The annual WatchPro Awards will take place for the fourth time on November 5, with the British watch industry’s biggest names gathering for a night of celebration.
We are tweaking the process of deciding the finalists that will contest each of the Awards by today publishing a Long List of worthy contenders. The reason for using a Long List as part of the process is because it gives industry executives a chance to add their own nominations and comments if they feel WatchPro’s editors have missed or misjudged any of the potential finalists.
We urge readers to act quickly if you feel another finalist should be considered in any of the categories. Simply send an e-mail to the editor, Rob Corder (rob.corder@itp.com), with your suggested addition. We feel it is much easier to nominate in this way because the Long List helps to nudge people into action.
Without further ado, here is the Long List of potential finalists for the 2019 WatchPro Awards.
Independent Luxury Watch Retailer of the Year
Independents must operate fewer than 10 stores and specialise in watches priced at more than £3000.
FINALISTS
- Berry’s
- Boodles
- David M Robinson
- Laing’s
- Pragnell
- Prestons
Multiple Luxury Watch Retailer of the Year
We define luxury watches as those that sell for more than £3000. Multiples must have 10 or more physical stores.
FINALISTS
- Bucherer
- Mappin & Webb
- Chisholm Hunter
- Goldsmiths
- Fraser Hart
- Beaverbrooks
- Watches of Switzerland
Midmarket Watch Retailer of the Year
This category is open to all retailers that trade predominately in watches priced at up to £3000.
FINALISTS
- T.H. Baker
- Beaverbrooks
- Chisholm Hunter
- Goldsmiths
- Ernest Jones
Ecommerce Retailer of the Year
This category is open to retailers that trade almost exclusively online.
FINALISTS
- Amazon
- Watchfinder
- Xupes
- Chronext
- Chrono24
- Watch Shop
- Watches2U
- Watcho
- First Class Watches
- Chronohunter
Best New Store of the Year
Stores all need to have opened since summer of 2018. The category is open to stores operated by watch brands and retailers.
FINALISTS
- Chisholm Hunter, Bluewater, Kent
- Roger Dubuis, London
- Richard Mille, London
- A Lange & Sohne with Wempe, London
- Frost of London
- Audemars Piguet with Arije, London
- Oris, London
- Breitling with Ernest Jones, Westfield London
Best Refurbished Store of the Year
Stores all need to have been refurbished since summer of 2018. The category is open to stores operated by watch brands and retailers.
FINALISTS
- Rolex Boutique by Bucherer, London
- David M Robinson, Manchester
- Cartier, Bond Street, London
- Chopard, Bond Street, London
- Pragnell, Stratford-Upon-Avon
- Berry’s, Leeds
- Chisholm Hunter, Glasgow
Retail Leader of the Year
This category honours an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to their retail business in the past 12 months.
FINALISTS
- Anna Blackburn, Beaverbrooks
- Brian Duffy, Watches of Switzerland Group
- David Coleridge, Bucherer
- Harry Brown, Chisholm Hunter
- Joe Walsh, Laing’s
- John Robinson, David M Robinson
- Simon Walton, Berry’s
- Karl Massey, Prestons
- Noel Coyle, Fraser Hart
British Watch Business of the Year
Finalists in this category need to be headquartered in the UK but are permitted to manufacture overseas.
FINALISTS
- Bremont
- Christopher Ward
- anOrdain
- Struthers
- Loomes
- Bamford London
- Marloe Watches
Executive Leadership Team of the Year
The following executive leadership teams have demonstrated outstanding service and assistance to their retail partners in the past year.
FINALISTS
- Citizen Watch UK
- Omega
- TAG Heuer
- Time Products
- Patek Philippe
- Rolex
- Movado Group
- Zeon
Lifestyle Watch Brand of the Year
The finalists for lifestyle watch brand of the year category are judged on the best products, sales, service, and marketing.
FINALISTS
- Citizen
- Seiko
- Casio
- Garmin
- Sekonda
- Rotary
- Timex
Independent Watch Brand of the Year
In an era of blockbuster groups, these innovative and nimble businesses keep the spirit of independent watchmaking alive and prospering.
FINALISTS
- Raymond Weil
- Maurice Lacroix
- Michel Herbelin
- Bremont
- Oris
- Reservoir
Luxury Watch Brand of the Year
The finalists for luxury watch brand of the year category are judged on the best products, sales, service, and marketing. Having won for three years in a row, Rolex is excluded from the finalists in 2020.
FINALISTS
- Patek Philippe
- Audemars Piguet
- Omega
- TAG Heuer
- Breitling
- Cartier
- Grand Seiko
Fashion Watch Brand of the Year
The finalists for fashion watch brand of the year category are judged on the best products, sales, service, and marketing.
FINALISTS
- Vivienne Westwood
- Hugo Boss
- Olivia Burton
- Emporio Armani
- Gucci
- Michael Kors
- Tommy Hilfiger
- Guess
- Versace
- Versus
Methodology
The publishing of this Long List gives the industry an opportunity to comment on potential finalists and nominate any business, team or individual that should be added to the Finalists.
The Finalists will be revealed on October 1, so there are just 14 days to add nominations. Please e-mail rob.corder@itp.com without delay to make your case for any finalists you feel should be considered.
Once the list of finalists is sealed, the industry will be invited to vote for the winners. Retailers will be asked to vote for the suppliers they most admire and suppliers will be asked to vote for the retailers they most admire. Invitations to vote will be sent by e-mail in the first week of October, following the publication of the 2019 finalists.
Thank you to our sponsors
We would like to give a special thanks to the sponsors of the 2019 WatchPro Awards, without whom we would not be able to host such a spectacular event on November 5.
This year’s confirmed sponsors are Mondaine, LBS watch straps, Redd Retail Group, Hearst, Garmin, WOLF, Ingersoll and ICE-Watch.
