Daniels’ and Roger Smith’s superlative standards are renowned. It is a little known fact that Rolex was a British company until 1919.

Some watches are still made in England, though this is a small and exclusive collection, this is not necessarily a bad thing. Some of these are handmade and far from being the cheapest or easiest way to make a watch, this does lead to provenance of the components and the watch – this I would consider added value. There is another advantage with this way of producing, in that your watch is not created until you order it, so it can be ‘bespoke’ in a number of ways, and there seems to be a definite increase in the market for these type of customised watches.

Imagine being able to choose from a range of colours for the dial, and from a variety of leathers and stitching colours for your leather strap, which will itself be made to your own wrist size. Or imagine the luxury of having your initials or crest on the dial, for example, or even having your name spelt out in place of the hour markers (an 18th Century idea to make a beautiful watch less attractive to thieves, but also an ultimate statement of individuality!). More obvious choices maybe details such as engraving, case tooling and 18 carat gold rather than stainless steel, are available: in fact, the only limits are practicality, imagination and cost!

About the Author

If you found this article useful and informative you can visit www.haroldpinchbeck.co.uk where you can find out how the market for luxury watches is changing!

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