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Who we are
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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.
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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).
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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.
![Store M&W Kingston](/https/www.thewosgroupplc.com/media/2jchrumz/kingston-proofs-1015.jpg?anchor=center&mode=crop&width=689&height=689&rnd=132714467467470000)
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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![In This Section Cartier](/https/www.thewosgroupplc.com/media/nxyhgr12/in_this_section_cartier.jpg?anchor=center&mode=crop&width=1920&height=488&rnd=132410135786070000)