In this series, we have gone through some very interesting places where you can find watchmaking at its finest. We are covering London - a place less known for its concentration of watchmakers. While this is the case, we think London is a place where one can experience watches in a different way; the retail side of watch enthusiasm. London is a city with a high concentration of boutiques where you can experience watches, the culture of each brand and what is important to the company. There are a few ways one can see watches, the first being visiting boutiques where the company is an authorized dealer of multiple brands.

Places like Mappin and Webb, Watches of Switzerland, Wempe and Kronometry 1999 feature multiple brand ranging from Bell and Ross, Breitling, Omega, Rolex and Patek Philippe. Kronometry 1999 is a bit more niche, featuring watches from Audemars Piguet, Richard Mille, Bovet, Ulysee Nardin and De Bethune. These places allow you to try on watches from a range of brands and compare their difference. It will definitely let you identify what you find important in a watch, both aesthetically and culturally about the brand.

On Old Bond Street, one can also find individual boutiques to visit. Cartier, Vacheron Constantin, Omega, Rolex, Jaeger LeCoulre, Piaget, Breguet and many more all have boutiques in this area. Going to visit one of these boutiques will allow one to immerse themselves in the history, culture and ultimately the watches these brands produce. If there is a specific watch company you find yourself drawn to or want to discover, visiting individual boutiques is perfect.

The last thing would to experience Harrods of London. Similar to places like Wempe and Watches of Switzerland, Harrods is a place one can see spectacular watches and how authorized dealers work with you to find your watches. While retailers are more expensive that the second hand market, it really is worth going and discovering watches through the retail experience.

Enjoy!