Who we are
The Watches of Switzerland Group is an international retailer of world leading luxury watch brands with a growing complement of luxury jewellery brands. The Watches of Switzerland Group provides clients with the finest selection of luxury timepieces from all of the major groups and independent brands together with an impressive presentation of smaller independent brands.
Our People
Expert Client Experience
Honoured to represent our luxury brand partners, our goal is to deliver a client experience that is welcoming yet unpretentious and underpinned by deep product and category knowledge.
To further elevate our client experience, this year saw the launch of Xenia, our internal Client Experience Programme, which takes inspiration from the world of luxury hospitality. The programme was named Xenia – an ancient Greek concept of hospitality typically translated as ‘guest-friendship’ or ‘ritualised friendship’ – and internally transformed into ‘Xenia – The Art of Hosting’.
From the warm welcome of our security teams to a personalised, by appointment sales consultation with one of the Watches of Switzerland Group’s expert colleagues, clients are invited to enjoy the hospitality of our luxury showrooms whilst being advised on the purchase that will most meet their needs and desires.
Our leading-edge CRM platform ensures that clients and sales colleagues build enduring and meaningful relationships for the long term.
Diversity and Inclusion
We believe in equality for all and are fully committed to promoting an inclusive culture and diverse workforce. Ensuring a culture of fairness and equality underpins our decisions, actions and behaviours and we know that this is an environment where people can give their best.
All colleagues regardless of gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, disability age, mental status, political or philosophical beliefs are treated with dignity and respect and should feel safe and empowered to work without fear of bullying or harassment.
Our Equal Opportunities policy ensures that occasions for development, promotion, opportunity and advancement are based solely on objective, measured criteria relevant to the situation and we are confident that women and men are paid equally for equivalent work. Full and fair consideration is given to job applications from disabled persons, taking into account their particular aptitudes and abilities.
Learning and Development
Delivering the highest level of client experience is a key differentiator for the Watches of Switzerland Group and we place a huge importance on training and development.
We have a well-established suite of in-house training programmes to support product knowledge, enhance selling capability and develop coaching and management skills.
We collaborate closely with our luxury brand partners to deliver intensive product knowledge and customer experience training and our programmes are held in high regard in the sector.
Our colleagues are self-starters when it comes to their development and our wide range of e-learning modules ensures that learning is accessible to all.
Talent and Succession
As our business grows and develops, the ability to attract and retain talent is key. Our goal is to build a loyal team of highly trained and engaged colleagues who are committed to developing their careers with the Group. We encourage colleagues to nurture their development and constantly monitor the market to build our future pipeline.
Our growth affords colleagues with the opportunity to develop and progress and we are delighted to have been able to recognise our rising stars with a range of promotions across the Group.
We are the leading luxury watch specialist in the UK with a growing position in the US and Europe.
Our multi-channel leadership has been established through a network which includes multi-brand showrooms, a presence in travel retail, a strong online platform, and a growing portfolio of mono-brand boutiques in partnership with Rolex, Audemars Piguet, OMEGA, TAG Heuer, Breitling, TUDOR, Grand Seiko, BVLGARI and FOPE. Our well-invested portfolio consists of 150 showrooms in the UK, 47 showrooms in the US and 6 in Europe (as at 30 April 2023).
Watches of Switzerland is a globally recognised modern, leading retailer of the most prestigious luxury watch brands in the world including Rolex, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, OMEGA, Cartier, TAG Heuer, Breitling, TUDOR, Blancpain, Vacheron Constantin, Panerai, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Piaget, Hublot, Zenith, Breguet, Bovet and Grand Seiko.
Founded in 1924, Watches of Switzerland has been retailing the world’s finest watches for over 90 years. The Company began trading as a mail-order business under the name G & M Lane on Ludgate Hill, and now has showrooms in leading retail destinations across the UK, in London, Manchester, Glasgow, Birmingham, Brighton and Cardiff as well as presence in both Heathrow and Gatwick Airport.
In 2018 Watches of Switzerland went international and now has nine showrooms spanning seven states including New York, New Jersey, Nevada, Massachusetts, Texas, Minnesota and Ohio.
Watches of Switzerland has an online presence in both the UK (watches-of-switzerland. co.uk) and the US (watchesofswitzerland.com). In addition, there is also an online presence with Analog:Shift, our vintage and pre-owned specialist (analogshift.com).
2016 saw the relaunch of Mappin & Webb and since then, the brand has been transformed into a luxury watch and jewellery retailer with showrooms in key locations such as Manchester, Glasgow, Gleneagles Hotel, London and a large showroom on Regent Street.
Mappin & Webb is the destination for Rolex, Patek Philippe, OMEGA, Cartier, Jaeger-LeCoultre and Breitling. Granted a Royal Warrant by Her Majesty Queen Victoria in 1897, the Company has held a Royal Warrant to each succeeding monarch and currently holds appointments as ‘Jewellers, Goldsmiths and Silversmiths’ to Her Majesty the Queen and ‘Silversmiths’ to His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales.
In 2012, Mappin & Webb’s master craftsman was appointed Crown Jeweller, custodian of the Crown Jewels of Her Majesty the Queen, the greatest honour that can be bestowed upon a jeweller. In 2017, Mappin & Webb's Master Craftsman, Mark Appleby, was appointed and continues to hold this position. This year he was involved in both the late Queen's State Funeral and the adjustments of the crowns for the coronation
of King Charles III.
Mappin & Webb also has a well-established online presence and ecommerce platform with mappinandwebb.com.
Goldsmiths is the UK destination for luxury watches such as Rolex, OMEGA, Cartier, TAG Heuer, Breitling, and TUDOR in key cities including Newcastle, (where the Goldsmiths brand began in 1778), Manchester, Sheffield, Birmingham, Liverpool and Glasgow.
The luxury watch offering is also complemented by luxury jewellery which includes brands such as FOPE, Messika, GUCCI, Jenny Packham and Mappin & Webb. In 1919, Goldsmiths was appointed as a Rolex agency and 2019 saw the centenary celebrations of the partnership between the Watches of Switzerland Group and Rolex.
The Goldsmiths brand has been transformed over the last seven years and in 2021 a new luxury showroom concept was rolled out across seven showrooms including Leicester, Reading and Braehead. The new concept elevates the Goldsmiths brand to a new luxury level and transforms the client experience. The concept continues to be rolled out across the portfolio.
Goldsmiths also trades successfully online with goldsmiths.co.uk.
Mayors is one of the most recognised luxury watch and jewellery retailers in the US, operating in Florida and Georgia with a portfolio of showrooms. Mayors offers a prestigious collection of brands such as Rolex, OMEGA, Cartier, IWC, TAG Heuer, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Mikimoto, BVLGARI, Messika and Roberto Coin, as well as Mayors’ own collections of bridal, diamond and gold jewellery.
The brand is steeped in a rich heritage, founded by Irving Mayor Getz in 1910 in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1937, he opened the first Mayors store in the heart of downtown Miami’s business district. When Irving passed away, his son Samuel assumed control and developed Mayors’ reputation as one of the nation’s finest watch and jewellery retailers – a provider of outstanding client service.
Mayors operates a transactional website, mayors.com. Mayors was acquired by the Watches of Switzerland Group in 2017.
Family owned and operated since 1897, Betteridge represents five generations of American-made fine jewellery. Founded in New York City in the early twentieth century, Betteridge has been making custom jewellery in American workshops, using local craftsmen ever since. After nearly 125 years in the watch and jewellery business, Betteridge showrooms in Greenwich, Vail and Aspen were acquired by the Watches of Switzerland Group. The Betteridge acquisition, combined with existing Watches of Switzerland and Mayors showrooms, gives the Watches of Switzerland Group a market-leading position in the US, with a strategic retail foothold in the Northeast and Mountain regions and operations in two new states. The Betteridge, Greenwich, Connecticut location has become the largest physical showroom in the Group’s North American portfolio. Each of the three locations offer exceptional opportunities for expanded growth with Rolex, Patek Philippe and other global luxury watch brands as well as leading jewellery brands including CHANEL, Buccellati, Verdura, and Marco Bicego. In addition, there is a valuable influx of existing watch and jewellery clientele. The Betteridge website was relaunched in Autumn 2022.
The Watches of Switzerland Group is very proud to have been selected to operate single brand boutiques on behalf of some of the most important brand partners.
These mono-brand boutiques give the opportunity to showcase the timepieces in a more tailored, brand-centric environment within purpose-designed settings. This enables the ethos and culture of each individual brand to be more thoroughly demonstrated than is often possible in a multi-brand showroom environment.
The Watches of Switzerland Group operates mono-brand boutiques on behalf of Rolex and TUDOR in both the UK and the US, OMEGA, TAG Heuer and Breitling mono-brand boutiques in UK, Europe and US and FOPE in the UK and Audemars Piguet, Grand Seiko and BVLGARI in the US.
