The third annual WatchPro Awards ceremony took place last night, with over 320 industry leaders gathering in London to congratulate winners in 15 categories collect their trophies.
The Watches of Switzerland Group, which is working towards a public listing next year, was a double winner of the night, collecting awards for Luxury Multiple Watch Retailer of the Year and Ecommerce Watch Retailer of the Year for WatchShop.
Beaverbrooks also won two gongs, taking home the prizes for Volume Watch Retailer of the Year and Retail Leader of the Year for the group’s managing director Anna Blackburn, who was given a seat on the board of directors for the family-owned businesses earlier this year.
The room was briefly silenced for the final award of the evening, when Mark Hearn, managing director of Patek Philippe UK, was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award and gave a moving speech describing his love of the industry, thanking his family, who joined him for the dinner, and praising Patek Philippe’s authorised dealer community for their loyalty and friendship over a career spanning 30 years.
Patek Philippe has 22 authorised retail partners in the UK, and 20 of them attended the WatchPro Awards to show their support for 59 year-old Mr Hearn, who is being treated for Parkinson’s disease. His family and executives from Patek Philippe joined the whole room in a standing ovation for the contribution Mr Hearn has made to the entire watch industry.
The full list of winners is:
Retailer categories
Independent Luxury Watch Retailer of the Year: Boodles
Multiple Luxury Watch Retailer of the Year: Watches of Switzerland
Volume Watch Retailer of the Year: Beaverbrooks
Ecommerce Watch Retailer of the Year: WatchShop
Best New Store of the Year: Pragnell in Mayfair
Best Refurbished Store of the Year: Bucherer in Westfield London
Retail Leader of the Year: Anna Blackburn, Beaverbrooks
Supplier categories
Marketing & Merchandising Team of the Year: Hublot
Sales Team of the Year: Citizen Watch UK
Executive Leadership Team of the Year: Patek Philippe
Lifestyle Watch Brand of the Year: Seiko
Luxury Watch Brand of the Year: Rolex
Fashion Watch Brand of the Year: Gucci
Lifetime Achievement Award – Mark Hearn, managing director, Patek Philippe