FEATURE
FEATURE
GLEN-ANTHONY WATCHES
Glen-Anthony
Watches
Unhappy with the standard of a leading watch brand being sold to him, former garage owner Glen Anthony
Jobling decided to take matters into his own hands and created his own handcrafted timepiece. He went
on to launch his very own business, Glen-Anthony Watches, designing watches inspired by his history in
motoring along with vintage car styles. ALESSANDRO CARRARA sat down with Jobling to find out more
we are making things to people’s tastes, so in my case I
have to find people who have my tastes because I only
make what I like.
Glen Anthony Jobling
What made you want to switch careers and become
a watch designer?
I have always loved watches, I used to like buying a
lot of the swiss brands like TAG, Breitling and so on.
I was looking to buy a particular leading brand watch
which I discovered did not include a proper movement
- the watch’s working mechanism - that I expected it
would. I went home to research the parts and bought
the movement I wanted along with a dial, a case and
a strap, and made my first watch. It was this process
which really opened the doors to a world of precision
engineering, design and production.
What was the biggest difference going from a
motoring career to creating watches?
It’s part of the jewellery world. In the ‘car world’ you
are doing a service which is a necessity, whereas watches
are a luxury purchase and therefore everything around
it needs to bit more luxurious. Your website, your
showroom and your attitude need to be dramatically
quite different. How I thought I would sell watches is
totally different to how I am actually selling them. In
the garage business people come to you because they
are forced to, as a garage owner you just need to keep
a good reputation and do the job right and customers
will keep coming. Making watches is different because
August 2018 | jewelleryfocus.co.uk
Tell me a bit about your career in the vintage and
modern motoring industry?
My father had a garage in Gosworth in a big local
town which was quite successful. My grandfather was
also a mechanic, so I naturally fell into the career and
have been ‘tinkering on’ with motorcycles and bits of
machinery since I was about 12 years old.
What skills were transferable from your time as a
garage owner?
Everything I have seen working on cars and motorcycles
goes into my watches. If you look at my watches they
are all bolted together and the straps are connected
by small brackets. I really like using a brushed and
a matte finish as opposed to a polished one, because
it gives a similar finish to cars and engines - more of
an industrial look. At the minute I am using a lot of
mother of pearl, but the rest of the watch I will leave
brushed or sandblasted so it has both shiny and matte
sections as well. So you can see a contrast between the
two layers on the dials.
‘‘
We have our
Synchro range
which is what
I have been
working on
for about
two years.
It features a
removable
bezel, which
can be easily
changed
‘‘
From what I can tell your products are stronger as
a result?
Yes, because I put a lot into them. I hand finish every
micron of them, to the best of my capability.
Tell me a bit about the range of watches you
now offer?
We have our Synchro range which is what I have
been working on for about two years. It features a
removable bezel, which can be easily changed. The
strap is also held in with the same bolts so customers
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