A proper watch is a very personal and emotive purchase and there comes a time in everyone’s life when a cheap watch will no longer cut the mustard. By proper I mean a purchase that requires some thought on cost, design and feel rather than purely a practical buy. It’s not always about jumping in feet first and buying the most expensive time piece, there are smaller manufacturers that offer incredible value for your money which produce fewer and therefore arguably more exclusive watches.Take Elliot Brown watches who design and manufacturer their models in the UK. All their watches use internal movements from Switzerland because let’s be honest, the Swiss make the very best movements that money can buy!

I spoke with Ian Elliot about his watches and his company. Back in 1988 he was the co-founder of the very well-known Animal brand but has since sold his shares and created Elliot Brown watch company. His partner in crime is Alex Brown who bravely turned down a job at Cartier to establish Animal's watch department which he felt would be more interesting. He stayed with Animal for seventeen years and now is a lynch pin at Elliot Brown. Both these guys had the desire to manufacture a product they could be passionate about and thus Elliot Brown watches was born. With numerous awards and accolades under their belts the Elliot Brown brand is heading for new heights.

Every detail has been thought out, from the packaging to the watch itself. There’s a feel-good factor with the packaging and If you were to receive the watch as a gift your heart would be racing with anticipation. Opening the first box will reveal a lovely watch box which oozes class. On opening this main watch box, you will find your timepiece and mine is the Canford watch.The Canford is a handsome watch with a simple face and I must say it’s perfectly weighted. Mine came with an assortment of spare straps from the classy black leather, a funky orange rubber and an army look webbing option; all are interchangeable within minutes with the tools that were provided. I have been wearing the watch with the orange strap which looks cool but as I am often in a suit I tend to use the leather strap.

I know it sounds obvious to state as a watches primary job is to keep the time accurately, but it seems important to mention that the Canford keeps perfect time. My friend recently bought a Rolex Submariner and nobody believes it is genuine and that’s the rub with the huge brands, there are so many copies the brand is being damaged. The Elliot Brown watch might not be so well known but the quality shines through and it grabs people’s attention.

To put the watch to the test the guys at Elliot Brown sunk one of their watches in Pearl Harbor for 6 months and when it was raised it was unrecognizable with the crud growing over it yet after a quick clean up the watch looked and worked perfectly. The watches are also shock resistant to ISO1413 and water resistant to ISO2281 (I am not sure exactly what these figures mean other than I can do everything I want in this watch knowing that I will break before it).Each watch is backed up with a 12 months’ guarantee on all parts and workmanship. Even if you have done something silly and broken it they will put it right although this may be case dependent. All in all, a brilliant watch at a fair price. RRP £325.00

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Rating: 4 out of 5

Pros

Sleek design

Nicely packaged

Durable

Branding