Time+Tide City Watch Buying Guide – London
Russell SheldrakeBuying watches in London comes with a few stereotypes – with security being one of the big ones. It is one of the biggest topics of conversation around collector circles in the British capital. But there is also a sense that the boutiques that line the famous Bond Street are impenetrable fortresses for the ultra-wealthy and super collectors that mere mortals can’t even dream of getting an allocation at. And while that might be the case in some instances, it certainly doesn’t represent the entirety of watch shopping in this city of over eight million people.
There is an incredible array and diversity when it comes to what London offers in terms of bricks-and-mortar stores, with mono-brand boutiques dominating Old and New Bond Street, multi-brand retailers dotted throughout the centre, and a smattering of vintage and second-hand sellers that are setting up shop around the hotspots. And now we have officially set up our first physical space in the city, we wanted to go through some of our other favourite places to browse and buy.
Time+Tide London Discovery Studio
Ok, we can’t pretend like we weren’t going to talk about our newly opened Time+Tide London Discovery Studio. We’ve been open now for just over two weeks with our first big event about to take place to launch our upcoming collaboration with TAG Heuer. In here, we have ten permanent brands on sale, and a rotation of hot brands that are turning over every few months. We also have a bespoke gallery space we call the “White Room”, where we are constantly exhibiting new and exciting brands and displays so there is always something new to see when you come in.
I could wax lyrical about this space for thousands of words, and I likely will very soon in a dedicated article, but for now, all you need to know is that we’re located on the first floor at 4 Great Portland Street, London, W1W 8QJ. We are open from 10-6, Monday to Saturday, with no appointments necessary. Just press the buzzer, and come up to have a chat with one of our in-house specialists. But be warned: I’ve seen first-hand how easy it is to come in here and lose a couple of hours of your day talking watches.
A. Lange & Söhne
While the brand’s standalone boutique on Bond Street might have closed its doors for good, it has now made its own space in the picturesque Dunhill store in heart of Mayfair. This space acts as a VIP lounge tucked away in a quiet corner that allows you to dive deep into the German brand’s deep references and calibres. It’s an incredibly relaxed space, and doesn’t feel like a retail environment at all. Find out more on the brand’s website.
Address: 2 Davis Street, London, W1K 3DJ
Contact: +44 20 3425 7316
Audemars Piguet
Already a powerhouse brand of luxury Swiss watches, Audemars Piguet has been growing rapidly in the last few years as it gains traction with all kinds of celebrities across sports and media. The brand has been at the forefront of the trend to move all retail operations in-house, pulling out of multi-brand retailers, and creating its own blend of retail and hospitality spaces. They opened the official AP House on New Bond Street in late 2019, immersing visitors in all things Audemars Piguet. For more details, visit the brand’s website here.
Address: 1st Floor, 130-134 New Bond St, London W1S 1DL
Bamford
What started out as a curious hobby for George Bamford quickly became an international phenomenon, modifying Rolexes with blacked-out components and a signature powder blue highlight. Now, the Bamford brand have partnered with the likes of TAG Heuer, Bulgari, Zenith, and Girard-Perregaux to build you the customised watch of your dreams. The online configurator is worth hours of daydreaming fun, and they even produce their own watches under the name Bamford London. Their headquarters is called The Hive, and the only limit is your imagination. Check out their website for more information.
Address: 80 S Audley St, London W1K 1JH
Contact: +44 20 7881 8019
Bell & Ross
Bell & Ross can sometimes be overlooked among watch enthusiasts, with the hyper-niche focus on pilot’s instruments gaining them a bit of a Marmite reputation. Seeing them in person is the only way you can truly make up your mind, and seeing how the tech-focused case shapes sit on your wrist could be the key behind it. You can find them in the historic Burlington Arcade with a rather impressive double frontage and a snug lunge area upstairs. You can browse the brand’s website in preparation for your visit here.
Address: Units 48, 49 Burlington Arcade, London W1J 0QJ
Contact: +44 20 7629 6464
Breitling
The Breitling boutique on the corner of New Bond Street is definitely eye-catching, with a neon yellow sign behind the display cases enticing you to browse their ranges. Another brand that has moved towards incorporating more elements of hospitality into its physical store offering, Breitling has a number of locations around London, but the store on the corner of New Bond Street and Grosvenor Street is the brand’s jewel. Their website here even features a handy travel planning tool to help you get around.
Address: 130 New Bond St, London W1S 2TA
Contact: +44 20 7499 8596
Bremont
Bremont is another company on this list who can call England its home, in every sense of the word. There are several boutiques you could visit in the City of London or Mayfair for example, but if you can make the journey to the and headquarters in Henley-on-Thames, known as The Wing, you will be in for a treat. While the brand has undergone an extensive rebranding this year, the retail offering has stayed the same. Find out more at their website here.
Address: The Wing, Reading Road, Henley-on-Thames RG9 4GE
Contact: +44 80 0817 4281
Bulgari
As one of the great fashion cities of the world, London feels completely appropriate playing host to one of the finest Italian luxury brands of all time. Bulgari have been bold in its watchmaking efforts over the last decade particularly, taking the fight to the more-established brands by consistently breaking records for thin and complicated movement manufacture. Getting the chance to try on an Octo Finissimo may cause a shuffling in your list of dream watches, so be sure to visit both their website here and one of the brand’s many stores across the city.
Address: 168 New Bond Street, London, W1S 4RB
Contact: +44 20 7872 9969
Cartier
With no less than 8 locations across London, Cartier has lived up to the nickname of being “the jeweller of kings and the king of jewellers” as declared by King Edward VII of Great Britain. The English love affair with the powerhouse of Parisian design runs deep, with London being one of the main bases for the brand when it was split in three, bring run by the three Cartier brothers across London, New York and Paris. It’s in these three cities where you can still find the brand’s history flagships, known as ‘Temples’, with London’s taking a prime location on New Bond Street. To see their esoteric yet classic wristwatch designs, made to impeccable Swiss standards, check out one of their boutiques and their website.
Address: 175-177 New Bond Street, London, W1S 4RN
Contact: +44 20 7408 9192
Chanel
Chanel are still more known for its jewellery and fragrances than its watchmaking, but the J12 is an undeniably important watch to the history of watchmaking given its role in pioneering fully ceramic cases. This year, Chanel have revitalised the J12 watch series, strengthening its catalogue and making a boutique visit quite an exciting prospect. For more information, follow this link to their website and store locator.
Address: 159 New Bond St, London W1S 2UB
Contact: +44 20 7493 5040
F.P. Journe
Opened in 2023, London had been without an F.P. Journe boutique for years, and the opening of this one could not have been better timed or placed. It takes the address of the gunmaker, Holland & Holland, who used to be owned by Chanel (later sold in 2021 to Beretta Holding Group) who have also invested in F.P. Journe. Found on Burton Street, round the corner of Bond Street, and just off Berkeley Square, it is in the middle of Mayfair, without falling in step with the big box brands. A small boutique, but a powerful one thanks to the team they have hired for the space with a wealth of experience in the industry and the brand itself. Check out the website for more details.
Franck Muller
If there was a watch brand that captured the spirit of Alice in Wonderland, it would be Franck Muller. One of the first brands to make the tonneau case shape part of its character, the whimsical and magical nature flows through all of its collections from time-only to haute complications. Read more about them online here, and then be sure to check them out at the only retailer for them in the city, Frost of London.
Address: Frost of London, 22 Brook Street, Mayfair, London W1S 5DF
Contact: +44 20 3372 0108
Grand Seiko
It was only a few years ago that Grand Seiko started gaining incredible traction in the European and American markets, as media outlets and YouTubers began to show exactly how good the brand’s watches are. With finishing that’s almost infallible under a loupe, Grand Seiko have become a default answer for people who want an alternative to Rolex, for debatably better quality and certainly less money for a steel sports model. You can follow this link to their website for more information or visit their Bond Street boutique where they sit alongside all of the Swiss giants.
Address: 68 New Bond Street, London, W1S 1RR
Contact: +44 20 3105 6212
IWC
IWC is synonymous with the Flieger style of pilots watches, but its range is gargantuan. The brand’s London boutique on New Bond Street, which celebrates its 10th year this year, depicts a historical ship design that pays tribute to Lord Horatio Nelson, as well as IWC’s founder Florentine Ariosto Jones. The design also features on the caseback of a boutique-exclusive limited edition Big Pilot’s Watch, showing just how much the London location means to the brand. Learn more about them at their website here.
Address: 138 New Bond St, London W1S 2TJ
Contact: +44 20 3618 3900
Jaeger-LeCoultre
Jaeger-LeCoultre is one of those brands that carries a certain magic about them. While the brand has been known as the ‘watchmakers’ watchmaker’ thanks to its strong history of developing calibres that have been widely adopted across the industry. The brand’s boutique has a prominent position on Old Bond Street as one of the first you see as you turn on from Piccadilly, and as a space, it evolves the further you walk into it, with private rooms and nooks for consultations and admiration of the brand’s most complex creations. Find out more here.
Address: 13 Old Bond St, London W1S 4SX
Contact: +44 20 3402 1960
Longines
Longines is amongst the oldest watch brands that have consistently been in business, and it’s still one of the best brands to go and browse at a boutique. With a vast range of watches across a myriad of genres and price points, there are 26 places you can find the brand across London, so you’re never too far from a Longines. Check out their website for more information here.
Address: 411 Oxford St, London W1C 2PE
Contact: +44 20 7409 1473
Montblanc
Although it took a while for people to stop asking “isn’t that the pen company?”, Montblanc’s range of vintage-inspired watches are well and truly respected amongst enthusiasts across their range. While some use ETA-based movements and still look fantastic, Montblanc’s merger with the historic movement manufacturer Minerva takes its horological credibility one step further with some truly beautiful engineering. Visit their website here and see the brand’s Bond Street boutique for yourself.
Address: 119 New Bond St, Mayfair, London W1S 1EP
Contact: +44 20 7629 5883
Omega
Omega can take the credit for some of the most iconic sports watch designs of all time, including but by no means limited to the first watch on the moon as well as the choice of James Bond. But, aside from all of the fame, the best part about Omega is that you can usually find exactly what you’re looking for in-stock at their boutiques. To try some on yourself, give the brand’s Regent Street boutique a visit (as it’s only round the corner from the Time+Tide Discovery Studio) or find out more online here.
Address: 260 Regent Street, London, W1B 3AG
Contact: +44 20 7734 4994
Panerai
With a dark and brooding exterior, the Panerai boutique on New Bond Street offers an insight into the character of the brand. The Italian-designed watches have stuck with their identity throughout the brand’s history, deviating from the successful silhouette only to modernise and provide new perspectives on what a Panerai could be. Take the plunge yourself by investigating the brand’s boutique or the website at this link.
Address: 30 New Bond St, London W1S 2RN
Contact: +44 20 3057 7080
Rolex
Currently there are a number of retailers around town where you can buy, or at least try to buy, a Rolex. But we are currently without out a standalone Rolex boutique, but if you walk down Old Bond Street, you can’t miss the Rolex boards that currently cover the old Gucci flagship at 34 Old Bond Street. The three story space is slated to be opened at some point in 2025, but as with all things Rolex, details are being kept very much under wraps until the official open. For now, you are stuck trying you luck at Bucherer, Watches of Switzerland, or Harrods Fine Watch Room.
Address: 1 Old Bond Street, London, W1S 4PB
Contact: +44 20 7499 1339
Swatch
If you’ve been in the hunt for a MoonSwatch like seemingly every other watch collector on the planet, you’ve probably paid a visit to all of your local Swatch boutiques by now. While the supply is starting to catch up to the demand slowly, the Swatch boutique is still worth visiting regardless of your MoonSwatch interest. Every Swatch boutique offers free battery replacements for their watches too, further encouraging the fun, cheery atmosphere. You can find Swatch’s website here.
Address: 313 Oxford St, London W1C 2HR
Contact: +44 20 7499 8211
Somlo London
As the only officially partnered second-hand retailer with Omega, Somlo is somewhat of a landmark in watch culture. By holding this association with Omega, they are able to communicate with the brand more openly and freely than anyone else, making them the perfect place to buy, sell, or fix a vintage model. They also have a wonderful collection of vintage pieces from other brands, wether it be Patek pocket watches, or Piaget dress watches, they seem to have it all.
Address: 35-36 Burlington Arcade, London, W1J 0QB
Contact: +44 20 7499 6526
Subdial
A secondhand dealer that is far more than the name suggests. Based out in East London, but with the majority of their business being done online, they have some of the juiciest of weekly drops around. They offer everything from low four figures to six figure watches, along with their incredibly insightful market insights, with a market tracker that pulls from all over the internet to give accurate pricing on a wide range of brands and models. Check out their current stock on the site now.
TAG Heuer
Visiting a TAG Heuer boutique is like a shot of adrenaline, with the high-octane lifestyle apparent in every aesthetic choice made by the brand. Whether it’s motorsport or just average fitness, wearing a TAG Heuer just brings an atmosphere of activeness to everything it accompanies. The brand’s flagship boutique on Oxford Street provides all the experiences and assistance you’d expect of them, and you can read more about it online here.
Address: 449 Oxford St, London W1C 2PR
Contact: +44 20 7495 1451
Tissot
Tissot opened its only London mono-brand space in Covent Garden in December of 2023. One of the busiest shopping destinations in town, its at the top of tourists’ lists of places to visit and Tissot has matched the energy of this buzzing area inside this shop. With plenty of PRX versions on display, not to mention the brand’s sporty chronographs and dressier time-only pieces. Check out the website for more details.
Address: 7 James Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2E 8BH
Contact: +44 20 7005 7354
Tudor
Tudor has been on a real streak in its releases of late. And one of the themes that the we’ve been noticing from them is the number of expertly priced, and well balanced models that seem to move the brand’s main families forward without overcrowding the catalogue. And with nearly all of them (I’m looking at you, Black Bay Chrono Pink) available pretty much instantly in boutiques upon announcement, it can be worth making sure you pop into a Tudor point of sale fairly regularly, with the only mono-brand one being found in Covent Garden and operated by Bucherer. Find out more on the website here.
Address: 59 Royal Opera House Arcade, London, WC2E 8HD
Contact: +44 20 4504 0367
Vacheron Constantin
Vacheron Constantin has followed the trend of adding a helping of hospitality to its retail offering with its newly opened Club 1755 which sits above its Bond Street boutique, overlooking the historic shopping thoroughfare with one of the only roof terraces on the street. This is an invitation only space that the brand has developed to allow VIPs a more relaxed setting to discuss watches, future purchases and on-going after care. But in reality, it is just a lovely place to be in and hang out, with multiple lounges, expertly designed. Find out more about it on the brand’s website.
Address: 37 Old Bond St, Greater London W1S 4AB
Contact: +44 20 7578 9500
Watches of Switzerland
As the largest luxury watch showroom in Europe, the Watches of Switzerland flagship boutique on Regent Street can guarantee you hours of lustful browsing. Lofty brands like Patek Philippe, MB&F, and Blancpain can all be found here among a slew of other great names. If you don’t have time to travel to multiple stores and you want to see the big box brands in one place, this would be your destination. Find out more about the boutique and its services here.
Address: 155 Regent Street, London WIB 4AD
Contact: +44 20 7534 9817
Watches of Knightsbridge
If you prefer the thrill of an auction over the standard second-hand dealer approach, Watches of Knightsbridge offer some truly mouthwatering catalogues across a wide variety of themes. Some of their specialties include the Oyster Bar dealing exclusively in vintage Rolex Oyster models, and Antiquarius that focuses on rare antique watches. Investigate their website here.
Address: Michelin House, 81 Fulham Road, London SW3 6RD
Contact: +44 20 3826 0025