British revival watch brand Duckworth Prestex comes to WATCHPRO Salon in November with plenty of pedigree.
First, the Prestex brand itself was a household name until the 1960s.
Based in Bolton, Prestex watches achieved worldwide fame thanks to their blend of style, strength and reliability.
They were a reliable choice for people looking for a high-quality British watch until 50 years’ ago, but fell into obsolescence when Swiss watches began to dominate the scene.Â
Secondly, the brand has been bought back by the original founder’s grandson Neil Duckworth, who has been instrumental in building the luxury watch industry in this country, particularly during his time as the distributor of TAG Heuer in the 1980s and 90s before becoming managing director of LVMH Watch and Jewellery for four years.
Neil Duckworth says he created the new Duckworth Prestex range of watches to honour the original Prestex watches established by his grandfather Frank.Â
“I’m incredibly proud to give new life to a historic British name. In buying a Duckworth Prestex watch, you’re buying into a tradition, which as a third-generation watchmaker, I’m delighted to represent. Despite our close links to the past, we’re looking firmly to the future with the latest technology and a whole new family of designs that look forward to the next hundred years,” Mr Duckworth says.
Visitors to WATCHPRO Salon will be able to try and buy the first two Duckworth Prestex collections, one a quartz-based chronograph, the other a three hand automatic.
The automatic watch, with its Verimatic movement, will be on sale at Salon priced at £595 while the quartz chronograph, with its two subdials, will be priced at £495.Â
Both are designed in Britain and come with a five-year warranty backed by a service facility in Bolton, where the Prestex story first began.Â
Try and buy Duckworth Prestex at WATCHPRO Salon
Duckworth Prestex is one of the star brands at this year’s WATCHPRO Salon, a showcase of prestige watchmakers and a chance for brands, retailers and press to meet collectors and enthusiasts in 5-star luxury.
The two-day event takes place from November 12 to 13 at The Londoner, a brand new 5-star hotel on London’s Leicester Square.
Other confirmed exhibitors include:
ALLEMANO | BALL WATCH | BA1110D | BIANCHET | BONHAMS | BRITISH HOROLOGICAL INSTITUTE | CHARLES GIRARDIER | CHRISTOPHER WARD | CYRUS | CZAPEK | DELMA | DOXA | DUCKWORTH PRESTEX | GRAHAM | GRAND SEIKO | IKEPOD | JUNGHANS | LAURENT FERRIER | MARATHON | MAURICE LACROIX | MECCHANICHE VELOCI | MICHEL HERBELIN | ORIS | PARMIGIANI FLEURIER | PEQUIGNET | PERRELET | QLOCKTWO | SCATOLA DEL TEMPO | SCHOFIELD | SIDEREUS | SINN | SPEAKE-MARIN | SWISS CAPSULE | SWISS KUBIK | THE SPLINED HUB | TRIBUS | U-BOAT | VICTORINOX | VOUTILAINEN | WOLF | WILLIAM WOOD WATCHES | ZEITWINKEL
