Celebrating Five Years In Business, The Camden Watch Company Has Gone From Local London Heritage To Worldwide Success

March 27, 2020

The Camden Watch Company, an independent British brand based in the heart of historic Camden (London, UK) founded by wife and husband team Anneke Short and Jerome Robert.

Celebrating five years since they opened their first pop-up shop and launching their website, the company’s heritage is growing in popularity. Not just growing with customers from Britain, but worldwide.

Each of The Camden Watch Company models is inspired by Camden itself. From the Victorian pocket watch inspired No. 29, taken from Camden’s strong railway heritage, to the turquoise-blue seconds hand of the No. 88, based on the iconic ‘Camden Lock’ bridge. The watches, No. 24, No. 27, No. 29, No. 88 and No. 253, are named after bus routes that run through Camden Town, with the No. 24 being the oldest unchanged route in the whole of London.

The watches house the finest quality Japanese quartz movements, and every other element of the watch, from the strap, to the dial to the watch crown is designed, scribbled, sketched, reworked and refined in the company’s Camden Town office.

Not For One But For All

‘Non Sibi Sed Toti’, or ‘Not For One But For All’ is the motto on the crest of Camden, which perfectly embodies the spirit of The Camden Watch Company.

The Camden Watch Company produces quality watches at a price that is affordable. Something that people who live in Camden and people who visit alike, can be proud to wear.

It’s not just about classic designs, it’s also about the rich heritage of the region. This past year, The Camden Watch Company celebrated the region’s punk rock history with the limited Punk Edition and the Camden Giving Charity watch, as Anneke and Jerome wanted to connect with and give back to the local community.

Collaborations

Since the launch, The Camden Watch Company has also worked in collaboration with talent in the area. One of the first collaborations was with British cyclist Kitty Pemberton Platt. Anneke and Jerome worked closely with the sportswoman to design a timepiece which would appeal to cycling enthusiasts as well as those who just wanted a unique watch. It happens to be sported by actor Martin Freeman.

In 2018, the team met Frank Rimmer, owner of Thy Barber. Working together, they created a timepiece based on their No. 27 timepiece that provided hints of the barbering world in a stylish yet classic timepiece.

Store Exclusives

While most of the company’s watches are available via their website, we were pleasantly surprised to find out a visit to one of their physical stores in London is well worth the trip.

Their flagship Camden store brings customers a unique timepiece only available from this location – The Horse Hospital edition. Camden Market was originally developed in 1839 as the Camden Goods Depot, the London terminus for goods traffic from both the railways and the canals. As the area continued to grow, more warehouses for the goods and more stables for the Victorian working horses moving the goods were needed, leading to the construction of the Stables Yard.

In 1883, a two-story building was erected in the North-West corner of the Stables Yard. It accommodated 92 horses over 2 floors, including 12 loose boxes that were provided for resting tired or injured horses and led to this building becoming known as the “Horse Hospital”. The design of the Horse Hospital special edition is inspired by the colours and features found on British WWI trench watches; a thick leather strap, a dark dial with bright, legible colours and touches of luminous details.

The newly launched GMT range includes No. 27 GMT The Greenwich Edition which only available in The Camden Watch Company Greenwich Market location. It is an homage to the rich maritime history of Greenwich and Great Britain in general. In 1880, Greenwich Mean Time become the legal standard time across the island of Great Britain and has since become the time upon which all other timezones across the globe are based.

The dial features a high gloss finish reminiscent of the enamel dials found on old maritime clocks and pocket watches, which, together with the high contrast printing, ensures that the watch not only looks great but is also easy to read. The red hand points to the outer 24-hour, GMT track, leaving you in no doubt what time it is ‘back home’. The clean lines of the roman numerals keep the watch looking modern, whilst the old school typography of the numbers and the subtle curved edge of the dial ensure that it keeps its classic Camden Watch Co. vintage flair. The in-store exclusive features a navy-blue dial and a red 13 on the GMT track, inspired by the red time ball atop Greenwich observatory that drops every day at 13.00.

What started as a local brand, has attracted visitors from around the globe with tourists making special visits to the stores to buy the in-store-only items and now everyone can shop online: www.CamdenWatchCompany.com