Duckworth Prestex Watches Reborn

| BY KEVIN PILLEY

Lancashire was once the English Switzerland and, a hundred years ago, Preston’s of Bolton was the British Omega or Rolex. Everyone wanted to have a Preston on their wrist or dress shirt fob as well as wedding finger.

Bolton-born Neil Duckworth, who as its Managing-director brought TAG-Heuer to the UK in 1982, has revived the company his cello-playing great-grandfather, Frank, founded in 1869. At one time, the jewelers were making 150 wedding rings a day and in 1925 it started to make watches.

With Italian suede, Horween leather, rubber and “very adjustable” NATO straps as well as steel mesh bracelets, the re-born Duckworth Prestex watches now use Japanese movements but the Arabic numerals, hands, faces and whole look are original Prestex, and haven’t been seen since the line was discontinued in the 1950 by Neil’s father,Gordon. The Preston’s office building in the center of Bolton closed in 2017.

Chronograph and automatic watches are now available in three period colors. The first divers watch is due out in November. Neil plans to revive more of best-selling heritage models. “Each model has a distinctive vintage style cushion shaped case and represents the tradition of British watchmaking, “says Neil whose team of watchmakers are all members of the British Horological Institute. The company is now based in Penn, Buckinghamshire but the technical and after sales services are still based in Churchgate, Bolton. Duckworth was born at Havecroft Hospital on Victoria Road, Heaton, half a mile from where he grew up and where his mother still lives. He attended Bolton Grammar and the Music School Chetham’s in Manchester followed by the Northern College of Music where he studied flute and piano.

“I joined the family jewelry business in 1976. I am not a watchmaker and have never studied horology; from the start though, I took an interest in watches. Preston’s were authorized dealers for Omega,Tissot, Rolex, Longines and others.

“A watchmaker, Mr Snaddon, taught me about the internal workings of a mechanical watch. I went to Switzerland to study for two weeks. After five years I left to take on the UK distribution for the then little-known brand Heuer which made hand held stopwatches and timing equipment. At one point in our Bolton headquarters TAG Heuer we employed thirty watchmakers. We were also distributors of Oris, Fortis, Maurice Lacroix, and Ulysee Nardin. I once employed Roger Smith as a trainee. He is now one of the most famous and accomplished watchmakers in the world. A Bolton lad!”

After leaving TAG Heuer in 2011, Duckworth worked as an agent for many brands and dealt in pre-owned watches. “But I have always dreamed about having my own watch brand, and in 2020, I decided to make that dream a reality.

“I had accumulated a small collection of original Prestex watches which have been used as the inspiration for the rebirth of the brand and the new range. The first two models went on sale in May 2021. The Duckworth Prestex “Belmont” dive watch is named after the village and sailing and watersports club.

“Our Verimatics collection is inspired by the original Prestex Art Deco watch. The collection’s name combines the Latin ‘veritas’, meaning truth with ‘automatic’ to summarize the essence of the timepieces. These watches are powered by the carefully crafted Miyota 9039 automatic movement.”

The third generation chronograph watches are contemporary iterations of the Prestex Classic. Bolton collection design recall’s the family firm’s original 1924 pocket watch. Concessions to modern technology include a luminescent compound which enables the watches to be read in low light and domed sapphire crystal protects the dial and provides a good level of scratch resistance. A precise and reliable quartz chronograph provides the power. The watches range in price from £400-615. It is still very much a family business. Neil’s wife Wendy Duckworth is responsible for PR and marketing while Tom, Neil’s son, who studied Physics at Manchester University, handles the digital

side. Non-Executive Director, Simon Bakewell, co-founded UK property consultancy, Nelson Bakewell. Head watchmaker Clive Walters qualified as a watchmaker in 1994 while working at Duval Limited, which later became LVMH Watch and Jewelery UK.

“My grandfather joined Preston;s in the 20s. He was one of four siblings born in the Hough, Bolton and lived in Castle Street. It was his elder sister Gertie who joined James Preston in the early 1900s. She took over his business when he died, and her brother Frank joined. His interest was in the newly-emerging consumer phenomena that was wristwatches. In the 20s and 30s.”

Commenting on the revival of the historic family watch brand, Neil Duckworth say: “Our watches represent the perfect balance between luxury and affordability, meaning that a genuine piece of British horological tradition is now accessible to everybody”.

“It’s quite emotional really, I grew up with Prestex watches so to see them back home again is a dream come true for me.” 

| www.duckworthprestex.co.uk