David Brailsford is an accomplished entrepreneur with 20 years of experience in creating companies that thrive. He is also a renowned luxury timepiece consultant with expertise in locating and sourcing vintage pieces and selling them to select clients worldwide. His passion for watchmaking has led to founding the British luxury watch brand Garrick.
We asked David for his thoughts on the watch business and what is next on the horizon for him and Garrick watches.
MWM: How is business?
DB: Business is very good and we have quite a waiting list for our watches. Actually, orders have certainly increased since Brexit was announced. We had a 3-year strategy and have achieved all our goals in just over 2 years which is a bonus. We now need to take things to the next level and have some exciting new projects planned for 2017.
MWM: What are you currently working on?
DB: Garrick is currently working on a brand new watch and a new complication which will be added to our in-house calibre movement.
MWM: Tell us something we don’t know about Garrick Watches?
DB: We hardly sell any watches in Britain and 95% of our orders are from outside the UK.
MWM: What watch do you wear?
DB: I am a collector and swap and change my watches daily. I normally wear a Garrick Portsmouth, vintage Rolex GMT Master or Zeitwinkel 273.
MWM: Apart from your own brand, what watch would you like to own?
DB: I have a huge collection and already own most of the watches from my ‘bucket list’. I prefer watches from independent watchmakers and my next purchase will probably be a Gronefeld 1941 Remontoire.
MWM: What do you like best about the Watch business?
DB: As a business man I love the challenge of building a brand in an uncertain market. This is something that really appeals to me.
MWM: What don’t you like about the Watch business?
DB: It’s a very difficult market and things can get frustrating but I really don’t have any problems with that – in fact I relish the challenges this brings. I also work as a consultant and do find that many independent watchmakers don’t seem to grasp the importance of social media and other platforms which can be slightly annoying when trying to offer help. Sadly, there are still plenty of ‘dinosaurs’ in the watch industry!
MWM: What is next on the horizon for you?
DB: I am working on numerous projects right now but most exciting is a collaboration of watch brands which is called the The Watchmakers Club. Obviously Garrick is my main priority and I am working hard to boost our profile.
About David Brailsford
David Brailsford is a renowned collector and founder of British luxury watch brand Garrick. Having worked in the industry for many years, David has formed unique relationships with many of the world’s most exciting watch brands and also works as an industry consultant.
David is also a Friend of MrWatchMaster