It’s been 100 years since London Jewelers founder Charles London opened the doors to his Glen Cove, NY, store.
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London → open → store
Cementing a family legacy, the company is still in the hands of the founding family four generations later and has expanded from a single shop to a total of five locations: Manhasset, East Hampton, Southampton, Glen Cove and Short Hills, New Jersey.
“One hundred is a special milestone for our family, and we don’t take that as a small thing,” says Zach Udell, London Jewelers’ vice president.
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Udell → cement → thing
In honor of the anniversary, London Jewelers published a special commemorative book with a look back at the retailer’s history, including never-before-seen historical photos and anecdotes from clients and former employees.
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Jewelers → publish → clients
The celebrations have been a yearlong affair, which will continue at London Jewelers’ 16th annual Watch Fair, taking place from October 23-25 at the retailer’s 2118 Northern Blvd. location in Manhasset.
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which → continue → Manhasset
According to Udell, the Watch Fair is a marquee annual event for the jeweler.
uncertain
Fair → accord → jeweler
“There’s a lot of excitement,” he says.
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he → ’ → excitement
“We always set a new bar, and it’s something that our clientele looks forward to every year.”
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clientele → set → that
And people come to the fair from all over, Udell says, including those who have never visited the store before.
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who → come → store
“We love to make people happy, and we are often able to.
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we → love → ?
It’s our biggest, well-attended event, and it’s informative and experiential.”
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it → ’ → ?
Udell works nearly two weeks straight in the lead-up to the fair — not that he’s complaining.
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he → work → fair
“It’s just like fun and adrenaline,” he says.
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he → ’ → fun
“And I think that’s true for our entire staff.”
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that → think → staff
In addition, the event serves as the unofficial kickoff to the holiday season.
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event → serve → season
“These days, a lot of people start their holiday shopping early,” says Udell, “especially in the watch world.”
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Udell → start → world
At last year’s fair, Udell had a special moment with a client from Westchester who had never visited the store before and ended up purchasing a vintage Cartier watch that Udell had recently acquired and serviced.
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Udell → have → that
After sharing his in-depth knowledge about the piece — including the reason why he opted not to polish the case and chose that particular strap — Udell sealed the deal.
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Udell → share → deal
“It’s so fulfilling to match a customer with the perfect product,” he recalls.
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he → ’ → product
Representatives from top Swiss watchmakers will be in attendance at the Watch Fair, showcasing their latest launches, sharing their brand’s history and explaining the intricate mechanics of their timepieces.
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Representatives → showcase → timepieces
The fair offers a rare opportunity to see special-edition timepieces, some of which will be in the US for the first time.
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some → offer → time
Fair attendees will experience London’s legendary hospitality, including activities and tasty treats.
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attendees → experience → activities
Early next year, London Jewelers’ clients will be able to discover a highly anticipated, completely reborn and reimagined watch salon.
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clients → discover → salon
The London Jewelers flagship in Manhasset has been entirely redone, in a near-total renovation.
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flagship → redo → renovation
“We literally rebuilt the structure,” Udell says.
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Udell → rebuild → structure
The store, which spans over 13,000 square feet, will have an added third floor, part of which will be a lounge and an outdoor seating area to accommodate more events and activations throughout the year.
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part → span → year
“It’s going to be very cool,” he predicts.
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he → go → ?
The Gerald Charles watch is crafted of lightweight titanium, with a graduated turquoise dial and matching Velcro strap, and is a limited edition of 100 pieces.
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watch → craft → pieces
The watch’s caseback features the London logo and, as a finishing touch, London Jewelers’ “LJ” is engraved on the watch’s rotor.
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LJ → feature → rotor
The H. Moser & Cie. 100th anniversary timepiece will be limited to just 10 and is a true standout.
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timepiece → limit → 10
“It has a very interesting new dial color they haven’t done before — a gradient orange enamel,” Udell says.
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Udell → have → color
The watch is a perpetual calendar, and in usual Moser fashion, “it doesn’t say Moser on the dial, or London; the only thing you see is the date window,” he says, pointing out that Moser and London are on the caseback.
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Moser → say → caseback
The stylized Art Deco font, meanwhile, is a clever nod to London’s roaring ’20s roots.
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font → roar → roots
The 100th anniversary watches aren’t the only timepieces that have caught Udell’s eye this year.
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that → catch → eye
Vacheron Constantin’s new Traditionnelle Twin Beat Perpetual Calendar, he says, “looks phenomenal from the front even if you don’t know anything else about the watch, and the twin beat is pretty cool.”
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beat → say → watch
Patek Philippe’s new Cubitus 5840P-001’s skeletonized dial highlights the craftsmanship of the perpetual calendar movement, and its platinum case “makes it even more special,” he says.
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he → highlight → movement
“This is not your typical moonphase,” says Udell.
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Udell → say → ?
“It’s the actual silhouette of the moon, and it needs just one correction every 122 years.
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it → ’ → correction
That’s 22 years longer than London Jewelers’ history, but given their track record, they’re bound to get there.
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they → ’ → record
London Jewelers’ VP Randi Udell-Alper takes a shine to new styles
CATCHING A WAVE
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VP → take → WAVE
“The Patek Philippe Nautilus 7118 is an iconic Patek design that feels more like jewelry because it’s on a bracelet and it has a wave pattern on the dial.
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it → feel → dial
…and 20 more, not listed.
The Aporia
