The Watch Enthusiast’s Field Guide to London
Much of the coverage of London as it pertains to watches has been negative recently. That strikes me as odd as it is one of the world’s greatest cities for the horologically-minded. So to balance out some of that negativity I’ve put together a London field guide for people who love watches. Here’s where to go and what to do if you find yourself in the UK’s capital.
Bond St & Burlington Arcade
If I had one day to spend in London for watches, this is where I’d spend it.
I would start at Atelier Jean Rosseau, which is actually located in Piccadilly Arcade, to take a look at the selection on offer from one of the best strap-makers out there. I’d try not to get distracted by my favourite shirtmaker, Budd, and all that the Jermyn St area has to offer, including writing instruments from Yard-O-Led – now owned by Nick and Giles English, previously of Bremont fame.
Charles Frodsham is nearby, but an appointment at the gallery might be a bit of an intense way to start off your day. Cross Piccadilly and you have two options immediately due north: Old Bond St (which leads onto New Bond St) or Burlington Arcade, running parallel to one another.
Vintage watches (Burlington Arcade)
If you love vintage, start with Burlington Arcade. Covered, carpeted and lined with vintage watch stores. Maunder and David Duggan are respected names. The Vintage Watch Company is a Rolex specialist, owner David Silver is the author of Vintage Rolex.
Somlo is the world’s only authorised vintage Omega dealer. Bell & Ross also has a boutique in Burlington Arcade if modern square watches are your thing.
Boutiques (Old Bond St / New Bond St)
Bond Street is mainly for new watches and there can’t be many streets on the planet with a higher concentration of luxury watch boutiques. The largest Rolex boutique in Europe opened here this year too. A. Lange & Söhne now occupies a four-storey flagship, and Vacheron Constantin’s private Club 1755 is here.
There’s the new AP House, with its new location on Clifford Street, or nearby the Richard Mille boutique. Swatch Group is well-represented with Omega, Blancpain, Breguet and Harry Winston.
Richemont has a strong presence alongside Vacheron and Lange: IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre and Panerai are all here. Bond St is also of course home to Cartier’s famous London boutique. Across the road from Cartier is a Ralph Lauren flagship with a few watches and good coffee.
Hermès and Montblanc carry watches too. LVMH has Hublot and Bulgari. One of the world’s largest contemporary selections of Patek Philippe watches is on this street. Breitling, Grand Seiko and Chopard have impressive boutiques. You’ll find F.P. Journe just round the corner on Bruton St.
I also want to give a shout out to Swiss Gallery – a small boutique with a really interesting selection of high horology brands, such as Greubel Forsey, Ressence, Parmigiani Fleurier, Ulysse Nardin, Urwerk and more. If you want to handle novelties early, or buy current-catalogue pieces on the spot, Bond Street is the place.
Auction houses
Bond St is also home to Bonhams and Sotheby’s, two auction houses that frequently host very interesting watch sales. If you’re going to be in town check ahead of time to see if there are any previews taking place.
Oxford Street & Regent Street
Breitling Townhouse
Regent Street
Bond Street is enclosed to the north and east by two of London’s most famous streets: Oxford Street and Regent Street.
Regent Street has a large Watches of Switzerland, a Mappin & Webb, and an Omegaboutique. The real draw is the Breitling Townhouse. Motorbike, pool table, bar, exposed brickwork, it has a different vibe from your usual flagship boutique, well worth a visit.
Oxford Street has a two-storey Omega flagship, as does TAG Heuer, and there’s a Watches of Switzerland. If you want to see a lot in one hit, go to The Wonder Room in Selfridges.
Oris has its only UK boutique just off Oxford Street
Christopher Ward has opened an appointment-only showroom just off Regent St. Originally intended as a pop-up, I’m hearing it has been so successful that the British brand may make it more permanent.
Christopher Ward’s appointment only showroom, Mill Street.
Vintage watches
Less than 5 mins walk from Selfridges on the other side of Oxford St is Grays Antique Market on Davies Street.
A few vintage watch dealers are located here but prioritise Tortoise Watches, who always have an interesting selection and a particular specialism in vintage Zenith. Worth a visit for anyone but a must-see for Zenith collectors.
Fitzrovia Quarter
Fitzrovia is an area to the north of Oxford St and a small pocket of it, referred to as Fitzrovia Quarter, is rapidly becoming an important destination for watch lovers.
Time+Tide Watch Discovery Studio
The main draw here is Time+Tide. Part retail experience, part clubhouse, part event space, the Discovery Studio is one of the most interesting things to have happened to the London watch scene in recent years. It’s one of the few places in the world where you can get hands on with microbrands and independents that typically only sell direct to consumers.
But it’s not just a microbrand space.
Some of the world’s biggest watch brands – TAG Heuer, Blancpain, Zenith and more – have held entertaining events here, positioning the Studio right at the heart of London’s watch community.
Around the corner from Time+Tide is one of only three Baltic showrooms worldwide. If you’re a fan of what Baltic is doing, this is a welcoming space in which to view their full range.
The Limited Edition is a retailer for an impressive range of independent watchmakers and an official AHCI partner. Historically event-focused rather than retail-focused in London, a dedicated space appears to be coming, rumored to be in this part of town. If that happens, this area becomes London’s centre of gravity for independents.
Covent Garden
Immediately east of Regent Street lies Soho. There’s not much of interest here watch-wise other than a Casio G-Shock store on Carnaby St, but neighbouring Covent Garden has a bit more to offer.
A number of watch boutiques have opened up around the Covent Garden Market Building. Longines, Tissot, and TAG Heuer have all opened doors here recently. The Omega boutique is also new – and one of the friendliest big brand boutiques in the city. If you’re planning to pick up a new Omega watch while in town, go here. Both Jaeger-LeCoultre and Longines have also hosted interesting pop-ups on the plaza in recent years.
Next door to Omega is a large Bucherer which features one of their permanent Masterworks exhibitions and carries a number of interesting brands such as Biver, Girard Perregaux and De Bethune.
A short walk from the main hub of Covent Garden boutiques is Mr Jones’s retail space on Neal St. Mr Jones sits slightly outside London’s watch scene and the watches are definitely not for everyone, but their pad printing approach is under-appreciated. Go and have a look for yourself if you’re in this part of town. The last pocket of watch locations to cover in Mayfair sit to the west of Bond St.
Pragnell is one of the UK’s last family-owned jewellers and their Mayfair showroom is well worth a visit. As well as being an official Rolex and Patek Philippe partner, Pragnell stocks some of the most interesting independent brands out there, namely Greubel Forsey, Laurent Ferrier, Lederer, Ferdinand Berthoud and Ludovic Ballouard. A serious line-up, presented by a friendly team. It’s worth spending some time here.
British Watchmaking
Bamford – The Hive. Appointment only, so don’t just rock up. Cool space, interesting custom work.
Vertex. In Shepherd Market. Proper British military history, still family-owned
Bremont. Mayfair is home to its first and flagship boutique. If you’re visiting from abroad, it’s a meaningful stop given the brand’s role in modern British watchmaking.
The Leica flagship usually carries the brand’s watches. If you also care about photography, it’s an easy yes.
Auction houses
Fellows on Charles St regularly hosts watch sales. Viewings typically by appointment only. Phillips is on Berkley Square. Geneva, New York and Hong Kong seem to be the key locations for Phillips watch auctions, but London will occasionally host sales. If auctions aren’t your thing, Phillips Perpetual has a space on the first floor where you can buy interesting pieces directly from their stock.
Less than a mile to the west of Mayfair, just south of Hyde Park, is Knightsbridge, another affluent area of London. It has fewer watch spots than Mayfair, but a handful are worth a visit if you’re round this way.
Harrods is probably London’s most famous department store, though Liberty and Fortnum & Mason may quibble with that designation. Its Fine Watches department is a good place to see watches from a range of brands, including Vacheron Constantin, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Roger Dubuis, Audemars Piguet, A.Lange & Söhne and more, all in one place. Watch brands create installations and exhibitions here from time-to-time too.
There are a few mono-brand boutiques dotted around Knightsbridge – Omega, Breitling, Rolex – but the most interesting retail space outside of Harrods is the Watches of Switzerland on Brompton Rd. That’s because it stocks a number of brands outside of the usual Watches of Switzerland wheelhouse: Czapek, Arnold & Son, Speake-Marin, Parmigiani Fleurier, Gerald Charles and more.
Auction houses
Watches of Knightsbridge – half auction house, half vintage dealer. Viewings by appointment. Bonhams also has a location in Knightsbridge and will sometimes organise viewings here.
Battersea
Battersea is an area due south of Knightsbridge on the other side of the Thames. It’s undergone significant redevelopment in recent years. Battersea Power Station – decommissioned and now mostly a retail and entertainment space – houses a number of watch boutiques, including TAG Heuer, Tudor, Omega and Breitling. Most of these are Watches of Switzerland-operated to my knowledge. The real stand out is the IWCboutique – it’s home to a selection of IWC’s “curated” historical pieces, frequently has the very latest novelties and sometimes holds events.
The City of London
Nicknamed the Square Mile, this is London’s historic centre and its primary financial services district. It’s home to a few luxury boutiques – but not as many watch spots as the clientele might suggest.
The Royal Exchange
The iconic Royal Exchange building, nestled next to The Bank of England for which it is often mistaken, is home to an Omega boutique, Bremont’s other London retail location and a branch of Watchfinder & Co.
No 1 Poultry
The distinctive postmodernist No 1 Poultry building is home to a Mappin & Webb but the real story here is that the see-through clock in the main tower was inspired by the Bulova Accutron Spaceview. It’s a bit much to get into here, so see my Instagram post for details.
Hatton Garden
Hatton Garden is London’s principle jewelry and diamond district, and as such is home to a number of secondary market and vintage watch retailers. There are deals to be had here but it’s not casual shopping territory.
Notting Hill
Consider this an inclusion for the sake of completeness. Some people get all misty-eyed when talking about digging in the crates of Portobello Road Market for vintage finds. I am not one of those people. Lucky Time London seems to be making a bit of a name for itself through its social media presence.
Tim Green, Subdial Clubhouse
Farringdon & Clerkenwell
The Antique Watch Co Ltd and The Watch Service Centre have actual retail space here but it’s the dealers without traditional stores located in this area that are the best places to go in London if you’re secondary market shopping.
Falco (formerly Fathom Watches) has just announced the opening of its new showroom in Farringdon. The team has deep vintage knowledge and presents even deeper cuts, from the very best examples of lusted after Rolexes to beguiling pieces from the likes of Audemars Piguet, Heuer, IWC, Tudor, Omega and more. The only dealer in this city I’d buy vintage Rolex from.
Also in Farringdon is Subdial, now in a custom built clubhouse space befitting their whole team’s easy-going but highly-engaged vibe. Their weekly Thursday drops ignite group chats across the city. Recent events with the likes of Ressence, Pragma and Heist-Out highlight how important Subdial has become to London’s scene.
James Kibble of Kibble Watches curates a diverse, thoughtful mix across price points. Vintage, modern, big brands, independents, microbrands. Viewings are by appointment only in a Clerkenwell showroom.
Museums
A few museums have horology tucked away around London. Churchill War Rooms (Breguet No.765); the British Museum’s historical clocks; there’s interesting pieces in the V&A’s jewelry collection. All worth seeing, but if time is limited, prioritise the Science Museum and the Royal Observatory.
Science Museum
The Clockmakers’ Museum is the world’s oldest watch and clock collection, assembled by the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers: 600+ watches, 90 clocks, 30 marine chronometers, including Harrison’s H5. The highlight is the George Daniels section where you’ll find Space Traveller II, his retrofitted Nautilus (the first wristwatch with a co-axial movement) and more.
Royal Observatory
The Royal Borough of Greenwich is an area in south-east London with a rich maritime and astronomical history.
There are two things you should do in Greenwich, both of which can be done by heading to the Royal Observatory that overlooks the city:
Stand on the Prime Meridian Line. Preferably while wearing a GMT watch of some description.
See the famous Harrison clocks. H1, H2, H3 and H4 are all here. Read Longitude by Dava Sobel before you visit to understand what you’re looking at.
EventsLondon has a busy annual calendar of ad hoc and recurring events. (See our Events Page)
Time+Tide and Subdial regularly host events in their spaces. Typically invite only but occasionally ticketed and open to the public.
Redbar and The Watch Collectors’ Club are both active in London. You’ll need to be a member of the former to get invited to Redbar events but The Watch Collectors’ Club will sometimes host events that are open to non-members.
The Limited Edition regularly showcases independent watchmakers to clients and friends. Its 10-year anniversary celebration was something special.
Hands On Horology debuted this year in June and looks set to return in 2026. Organisers Oracle Time also host events for its magazine subscribers throughout the year.
WatchPro Salon celebrated its fifth year in November 2025, so I’m hopeful it will remain a feature of the calendar going forward.
British Watchmakers’ Day, the Alliance of British Watch and Clock Makers flagship event held in March, debuted in 2024 and has established itself as a key event in the London watches calendar.
London Watch Week debuted this year in June. Co-founders Lucy Cheesewright, Justin Hast and Tom Exton put together an incredible programme of events with auction houses, independent brands, retailers and vintage dealers that plugged a real gap in the city’s calendar. I’m pleased to say it looks like they will run it back in 2026 – and I couldn’t think of a better time to come and visit London as a watch enthusiast.
So there it is, my field guide to London. Like in any big city pay attention, but enjoy yourself – which you most certainly will do if you like watches.