The new London-based watch brand is focused on classic designs and aiming for affordable prices. How far can they go?

I’ve always like a good riddle, especially when it’s used to introduce a new watch brand. Here’s the one we just received: What do a racing driver, a city broker, a sports agent and ‘The Stig’ have in common?

Answer: Harcourt London.

The riddle refers to the three founders: a racing driver, a broker and a sports agent, with no previous retail experience and no knowledge of the watch industry. Sounds promising, right?

The London based-team is definitely aware of the challenges, while still retaining some optimism. As co-founder Jack Clarke explains:

“People probably thought we were mad. We are all massively busy with our own careers and just paying the rent that to take on a world in which we had limited knowledge or experience seemed crazy…”

Their new watch design is slim, classic and unisex, which I quite like. Customers have the choice between a smaller 36mm case size – which might be favoured by the ladies and vintage watch enthusiasts – and a slightly more contemporary 40mm case option.

Their watches are all named after places and people that mean something special to the trio. For example, Harcourt – the company name – is the family middle name that has passed down for many generations.

Most impressively, their watches can be had in the low 100s price range (in British pounds).

In a somewhat stagnating watch industry, you might not expect that now is a good time to launch a new brand. But with the focus being on affordable timepieces, the young company has a fighting chance.

The soft launch of Harcourt London happened only days ago, and the three co-founders are already happy with the response they’ve received:

“The reaction has been fantastic and we are selling through the site and spending our evenings boxing up watches.”

So far so good, but time will tell if the three gents will be able to quit their day jobs.

To learn more or purchase one of their classy timekeepers, head to www.harcourt-watches.com