Andrew McCutchen
British Weekender was an event we held at the new London Watch Discovery Studio a few weekends ago and Christopher Ward was the featured brand of the show. They have the most prominent space called the “White Room”, have the largest number of watches on display, and – without a doubt – have the largest crowd of the day to walk around and see, touch, and try on watches. I was competing with Great recent releases including Bel Canto Classic.
Christopher Ward as a brand is PRIMARY in the UK. You can feel it, you can see it, and you can feel it from the escalating horological benefits of its release – Ward is a watchmaker from the heart of the UK with a huge following. We are challenging the world.
However, there is a strange twist. This is actually the first time we are working closely with this brand. Given how much we’ve talked about The CW over the years, this was the first time we approached partnering up. How was it? The duo of Time+Tide and Christopher Ward worked the same way Wolverine and Deadpool somehow worked. Two are inherently brash and community-powered identities. The two independent founders were used to doing things their own way. And two alternative operators (in CW’s case, an alternative to traditional Swiss brands, and in our case, an alternative to traditional retail) are adding new value to an industry that seems resistant to change. Masu.
Faced with the possibility of their newly joined forces breaking up, CEO Christopher Ward and founder Andrew decided it had to be more than just a two-day relationship. The idea was to extend the stay in the studio.
When WatchPro’s Rob Corder asked French about the decision to move to the Watch Discovery studio, this is what he had to say. is no exception. The reason we didn’t experiment with traditional retail is simple. To do so, we would need to set prices that would disrupt the direct-to-customer model that is the core of our business. Similarly, Time+Tide has pioneered something different with its studio and business model, which has allowed it to challenge traditional retail.
“The way we bring exciting brands into our physical watch space, Discovery Studio, with customer experience at the core, is a fresh approach to retail that appeals to us. That’s why we are excited about this partnership over the next three years. This will be implemented on a monthly trial basis.
“Time+Tide has worked closely with us to create a space where people can experience our watches first-hand, without compromising the principles we have stood for for 20 years.For the first time, Discovery When we visited the studio, it felt warm and inviting, very similar and different to our showrooms in Maidenhead and Dallas. It was an exciting new place to experience our watches in person. , we look forward to seeing how this trial unfolds.”
At Time+Tide, we love stories about watches. And there are few modern stories as compelling as the Christopher Ward stories written by Mike France and his team.
Just as CW evolved the watch industry’s traditional business model by reaching consumers directly and retaining them by expanding quality and range, Time+Tide has evolved its media model to We evolved by expanding into physical stores in our format. Visit Discovery Studios in Melbourne and London.
Rob from WatchPro makes a salient point about the outcome of this pilot, whether it continues or not. “Even if the pilot with Christopher Ward ends in three months, the impact of[the brand’s]choice to partner with Time+Tide will reverberate around the world.”In particular, Bel Canto will be honored in 2023. This is because it received the attention of the industry after winning a certain GPHG award. ”
We are honored to have Christopher Ward as a semi-permanent fixture at Discovery Studios. There is only one group that is happier about this development than I am. That’s the London Studio team. Their level of excitement about the brand will be evident to existing and future customers who come to the studio to try on ‘In the Metal’.
So, I don’t have much to say other than to come down to London Discovery Studio, 4 Great Portland Street, W1W 8QJ, London, and try on Christopher Ward in person. We are open all year round from 10:00 to 18:00.
