The swish new £5million Laings showroom on Buchanan Street offers timepieces from the likes of Rolex, Patek Philippe and TAG Heuer
If you’re in the market for a swish new timepiece, you might want to head on down to Glasgow’s style mile to visit the brand new Laings showroom.
Opening last Thursday 13th June, the flagship store in Rowan House, Buchanan Street, has established itself as Scotland’s leading watch-shopping destination, with luxurious interiors and an expert team on-hand to talk you through their selection of watches, including pieces from Rolex, Patek Philippe, TAG Heuer, and Laings’ pre-owned range.
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Beyond the showroom, which has benefited from a £5m refurbishment, a panoramic window offers a glimpse into a Wonka-style watchmaking lab, where you can watch 20 skilled watchmakers, technicians, polishers, and quality control technicians hard at work tinkering away on your treasured timepieces.
On a visit to the servicing centre a few months ago, I learned from services director Serena Gough about how Laings are keen to harvest local talent and train them up to become the next generation of watchmakers. Some are out of high school, some have decided to retrain in later life. One such example is Annika Leppala, who played in an orchestra in her native Finland before retraining as a watchmaker, and who taught me how to deconstruct and then reassemble a watch. Attention to detail, a light touch and oodles of patience are required for the role.
Investing in the local community is something that’s important to Laings CEO Joe Walsh: “We are determined to play our part in revitalising the high street through our continued commitment to offering exceptional quality and choice, as well as protecting and enhancing the skills, craftsmanship and expertise that comes with working in our extraordinary industry. We look forward to welcoming existing and new clients through our doors.”
Now in their sixth generation, Laings has long been considered an icon of industry in Glasgow. Renowned for their exquisite hand-crafted jewellery creations and impressive brand portfolio, they’ve contributed to the landscape of Glasgow since 1840, with Laings founding father, James Laing, working tirelessly to found the family business, providing Clydebuilt vessels with timepieces and precision instruments.
This new addition to Glasgow’s best-loved shopping street offers the opportunity for the brand to further this history of legacy, heritage and focus on expert and luxury watchmaking.
