Andrew talks to the FT about the disruptive new faces of watchmaking

Russell Sheldrake

You are probably aware by now of our love for the new, young, and exciting brands that have popped up over the last few years. And these fresh faces are riding a wave of new collectors entering the market at a much lower price point, and bringing in different wants and perspectives to this hobby. As we make so much noise about these emerging forces, Maria Doulton, a journalist that writes for the Financial Times, decided to reach out to our very own Andrew McUtchen to find out more about this phenomenon.

As Andrew points out: “the world tuned into watches during the pandemic. The MoonSwatch launched in March 2022, sold a million pieces, and created a new generation of collectors at a lower price point. This gave us an enormous boost, as the MoonSwatch started an addiction and wearers began seeking out other cool brands for their collections.” Not only do we write at length about these disruptive brands like Studio Underd0g, Mr. Jones Watches, and Dennison, we stock them too – as Maria points out at the end of her article.

“Time+Tide now offers independent brands a retail space with its Watch Discovery Studio concept. Following the opening of its Melbourne flagship, it has launched a second shop in London. The Australian platform is a hybrid of media and retail for independent brands. ‘Collector addiction is taking the lower end of the market by storm,’ says founder McUtchen. ‘We stock brands that don’t have a retail presence. Clients feel they have hacked the watch industry, getting a better price and the same quality of big-box brands with personality-rich watches.'”

Maria also speaks with a host of other experts from the industry who are at the coalface with us such as Alistair Audsley, chief executive of the Alliance of British Watch and Clock Makers, Rob Nudds, marketing director at Arcanaut, and Crispin Jones, Founder of Mr. Jones Watches. You can read the full article here.