Duckworth Prestex — a British watchmaker brought back to life in 2021 by Neil Duckworth, a direct descendent of its founder — is celebrating its 100th anniversary next year with the launch of a modern reissue of a historic design from the archive.
The original Prestex watch company was started by Frank Duckworth, the grandfather of current owner Mr Duckworth.
Frank’s company started making pocket watches in 1924 from the workshops in Bolton, Neil’s home town, a century ago.
To mark 100 years since that pocket watch left the Prestex workshop, a new Duckworth Prestex Centenary watch has been unveiled as a modern recreation of a rectangular 1935 Prestex dress watch with an elegant Art Deco design.
A modern quartz movement is used to keep the watch slim, but the design is faithful to the 1935 original including use of a period font, applied numerals, and the classic train tracks around the dial.
The small seconds rectangular sub dial also looks exactly the same as the original.
It comes in a slim steel case measuring 24 x 40mm with dial colours including cream, salmon pink and midnight blue.
It can be bought on a choice of leather or suede straps priced at £495 or on a steel mesh Milanese bracelet for £550.
Orders placed online now will be delivered in time for Christmas, the company promises.
“Next year will be an important milestone for Duckworth Prestex and I wanted to mark this occasion by releasing a very special watch, which is quite different from anything else we have done before,” Mr Duckworth says.
“The Centenary marks the 100th birthday of the Prestex name by going back to a classic Art Deco design that encapsulates a whole era, updated for the modern day to offer an unparalleled combination of quality, style, and value. We’ve already previewed this model in New York and London and the reception has been amazing, so we’re looking forward to finally seeing it in production,” he adds.
