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Newgate is a British company that designs and manufactures clocks and watches, stocked and sold in boutique home stores and department stores internationally. It is known for its vintage, industrial, retro and mid-century style designs. They make men's and women's watches, alarm clocks, mantel clocks, wall clocks and outdoor clocks.[1][2] The company also designs and makes clocks for other brands.
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| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 1991 |
| Headquarters | Oswestry, Shropshire, UK |
Key people | Jim Read (Managing director) Chloe Read (Managing director) |
| Products | Clocks, watches |
Number of employees | 50 |
| Website | https://www.newgateworld.com/ |
Background edit
Newgate was founded in 1991 by Jim and Chloe Read, the current owners, in the spare room of their apartment. [3] The name was inspired by the old New Gate Toll near their apartment and first home in Oswestry. Jim met Chloe while expelled from college, and decided to live together. They sold their vintage Mini Moke car to fund the purchase of second-hand machinery to start making framed art. By accident, they bought some quartz clock movements, which they fitted to the dials they painted and mounted in frames and cases.
The clocks were first seen at a trade exhibition at London's Alexandra Palace where orders for clocks were received from Harrods, dozens of home stores and several European distributors.
In the 1990s, 75 per cent of the clocks produced were exported around the world. The clocks were all manufactured in the Oswestry factory until 2003 when production moved to Asia, benefiting from lower manufacturing costs and higher production capacities.[4]
The decision to create a fusion brand called Jones Clocks was made in 2005. Jones Clocks is a fashion clock brand, and its products are sold to supermarkets and large home and DIY centres.
In 2009, the company purchased a large ex-LauraAshley factory in Oswestry that required refurbishment. This included new facilities, offices and showrooms; which were built in a classic style and furnished with original 1940s furniture. The building also houses Newgate's design studios and its collection of industrial and vintage clocks.[5]
In 2012, work started on a range of watches. The Newgate Watch collection took three years to come to fruition when a range of fifty watches was launched at the Spring Fair in Birmingham, in February 2015.[6][7][8] The UK watch trade publication WatchPro featured Newgate Watch founders Jim and Chloe Read in the Trailblazer category of the WatchPro Hot 100 of 2016.[9]
A portfolio of short films was made in 2015 to showcase each watch and clock family.[1]
References edit
- ^ a b "Video: Perfect timing as Shrewsbury stars in watchmaker's promotional film". www.shropshirestar.com. 14 September 2015. Retrieved 2019-07-17.
- ^ "Introducing Newgate Watches". Menswear Style. Retrieved 2019-07-17.
- ^ Ruth Corbett (11 June 2016). "Interiors: our party house". The Times. London.
- ^ "Clock firm restarts production". 2012-10-10. Retrieved 2019-07-17.
- ^ Graeme Brown (11 August 2009). "Help at hand for Newgate Clocks as they make big move". Birmingham Post. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
- ^ "Welcome". Spring Fair 2018. Retrieved 2019-07-17.
- ^ "The fashion edit: the top 10 watches – in pictures". The Guardian. 2015-11-20. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-07-17.
- ^ Team, Stylist (2016-01-25). "This week's Style List: from commute-friendly headphones to statement sneakers". Stylist. Retrieved 2019-07-17.
- ^ Corder, Rob (2016-07-05). "HOT 100 TRAILBLAZERS: Chloe & Jim Read, founders, Newgate Watches". WatchPro. Retrieved 2019-07-17.