Watches priced at £3000 and up are dominating sales in the UK right now, so this was one of the hardest-fought of all the 2019 WatchPro Awards.
Having won the award for the past three years, and with its company rule book preventing them from attending the ceremony, Rolex was excluded from the vote, leaving a tighter battle between seven exceptional brands.
Grand Seiko was the only Japanese interloper in a contest predictably dominated by the Swiss.
It was a tight race between Patek Philippe and Omega for the win, and it would appear that the marketing and product launches around the 50th anniversary of man first landing on the moon swung it for Omega this year.
Its anniversary Speedmaster models dominated coverage by watch media over the summer, and that may have swayed the 27% out of 139 retailers who voted for Omega in this category.
Andrea Nunziata, Swatch Group country manager and Omega brand manager, was presented with the award by Anna O’Sullivan, director of watches & jewellery at Hearst, which sponsored the category this year.
