Many of our most passionate collectors spend at least part of the year in Hawaii, and we love nothing more than when they drop in to “talk watches.” We recently expanded our store to over 5,000 square feet to make the environment more welcoming and comfortable. We have one of the largest groups of Swiss-certified watchmakers of anyone in North America to care for the long-term quality of your watch, and our in-house watchmaker carries out a lot of repairs inside the store!ĪBTW: Do you serve mostly locals or tourists, or is it a good mix? Also, what percentage of your customers would you call “knowledgeable watch collectors?”īen Bridge Timeworks: We have a good mixture of locals and visitors. The company is still run by its founding family 104 years and five generations later. We think it is critical if you are going to buy a lifetime product to buy it from a lifetime jeweler. We hope our clients will enjoy their watches for decades (if not generations) so it is our job to be there to take care of the piece. Purchasing a timepiece is just the beginning of our relationship. It is our job to continually go above and beyond to be worthy of the trust they place in us. While our customers are very cosmopolitan, they like to buy from people they know, like, and trust. Our clients are very knowledgeable and travel widely, so we have to provide them with the best selection anywhere and back it up with the warmest personal service. It is our job to continue to find new things that will excite and delight them. They demand the utmost quality from the most desirable brands in the world. Buying it in Hawaii also adds to the story of their watch and allows them to remember that memory for years to come.ĪBTW: What would you tell watch lovers in other cities about the tastes of watch lovers in Honolulu?īen Bridge Timeworks: Watch lovers in Honolulu care about many of the same things as watch lovers elsewhere. Properly cared for, they can last a lifetime and often become family heirlooms. Watches are the perfect way to mark moments in time. When they are in Hawaii, they love to buy each other special gifts to remember their trip. People lead such busy lives that couples rarely have a chance to spend quality time together, let alone shop together. Honolulu is a great place to buy a watch because people often travel here with their loved ones to celebrate important milestones: honeymoons, anniversaries, and professional achievements. Many people buy fine timepieces to mark special moments in their lives. At the same time, we are on an island surrounded by water so dive watches and sports watches that people can wear while playing outside do very well here. They appreciate quality and uniqueness, but they aren’t ostentatious. I love that our clients wear their Patek Grand Complications and Platinum Rolexes with shorts and slippers (flip-flops). Hawaii is a very informal place where pretty much everyone (including our politicians and leading business people) wear aloha shirts. aBlogtoWatch (ABTW): What types of watches are popular in your market? What makes Honolulu a unique place to buy watches?īen Bridge Timeworks: Our clients like sophisticated watches they can wear as part of their everyday lives. But seriously, she has been selling watches for over 40 years with Ben Bridge which came to Hawaii in 1987 and opened their first Timeworks boutique in 1997. Which is hard to believe – she must have started when she was 5. I spoke with Ben Bridge Timeworks manager Lisa White who has been with Ben Bridge since 1974. And what better place to serve both client bases than from Ala Moana Center (located between downtown and Waikiki in Honolulu)? The newly opened Ewa wing of the world’s largest open air shopping center is home to the relocated and expanded Ben Bridge Timeworks. So there is a strong local and tourist watch market here in paradise. You might think it’s all grass shacks and beach goers out here, but the reality is that Honolulu is a city of nearly a million as well as a world-class tourist destination. Today, we are finally covering a watch store in Hawai’i ne (which means “Hawaii here,” or “this Hawaii”) – a term you only use when you are in Hawaii. Where to buy watches in Honolulu, Hawaii? Here is a map of stores we have covered so far. There is a long list of stores to cover, but if there is a retail location in your favorite city that we simply can’t miss, let us know in the comments below. Whether you buy watches from brick and mortar retailers or prefer to buy watches online, these are the stores that help shape our watch culture around the globe. Each store we profile has an interesting story to tell about where they operate and who they sell to. Welcome back to an aBlogtoWatch original series, where we discuss important stores that sell watches all over the world.
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