The inaugural WatchPro USA Awards take place on September 14 at Cipriani, 25 Broadway, a New York City landmark in the Financial District of lower Manhattan (pictured top).
The black tie dinner will convene in the the Great Hall, an Italian neo-renaissance masterpiece completed in 1921 that has stunning 65-foot high ceilings supported by soaring marble columns.
Watch executives will be treated to the exceptional cuisine of Cipriani, plus live entertainment and the excitement of the WatchPro Awards ceremony.
How the Awards work
The first step towards selecting the 2023 WatchPro Awards winners is to create a shortlist through a nomination process.
Retailers and brands are invited to nominate themselves or other businesses they particularly admire. These suggestions are added to a list drawn up by WatchPro’s editors and contributors to create shortlists in every award category.
These shortlists are then put to a closed vote with retailers voting in the award categories devoted to brands.
Executives from brands will be invited to vote in the award categories devoted to retailers.
This process means that businesses cannot vote for themselves.
It is also a closed process, with executives invited to vote by e-mail, rather than a public forum.
In addition, we have a special Lifetime Achievement Award, which is bestowed on somebody who has made an outstanding contribution to the watch industry throughout their career. The recipient of this award is chosen solely by WatchPro’s editors.
The Awards
There will be 15 WatchPro Awards in 2023. The categories are:
Watch Brand Awards
Luxury Watch Brand of the Year
For brands predominately priced at $10,000 and upwards
Prestige Watch Brand of the Year
For brands predominately priced between $3,000 and $10,000
Volume Watch Brand of the Year
For brands predominately priced under $3,000
Marketing Activation of the Year
Which brand marketing activations have you most admired this year?
Best New or Refurbished Branded Store of the Year
For stores that are directly run by a watch brand
Watch Retailer Awards
Multiple Luxury Watch Retailer of the Year
For retailers with 10 stores or more across the United States
Independent Watch Retailer of the Year
For privately-owned retailers with fewer than 10 stores across the United States
Multi-Generational Watch Retailer of the Year
For privately-owned retailers with more than one generation working within the business
Best New Store of the Year
For stores that are owned and run by an independent or multiple retailers
Best Refurbished Store of the Year
For stores that are owned and run by an independent or multiple retailers
Pre-Owned Watch Retailer of the Year
For multiple or independent watch retailers operating physical or online businesses
Awards for the entire industry
Charity Fundraising Initiative of the Year
Recognizing the smartest and most successful fundraising programs of the Year by retailers or brands
Lifetime Achievement Award
Chosen each year by WatchPro’s editors, this Award recognizes a lifetime of outstanding contribution to the American watch industry.
How to nominate
Nominating in any category could not be simpler. You just need e-mail WatchPro editor-in-chief Rob Corder with your suggestions to rob.corder@itp.com.
When shortlists are published, we will include information from these nominations, so please provide supporting evidence with each nomination. This can including a description, images and videos.
A reminder: it is absolutely fine to nominate your own business or business activity.
