About Us
NEIL DUCKWORTH
Founder and Managing Director of Duckworth Prestex
Neil has been in the watch industry all his life. He cut his teeth in the family jewellery business in Bolton, then launched TAG Heuer in the UK in 1982, where he remained in charge for 20 years.
Being a third-generation Duckworth in the watch business, Neil’s ambition has always been to launch his own brand, while honouring the traditions of his family. Now that dream has finally come true.
Making full use of his intimate knowledge and passion for watches, and taking the original Prestex models as his inspiration, Neil now heads up Duckworth Prestex: a family business that follows in the footsteps of a long watch-making legacy.
Neil has been in the watch industry all his life. He cut his teeth in the family jewellery business in Bolton, then launched TAG Heuer in the UK in 1982, where he remained in charge for 20 years.
Being a third-generation Duckworth in the watch business, Neil’s ambition has always been to launch his own brand, while honouring the traditions of his family. Now that dream has finally come true.
Making full use of his intimate knowledge and passion for watches, and taking the original Prestex models as his inspiration, Neil now heads up Duckworth Prestex: a family business that follows in the footsteps of a long watch-making legacy.
WENDY DUCKWORTH
PR & Marketing
Wendy, Neil’s wife, has a long and diverse background in public relations, working with clients such as Gordon Ramsay, H Stern jewellery, Montblanc and TAG Heuer to name but a few.
She ran her own PR agency in London for many years before moving out of London with Neil in 2010. Now she is responsible for the PR and marketing for the family watch brand, Duckworth Prestex.
Closely aligned with Neil in every element of the business, Wendy helps to reinforce the family values of this unique business.
TOM DUCKWORTH
Digital Consultant
Tom, Neil’s son, is based in London and is an independent digital consultant for Duckworth Prestex; helping to look after the online side of the business.
Tom studied Physics at Manchester University, but switched to coding in 2015 after finding keyboards preferable to laboratories.
As you’d expect from a Duckworth, he has a huge passion for watches as well as a tremendous enthusiasm for the digital world. Now he’s eager to combine modern online technology with his family’s watch-making history.
Tom studied Physics at Manchester University, but switched to coding in 2015 after finding keyboards preferable to laboratories.
As you’d expect from a Duckworth, he has a huge passion for watches as well as a tremendous enthusiasm for the digital world. Now he’s eager to combine modern online technology with his family’s watch-making history.
SIMON BAKEWELL
Non-executive Director
Simon graduated with a BSc in Estates Management from Reading University and in 1982 co-founded the hugely successful UK property consultancy, Nelson Bakewell.
Since 2005 Simon has been involved in a number of enterprises as Chairman and Non-Executive Director for companies such as LinkPark Heathrow LLP, Quester VCT plc and Kuka Coffee.
A collector and connoisseur of fine watches, Simon not only brings his business skills to the table, but an in-depth understanding and appreciation of watches.
Since 2005 Simon has been involved in a number of enterprises as Chairman and Non-Executive Director for companies such as LinkPark Heathrow LLP, Quester VCT plc and Kuka Coffee.
A collector and connoisseur of fine watches, Simon not only brings his business skills to the table, but an in-depth understanding and appreciation of watches.
ANTHONY PEACOCK
Brand Manager
Anthony has been fascinated by watches for as long as he can remember. A marketing man by profession he runs his own indpendent media and PR agency in London specialising in Motorsport .
In addition to this, he is brand manager for Duckworth Prestex, helping to launch the brand and translate every aspect of its traditional values into the product you see today.
As brand manager, Anthony is guardian of the company’s strategy: affordable quality, precision and elegance. His mission is to ensure that every Duckworth Prestex watch, both now and in the future, is perfectly aligned to those values.
In addition to this, he is brand manager for Duckworth Prestex, helping to launch the brand and translate every aspect of its traditional values into the product you see today.
As brand manager, Anthony is guardian of the company’s strategy: affordable quality, precision and elegance. His mission is to ensure that every Duckworth Prestex watch, both now and in the future, is perfectly aligned to those values.
BEV HATTON
Head of Aftercare Service
Bev has worked in the watch and jewellery trade for more than 30 years in various roles, while focussing more recently on aftercare for numerous established Swiss brands.
Bev’s career also began at Duval Limited, and she was part of the team involved with the introduction of TAG Heuer to the UK – and the phenomenal success the brand subsequently achieved. Also based in Bolton, she now brings her experience and knowledge to Duckworth Prestex.
CLIVE WALTERS
Head Watchmaker
Clive has been working in the luxury goods industry for over 30 years and qualified as a watchmaker in 1994 while working at Duval Limited, which later became LVMH Watch and Jewellery UK in 2000. He has been a Head Watchmaker for many years, working only on high-end watch brands.
Clive will be responsible for leading a team with a passion for delivering a five-star service. He is based in Bolton, Duckworth Prestex’s home town, operating in a workshop very close to where the original company was founded more than 100 years ago. Clive’s watchwords are tradition and excellence.
Prestex. British Watchmaking Since 1924.
Prestex is an independent British watchmaker shaped by a family watchmaking story spanning generations. Established as a watch name in 1924 and revived by Neil Duckworth, Prestex brings together a remarkable heritage of British horology, distinctive design and decades of experience within the international watch industry.
Today, Prestex creates watches designed in England and crafted with precision Swiss movements, carefully selected materials and an uncompromising attention to detail. Every collection has its own identity, but all share the same philosophy: exceptional watches should have character, integrity and the quality to be enjoyed for generations.
A Personal Story Through Watchmaking
For founder Neil Duckworth, Prestex is far more than a watch company. It is the continuation of a family story deeply connected to watches, jewellery and British horology.
The family's roots in the trade stretch back to the nineteenth century in Bolton, while the Prestex watch name emerged in 1924. Watches became an important part of the family business, establishing a heritage that would influence successive generations of the Duckworth family.
After decades working at the highest levels of the international watch industry, Neil returned to that history with a clear ambition: to bring Prestex back to life and create distinctive British watches worthy of the name.
The Duckworth Family Legacy
Prestex has been shaped by generations of experience, from the family's early involvement in watches and jewellery to Frank Duckworth's Prestex watches, Gordon Duckworth's work within Swiss horology and Neil Duckworth's career at the forefront of the modern watch industry.
Neil's experience included introducing TAG Heuer to the UK during the 1980s, placing him at the centre of one of the most important periods in the evolution of modern sports watches and the relationship between watchmaking and international motorsport.
That accumulated knowledge now informs Prestex. It is a brand built not simply around historical inspiration, but around generations of first hand experience of watches, their design and the people who wear them.
Neil Duckworth
After a lifetime in the watch industry, Neil Duckworth returned to an ambition that had remained with him for decades: reviving the Prestex name and creating a British watch company for a new generation.
Rather than simply reproducing watches from the past, Neil has used the Prestex archive and his own experience as foundations for something contemporary.
The result is a growing collection of distinctive timepieces spanning elegant dress watches, automatic watches, chronographs, GMTs, divers and limited editions. Each is created with its own personality while remaining unmistakably Prestex.
Designed in England. Crafted with Swiss Precision.
Every Prestex watch begins with design.
Proportion, dial architecture, case shape, finishing and wearability are considered together to create watches with presence and individuality. Historical influences can be seen throughout the collections, but heritage is never used as a substitute for innovation.
Precision Swiss automatic and quartz movements sit at the heart of selected Prestex watches, complemented by premium materials including stainless steel and scratch resistant sapphire crystal.
The result is British watchmaking with purpose: distinctive watches designed to be worn, trusted and treasured.
Explore the Prestex Collections
Discover a collection shaped by British watchmaking heritage and created for today.
From the distinctive rectangular architecture of the Parker and refined simplicity of the Verimatic to the elegant Bolton, mechanically intriguing Marcato and performance focused Chronograph watches, every Prestex family has its own unmistakable identity.
Explore heritage and vintage inspired watches, refined dress watches, travel ready GMT watches and capable sports watches, or discover the complete Prestex watch collection.
Created for collectors, enthusiasts and those discovering independent British watchmaking for the first time, Prestex combines distinctive design, Swiss precision and enduring craftsmanship in watches made to become part of your own story.
