Need a new watch? Personal-wear items like jewelry and gorgeous watches are a tough business to make a mark in, but Elliot Brown Watches is making their mark with elegant timepieces and Unleashed inventory management.
What does your business do?
We’re an award winning British watch brand designing watches that are durable enough to last a lifetime. Our route to market is via watch and jewelry retailers and some direct to consumer sales. Having successfully established the brand in the UK as our primary market, we are now actively seeking distribution partners around the world.
What’s one of your favorite products?
Our Canford watch range and in particular the 202-003-L08 is fast becoming one of our signature models. Understated, smart, rugged and ready for a life lived to the full – it’s a true wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Why do you think your customers like this product range so much?
British design and heritage, unique shock and waterproofing features, every surface, every detail considered and refined to an almost religious level. All backed up with the kind of customer service you’d hope to receive but rarely experience.
Can you give us a brief history of your business and the growth it has experienced so far?
We spent 3 years working nights obsessing over design and engineering details. We launched the brand at the London Watch Show in 2013 and instantly picked up an industry award. Since then we’ve experienced rapid growth including collaborations with The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, Mountain Rescue and a branch of the British Special Forces. Our early success has enabled us to bring forward our new model plans with the launch of our first automatic collection this autumn, followed in the spring with our first female collection – all with our unique durability built in. We’re now poised for international expansion.
How is Unleashed helping your business grow?
We wanted a cloud-based system, researched quite a few and Unleashed was the obvious choice. It syncs perfectly with Xero’s accounting software and our website.
What is a particular problem that Unleashed has solved?
We can manage our business from anywhere! Plus it helps to keep a high level of stock management and organization, vital for our replenishment orders and seamlessly passes data to other applications.
Is there an interesting customer story you could share with our readers?
We were contacted last week buy a guy called Hal. His son’s arm became embroiled in a large piece of machinery. He was wearing one of our watches with the solid marine grade stainless strap. The machine was sucking him in – and would have killed him – but the watch and strap were so tough that they stopped the mechanism for long enough that his colleagues could free him. His arm was severely injured but the watch saved his life. Very kindly, Hal is inviting us to his son’s wedding once he comes out of hospital!
Is there something you are particularly excited for your business right now?
When you’ve obsessed over every detail during the design and development of a new watch for months, the day the first prototypes arrive makes us like kids at Christmas. Yesterday was one of ‘those’ days with the arrival of our first automatic watch. That’s a watch with a self-winding mechanical movement. It’s our most anticipated product launch since the business started and the product we’ve been asked for the most. Exciting times!
Is there something your business in particularly proud of?
Our brand has gone form a start-up in 2013 to becoming an established stalwart of the watch industry in just 3 years. Being selected by the Clipper Round The World Yacht Race to become the official timing partner and working with people such as Sir Robin Knox-Johnston is a particular highlight.
Are there any particular not-for-profit causes that you, or your business is passionate about, and why?
We support two main charities via the sale of special edition watches. Mountain Rescue England and Wales, one of the British special forces military charities, and we support many adventurers and racers who raise money for worthy causes such as Early Onset Parkinson Disease. Mountain Rescue volunteers will give up their family time and special occasions to come to the aid of others in the worst conditions. To us, these fearless volunteers are unsung heroes who deserve more recognition. Seeing their teams wearing our watches is particularly fulfilling.
