Geoff Swindells established The Watch Room in 2018, though his interest in watches spans more than 30 years. Before founding The Watch Room, Geoff spent over three decades working in international banking, whilst buying, selling, and collecting watches along the way. This was a passion initially reserved for his own collection, though Geoff increasingly began catering to friends, colleagues, and contacts. Today, Geoff serves a diverse clientele through The Watch Room, ranging from people buying their first luxury watch to very experienced collectors. The Watch Room serves clients throughout the UK and internationally, with a large proportion of business stemming from returning clients and recommendations. This is particularly important for The Watch Room, as it aims to go beyond simply selling somebody a watch and never hearing from them again. This perspective stems from The Watch Room’s position as a business built for the long-term. “Luxury watches are valuable items, but the relationship with the customer matters more to us than any individual transaction,” Geoff told us. “Some clients come to us knowing exactly what they want; others need quite a lot of guidance. We enjoy both.” Trust is a crucial component of building lasting relationships at The Watch Room. Buying a luxury watch can involve a considerable amount of money and, particularly when buying online, the client needs to have complete confidence in who they are dealing with. This is an aspect The Watch Room takes incredibly seriously, made possible by its position as an independent enterprise. Without being tied to a sole manufacturer, The Watch Room is able to provide clients with honest advice instead of simply selling them whatever they initially enquire about. “Sometimes that means telling somebody that I don’t think a particular watch is right for them, or that there is a better option for their budget,” Geoff shared. “That may not result in a sale that day, but it’s one of the reasons people come back.” This approach is becoming increasingly important in today’s market, which has shifted considerably through the years. Buyers are significantly more considered now: conducting more research, comparing prices, and paying much closer attention to condition, provenance, and exactly who they are buying from. With more stability regarding global stock, the days where scarcity would push customers to buy almost anything from the right brand are largely gone. At the same time, customers are becoming progressively knowledgeable. More information is now available online, and The Watch Room has found that many clients arrive having researched a watch in considerable depth. “Our job isn’t just to give them information they can already find themselves,” Geoff stated. “It’s to add the experience that comes from having handled and traded these watches over many years.” Now, The Watch Room is currently working on one of the biggest developments since its inception: a completely new website and online buying experience. Whilst the existing website has served the team extremely well, the company recognises that the ways in The Watch Room is an independent luxury watch dealer based in Edinburgh. The company specialises in new, unworn, and carefully selected pre-owned luxury watches from brands including Rolex, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Vacheron Constantin, Omega, and Tudor. We spoke with Founder Geoff Swindells to learn more below, as The Watch Room is named in the Scottish Enterprise Awards 2026. Luxury Watch Retail Enterprise of the Year 2026 AIM-Sep26239 which customers research and buy luxury watches online has evolved considerably since 2018. Rather than merely giving the existing sight an upheaval, The Watch Room is rebuilding it from the ground up. Behind the scenes, The Watch Room is also investing in AI and automation. The team is developing its own AI tools to help with areas such as market research, pricing analysis, and some of the more timeconsuming processes involved in running the business. These new tools will be adopted with the mindset of never replacing human touch, simply undertaking the repetitive background work to leave more time for the conversations, advice, and relationships that customers actually value. As The Watch Room is named the Luxury Watch Retail Enterprise of the Year 2026, Geoff concluded, “We’re extremely proud of the awards the business has achieved, particularly because they recognise what we are trying to achieve as an independent Scottish company. But the best measure of the business for me is still when somebody who bought a watch from us years ago comes back for another one, or recommends us to a friend or family member. Repeat business is everything.” Contact: Geoff Swindells Company: The Watch Room Web Address: www.thewatchroom.com
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