Reply With QuoteI normally go to Bond Street :)
Im out with the mrs in london on friday, i fancy going to do some watch exploring whilst she and her friend do whatever birds do (dress shopping i think)
where is good to go to look at some interesting watches? im thinking burlington arcade and harrods as a couple of places.
Are the shops in burlington arcade likely to allow me in to browse and try stuff on? the shops dont look all that inviting iirc from the last time i walked through there and would i be welcome in harrods for a bit of speculative watch-trying-on?
any advice or suggestion is welcome,
I normally go to Bond Street :)
If you're looking at new- Selfridges carry a good range and their staff are more approachable with regards, trying on etc.
I am often in Harrods, was there yesterday AIH . I find them a friendly bunch and never have a problem looking at any of the watches.
Somebody wrote a good guide. I can't search for it at the moment, but if you search this forum for something like Portobello Road, then I'm sure you will find it. Anyway:
Portobello Road
Burlington arcade
Bond Street
Selfridges
Austin Kaye
Watchfinder in the Royal Exchange is worth a visit, there's a Bremont store and an Omega boutique there as well.
Jura is a must stop off, if they are not busy they will let you try a few on.
omega did have a vintage bit in their shop in the Royal Exchange - not entirely sure if its still there but quit einteresting
and a Watches of Switzerland too.Originally Posted by marcus fenix
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Dont think they exist anymore . They merged with a another company and moved out of LondonJura is a must stop off, if they are not busy they will let you try a few on.
Bond St - Wempe, Patek, WOS, Rolex, Omega and a few more esoteric places (somewhere that sells URWERK monstrosities)
...quite handy for Regent St where there's a M&W and another Omega and it's near Burlington Arcade for comedy pricing.
The trouble with the Bond St and Burlington boutiques is just the bore of always getting scrutinised before being let in by security. It gets a bit tiring when you're only there for a browse as you are instaly greeted by a one to one assistant who isn't really there to have his/her time wasted by a browser. Watchfinder in Royal Exchange (Bank or Monument tube) is nice (unless you Mrdemon) and stay in RE for lunch, but Harrods (knightbridge tube) and Selfridges (Marble Arch or Bond Street tube) for some non hassle browsing of new pieces.
Enjoy, lots to see!
Do some research online before you go if you are interested in pre-owned (e.g. Austin Kaye has a website). If you prefer new, I agree with others that Selfridges is the best bet.
Another vote for Selfridges then Harrods, Oxford Street down Bond Street end up at Burlington Arcade and have a laugh at the prices. Don't forget to get your photo taken with Churchill and Roosevelt where Old and New Bond street merge opposite a watch shop cannot remember which one Wempe or WOS?
WOS (soon to be Patek though)
Harrods and jlc boutique on bond street have the friendliest staff.
Where in London is there shop?Jura is a must stop off, if they are not busy they will let you try a few on.
Thanks
It's in a quiet little street called Derbyshire. They've got other branches in the suburbs (Shropshire & West Yorkshire). Bricks & mortar, they're known as CW Sellors.
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Jim.
This one? http://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.ph...ches-in-London
As has been said, Selfridges are very generous with allowing people to try watches on, I've been in there a couple of times and on each occasion they've practically thrown them at me. Wempe on Bond St are great, I went in there last year looking to try on a Junghans and they also gave me the opportunity to try on a few Nomos and a white PP 5711 simply because I mentioned in discussion that I really liked both brands. Bond St and the Burlington Arcade are both great for window shopping, make sure you stop off at Marcus, and Harrods has quite an impressive selection in their dedicated watch room.
All the usual places have been mentioned. If you're thinking new, the Wonder Room at Selfridges is great. Get talking to the assistants and they may show you stuff that's not on show too. All in all, a very friendly experience every time I've been in there.
Burlington Arcade is a must for the vintage stuff (especially Rolex and Omega) - if you're browsing, and there's an arcade on Fortnum and Masons side of the road that also has a shop with some interesting stuff at times. New Bond Street for the more unusual/high end pieces.
The Bremont Boutique in The Royal Exchange is a nice experience - and there are Omega's, Patek's etc etc in other shops there too.
I am there tomorrow and will put along and have a look as its down the road from the office, normally in the Paul Smith shop.
Wempe in Bond Street look pretty daunting from the outside, but I've been browsing in there 3 or 4 times over the past couple of years and they've been consistently charming and helpful even though I'm sure they know my chances of buying anything are slim.
Whereas the time I went they couldn't have been much less helpful had they tried. Perhaps I just caught them on an off day.
Guess depends on how much time you have
Burlington Arcade is great if you want to see all the vintage ones in one easy place rather then zig zagging around London (everything is in the windows anyhow if you want to avoid the snooty staff lol) In the area you also then have all the stores for the modern stuff, Rolex / WoS / Omega etc
Head for Bond St to see it all quickly in my opinion, I normally dump the missus shopping on Oxford St and head down the New Bond St turnoff and wander down
If your missus goes shopping in Harrods / Selfridges then the watch section is also great for a look at practically everything modern
Last edited by kultschar; 16th January 2014 at 14:04.
I love the staff at Selfridges they have always been super helpful and friendly!
Wempe have been hit and miss, one time I had an older guy who wasn't attentive or knowledgeable about model numbers, another time I had a younger guy who was very enthusiastic and we had a great time fawning over a gold AP, which I went on to buy later tho not from Bond st.
Marcus watches. I emailed them asking about a particular watch, they had sold out but said i was welcome, i made it clear i'd need a lottery win to purchase anything. Had a very enjoyable 30 mins or so talking watches and trying a few pieces.
Of course if somebody rich walked in i'd have been booted out
Last edited by minkle; 16th January 2014 at 21:37.
I was in Harrods a couple of days ago and found them helpful as usual. Good range as well. Tried a Richard Mille on. Not really my cup of tea but the bloke practically threw it at me.
I found the Burlington Arcade a bit of a let down to be honest. Tiny little shops you've got to wait to be let into and prices that would make your eyes water. A couple of nice pieces in the window but I might as well look at the same pieces on the net.
Burlington Arcade is brilliant, as is Selfridges :)
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