Donald E. McNamara 
Oliver Gallaugher is an emerging watch designer who creates his own brand of watches and offers his watch design services through his Luxury Watch Design website. Oliver brings new creativity and a passionate vision to the art of creating and designing watches. Originally from Bristol, the port city of England, Oliver showed early on that he was fascinated by inventing new things. Naturally, this has been an integral part of his career path.
Luckily, Oliver was able to answer a few questions about his business and the intricacies of the watchmaking business.
Oliver, when did your appreciation for watches begin?
I remember living with a friend in drama school and he showed me his Bell & Ross watch. It was very heavy and it was so well made. At first I couldn’t believe how much the watch cost, but later learned to appreciate its quality and value by looking at other cheaper brands. From then on, I was intrigued by high-end luxury watches and their more complex and ambitious designs.
How did you get into watch design and how long have you been involved?
Ever since I was young, I’ve been drawing and designing a lot of things, and I’ve always had a burning desire to bring my ideas to life. For me, good design really embodies two things, beauty and practicality. In my opinion, watches can be a perfect backdrop for great design, so my creative focus naturally turned to them.
Over the past six years, I have been creating luxury watch designs, with the intention of creating my own watch brand. As I continued to work on it, I became a fan of many other watch brands and designs, and would like to contribute to them as well.
What services do you offer?
I can help new and established fashion, jewelry and watch brands with original watch designs for men and women. Having the experience of taking my own creations from paper to production also allows me to help brands find the right manufacturers, and to advise them throughout the process of making their watch.
There’s obviously a lot of competition in this field, so how do you think your business is different from others?
Well, I have seen a few agencies in Switzerland and China offering watch design services. I’m sure some of them are good, but I believe I offer a much more intimate and personalized approach. Clients are in direct communication with me and can rely on this consistency, rather than talking to different departments and people at different times.
What watch are you currently wearing?
In fact, I don’t own any watch at the moment because I can’t wait to wear a Falsen watch. My last piece was a vintage mono-pusher chronograph. Cheap or fancy but it was a nice watch.
Given that you are in the final stages of creating your own watch brand, what do you think is the most important thing in launching a new watch brand in the market?
To be different. It sounds cliché, but I see so many new watch brands launching watches that all look the same. If you’re going to do something bold like start a watch brand, you might as well make the watch a little bold too.
Thank you Oliver for your time!
You can follow Oliver Gallaugher at www.luxurywatchdesign.com
Editor at Best in Australia. Mike has spent over a decade covering the news for business leaders and entrepreneurs in Australia and around the world. You can contact Mike here.
