FAQ

As our way of saying thank you to serving and former military personnel, blue-light service personnel, and RNLI and MREW personnel, we offer 20% discount on all our watches, accessories and servicing, excluding special/private projects.

MREW personnel also receive £100 off their respective watches, whilst still honouring the charity donation.

Please email your proof of service to: sales@elliotbrownwatches.com to receive your Elliot Brown discount code.

In common with most brands at our price point (whether they acknowledge it or not) we design in the UK and manufacture in China using highly specialised vendors we've worked with for years. It's how we are able to build in shock absorption systems and complex engineering solutions such as unbreakable easy change strap bars without our watches costing the earth and is a balance we are always conscious of. We buy Swiss or Japanese made movements then ruggedise them for use in extremes. The technology that makes up our unique specs isn't just a marketing story with high impact images and claims of endurance. Every part of every detail we describe exists to enhance the real world long term performance of your watch and is honest and straightforward.

Our Heritage webbing straps are hand made exclusively for us on a Victorian shuttle loom in Derbyshire, UK.

Firstly you need to be very nice, then you need to have an incredible project/history/story/charity/mission/personality/eye for photography/be an expert scribe and generally an all-round good egg.  We are lucky to work with some amazing people we’re proud to call our ambassadors; all different, all with a purpose and an incredible story. It works because they need a properly built watch that will take punishment over the long term.  If you think, hey that’s me, do get in touch and let's have a conversation but lets be up front and honest about the fact we don't pay our ambassadors.

If you need a spare strap bar, additional bracelet links, a tool etc, please just get in touch with details of your watch model and tell us what you need.

Our offices are in Lake Yard, an amazing working boatyard in Poole on the south coast of the UK.

We don't have a shop here at the office but we do have Peli cases full of watches that you can browse through and buy direct, as well as the Rogues Gallery of watches we've run over, shot, set on fire and generally used and abused.

There's also a lovely bar and restaurant under our office with views over Poole Harbour if you fancy making a day of your visit.

Sure. Our offices are in Lake Yard, a working boatyard in Poole on the south coast of the UK. 

We don't have a shop at the office but we do have Peli cases full of watches that you can browse through and buy and take away with you.

There's a lovely bar and restaurant (www.lakeyard.co.uk) under our office if you fancy lunch or dinner to make the most of your visit.

We were.

Now we're the Elliot Brown watch guys.

As well as selling online, we also have number of authorised retailers on the high street.

They're all on our site here.

We use the highest quality 316L stainless steel for all our cases and buckles and every batch is tested to ensure it complies with the legal nickel emission testing requirements to ensure you won't have an allergic reaction to your watch.

We don't plate anything with nickel - the most common source of allergic reactions.

Our rubber straps are made from either EPDM or silicone rubber, depending on the model. We don't use natural rubber or latex in or on any of our straps.

Pull the crown out or unscrew it and pull out to the first click and turn the date to yesterday's date. Now pull the crown gently out to the 2nd click and continue turning the hands clockwise until calendar advances to today’s date. That’s 12 o’clock midnight last night. 

Now advance the time to the correct reading moving through and past 12 o’clock if the current time is past midday. Push and/or screw the crown back in once the time is set correctly.

That’s the low battery indicator letting you know it's time for a battery change. Send it to us with a note including your contact details or make sure whoever changes the battery can re-seal and pressure test your watch. For more information, email our in house service team at service@elliotbrownwatches.com

For 3-hand watches (hours, minutes, seconds) it should last up to 3 years in real world use. For chronograph waatches, battery life will be up to several years but depends how much the stop watch is used, as each hand is driven by a separate motor. Continuous use will flatten the battery very quickly. Check that the large centre seconds hand is stationary to make sure the stopwatch isn’t running continuously.

If the large stopwatch seconds hand on your Bloxworth doesn’t reset to 12h, pull the crown all the way out, depress both buttons until the seconds hand sweeps round then let go. Press the top button to move the hand until it’s zero’d then press the main crown back in.

External divers bezels only move one way so that when timing oxygen for a dive underwater, if the bezel gets a knock, the remaining dive time can only reduce, causing the diver to return the surface before the oxygen supply runs out.

Very. We apply multiple layers of the best quality SuperLumiNova to all our watches, which lasts up to 8hrs.

If luminous is a priority, the Holton models are our most luminous watches, using X1 C3 SuperLumiNova extensively on the dial, hands, and the bezel.

Every single watch we make has been tested in water at 200m/300m depending on the model at several points during production to ensure it's waterproof and fit for purpose.

Your watch is sealed against dust and moisture, so it's wise to have it pressure-tested every few years to ensure the seals are OK.

Battery replacement and automatic movement servicing can be done in house here in Poole and always include a pressure testing certificate.

Our Swiss quartz movements are accurate to -10/+20 seconds per month. 

Automatic movements are accurate to -10/+30 seconds per day. In our experience most perform better than that but if your watch isn't within these tolerances please drop us a line: service@elliotbrownwatches.com

If your automatic is running fast, it may have become magnetised from your tablet cover or another magnetic source like an iPhone Magsafe case or loudspeaker.  Our in house servicing team can de-magnetise movements quickly and easily.

Almost certainly, depending on what you've got in mind - we can and do engrave many casebacks. There’s generally space on the brushed ring around the caseback for engraving between 20-25 characters depending on the model.

Engraving's done locally and takes around 10 days once we've agreed your engraving details.

We produce a number of bespoke Special Projects every year, typically for members of the military and intelligence communities incorporating thoughtful subtle details that tell a story to those in the know.

It’s these ‘if you know, you know’ details that make our special projects so much more than simply printing a logo on the dial and calling it a special edition.

More information can be found here.

We can, but not as a one-off. But we do produce many special versions of our watches for military groups, emergency services, businesses, charities, and government agencies. A custom project typically starts with an order for 50 watches.

If you'd like to know more, email specialprojects@elliotbrownwatches.com and we'll tell discuss how we can bring your project to life.

We can, but not as a one-off - it simply isn't possible from a production point of view unfortunately.

Sorry. We can neither confirm nor deny that.

If your strap has a flush fitting with the watch, the strap bars need to be carefully guided through the strap and into the other side of the watch.  The strap needs to be tight up against the watch and hence the bar is what’s called an interference fit through it. Please don’t ever struggle with strap fitting, call us for advice or send the watch to us and we’ll take care of it for you for nothing more than the cost of the return postage.

The N01/N02 webbing is a little thicker than our Heritage webbing. Once your strap bars are off and ready to re-fit, lay the webbing across the back of the watch with the buckle end of the strap coming out the top of the watch. Ease the strap bar through the watch case and over the webbing applying some pressure to press it into the watch case. To locate the strap bar in the opposite hole, make sure you apply enough pressure to squash the webbing so as to align ease the bar into the hole.

If you've tried and you are still finding it difficult, post it to us and we'll fit it for nothing more than the cost of the return postage.

If you are yet to order your strap and would like us to fit it to your existing watch, write us a note within the order page notes section or email us to let us know you would like us to fit the strap to your watch when it arrives.

To undo the strap, push the pointed tip out from under the keepers, tug the tip away from the watch firmly and the metal buckle will release to open the clasp.  Locate the rounded edge of the buckle on the underside near the pointed end of the strap, lift it with a thumb nail and it’ll click open. Locate the little post into your desired strap hole and click the buckle closed. To fasten, position both keepers up near the buckle, pass the pointed tip of the strap under the retainers then press the metal buckle against your wrist and listen for a click to make sure it is securely closed.  Now it’ll click closed to the right size every day.

Remove links evenly from each side and be careful not to let the screwdriver slip. Where the bracelet attaches to the buckle on both sides locating in one of two sets of holes via a spring bar retained within the end link. This can be located in the alternate location holes to give half a link of adjustment on both sides of the buckle.

The buckles on our solid three link bracelets extend for use over a wetsuit or just for extra room on a warmer day. Simply depress both tapered side buttons whilst pulling the bracelet at the same time. Straps fitted with a 22mm wide buckle adjust to one of two fixed positions whilst tapered bracelets fitted with a 20mm wide buckle can be fully extended then pushed back in with a clicking mechanism to the required extension length. Perfect for quick fitting over a wetsuit.

All our watches are fully guaranteed for 5 years from the date of original purchase.

Our straps are guaranteed for 12 months, subject to our fair wear and tear policy.

Leather, rubber, and fabric straps are more susceptible to wear and tear than a metal bracelet, heritage webbing or rubber deployant strap.

For example it's possible to wear down or tear the strap keepers via rough handling or if they're subjected to daily abrasion or are over-stretched. These components simply can’t be made to be as bullet proof because they have to be small thin and unobtrusive. They are made to last but you do need to look after them.

Speak to us for honest advice on the best strap for you and your lifestyle.

Brushed steel cases can be re-finished depending on the depth of the scratch. Matt and PVD cases can’t be re-finished but we can re-case your watch. It isn't possible to polish scratches out of glass, but we can replace the glass for a reasonable fee.

All our watches are pressure tested in water at 200m so we know they’re water tight and the chances of your watch leaking are very small indeed. There is always a little moisture trapped within the air inside a watch which can naturally condense if the watch goes through a thermal shock – eg in hot sun then into cold water.  Any condensation should naturally dissipate over the course of a few days depending on the environment the watch is in. We recommend somewhere warm and dry.

If any condensation doesn't dissipate after a few days, we can always check it over for you.

20% UK VAT (tax) will be removed automatically at checkout as soon as a non-UK delivery address is entered, but you'll be responsible for any tax and/or import duties when the watch is delivered.

From January 2021, this also includes EU countries.