15 years of Mr Jones Watches
It seems like just yesterday when our first design was released, fast forward to today where we’ve opened two workshops, a retail store, hired a talented team of 22 and created more than 150 unique watch designs!
We’d like to say a massive thank you to all who have shared this journey with us so far, whether that’s by buying one of our watches, showing our designs to a friend or family member or by keeping in touch with us through social media or by visiting us in our store.
There’s also our talented team and network of artists and designers to thank, we couldn’t have made it this far without your support and unrivalled passion and creativity.
We’ve come a long way since 2007, when the brand was operated out of our founder’s home. There are two special moments in our business history that cemented what our brand is now, which we’d love to share with you…
Working with designers
It was around 2010 when we first started working with established and emerging artists to create their very own watch designs. Since then, we’ve collaborated with 30 artists around the world.
Working with designers naturally made our designs more adventurous and put collaboration and stylist elements at the core of our business.
We have always been committed to creating unusual and interesting watches that tell a story, but it wasn’t until the releases of The Last Laugh and Vingt Mille where our design methods were changed forever.
Flipping the script
The Last Laugh, which was first launched in 2010, is a skull design linked to the tradition of memento mori. Instead of hands, we integrated numbers into the overall design for the first time. The wearer sees the time in the skull’s teeth - the upper set of teeth for the hour and the lower for the minutes.
The original The Last Laugh design is now in our permanent collection and inspired two variations, which are also available year round: Last Laugh Tattoo and The Gilded Skull.
Vingt Mille advanced our designs even further by getting rid of the need for hands and numbers all together! Designed by award-winning illustrator and designer Fanny Shorter and released in 2013, the hours and minutes are represented by two men being held in the tentacles of a vibrant and colourful squid, in homage to Captain Nemo in the novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas.
Made in London
The second turning point for us was in 2013 when we made the decision to bring production in-house. From printing, inks and our plate making methods, everything is now made in the UK.
By 2017, we could proudly say that all of our watches were fully made in London. This shift in our business model meant that we were able to grow our team and create more jobs in the UK, as well as boosting our credentials as a British brand.
An anniversary to remember
We couldn’t let this milestone anniversary go by without something special to mark the occasion! Our team has been hard at work to introduce a range of T-shirt designs, inspired by our most popular and well-loved watches.
The full range will be launched in August but a T-shirt, inspired by our office dog and unofficial brand mascot Stanley the dachshund - designed by our General Manager, Ellie - is now available to celebrate our anniversary!
You can grab yours here. Make sure to tag us in any photographs of you rocking your Stanley’s Hot Dogs T-shirt on social media!