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Elysee looks to light up UK watch distribution

German watch brand Elysee is hoping to ramp up its presence in the UK with the appointment of a specialist distributor.

The Dusseldorf-based company says it has dipped its toe into UK waters by working directly with online retailers Watch Shop and Classic Time, but now wants to formally open up a channel to jewellers and watch stores up and down the country.

“We are a German brand, but 70% of our watches are exported,” explained Reiner Seume, owner and managing director for Elysee. “We are looking for a UK distributor, and we could exhibit at the London Watch Show along with that distributor,” he added in a conversation with WatchPro at Baselworld.

Elysee can trace its history back to 1920, when it was created in the Jura region of Switzerland. The company moved to Germany in the 1960s in the country’s watch and jewellery heartland around Pforzheim, before moving to Dusseldorf at the start of the 1990s at the time that Seume bought the brand.

Today the brand remains owned by the Seume family, and is exported to more than 30 countries around the world.

Elysee is looking for a distributor with specialist knowledge, and for retailers that can properly represent the brand’s story. “We aim for selective distribution to chosen specialist watch retailers so as to guarantee competent and friendly product advice to our customers,” said Seume.

The company has developed a brand image with a strong association to the motor racing world, and sponsors classic car races in Germany. Its statement new launch of 2014 is the Race 1 Series chronograph in matt black coated stainless steel.

The quartz-driven German-made watch uses the Citzen/Miyota OS20 movement housed in a 45mm water resistant case. It will retail for around EUR 280.

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