Armed robbery, horology and how to pick the best watch for you

HOROLOGISTS at Blowers have been in the business of watches for more than 40 years, and count Premier League footballers and F1 stars among their customers.

The Hull-based family business is led by Mark Blowers, son of the founder, Ian Blowers.

Mr Blower spoke to TheBusinessDesk.com about the rather violent circumstances that led to him getting involved in the family business, and picking the best watch for that big meeting.

Established in 1970, the Blowers family business started out as a one-man show. Ian Blowers worked on his own for 20 years before a violent incident prompted Mark to get involved.

Mark used to play squash professionally. but returned to the business after a nasty incident involving a trigger-happy armed robber.

Thankfully no one was badly hurt and Blowers survived the robbery, with a good story to tell. The business now sells 3,000-4,000 watches a year.

Mark said: “A watch is a valuable commodity, it’s an investment. That’s why business went so well during the recession – people were pulling their money out of the stock market and savings, and putting it into commodities. A watch is an asset on your wrist.”

Picking the best watch can be tricky, said Mark, and totally depends on your lifestyle.

He said; “You can almost predict what sort of watch people will be interested in as soon as they walk in.

“We have players in every Premier League club in the UK, and are as well known for supplying Formula 1 drivers as for selling to business people.

“We get a feel for type of watch they’re interested in.”

What watch would you recommend for a businessman?

In each brand there are some watches that are too flamboyant, or don’t pack enough punch for a businessman. From our experience, having our branch in Mayfair as well, we know that going into a meeting, you don’t want to be too opulent, an expensive gold watch with diamonds is just too much.

For the £3,000 – £50,000 range, the main brands are Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet as well as the Jaeger-LeCoultre and Rolex – the Rolex Submariner is basically bomb-proof.

Basically, you want quality and class without being ostentatious.

What is your watch of choice?

A Grand Complication Patek Philippe would probably suit me best. I have three children and I cycle – wearing something very expensive on a daily basis just wouldn’t work!

And for the ladies?

A Cartier Tank Francaise, steel case, durable, bombproof like the Rolex Submariner, but also goes with everything.