The Lambeth Watches: One Story, Two Expressions

Some of our watches have a story that goes much further back than the workshop in Lincoln. The Lambeth watches take us to the River Thames, and to one of Britain's oldest sporting traditions, the Race for Doggett's Coat and Badge. The race has been taking place on the Thames since 1715. It is contested by young Watermen, rowing from Fishmongers Hall to Cadogan Pier in Chelsea, and is closely connected to the historic City of London livery companies. It is a story that Pinchbeck has been part of for many years. Since 2015, we have sponsored the race and presented the winner with a Pinchbeck watch. It is a relationship we are particularly proud of because it brings together British sporting history, rowing, craftsmanship and a city with a very long memory. And it is where the Lambeth watches begin.

Lambeth Reach

The name comes from Lambeth Reach, a stretch of the Thames along the route of the race.

Look closely at the dial and there are three small details that tell the story.The crossed oars represent The Company of Watermen and Lightermen. The fish represents the Worshipful Company of Fishmongers. And the Hanoverian horse represents George I, who was King when the Doggett's race began in 1715.

It is a lot of history to fit onto a watch dial, but that is part of what we like about it. The details are there for those who know what they are looking at, while the watch still works simply as a watch. Lambeth Reach has a traditional character. It feels connected to the history that inspired it, with a design that doesn't need to shout about where it came from.

Then we changed the mood

In 2024, we wanted to revisit the Lambeth story. The history hadn't changed. The race was still being rowed, the Thames was still the Thames and the same symbols still mattered.

But we wondered what would happen if we gave the watch a more modern expression.

That became Lambeth Dark. The two watches share the same story, but they feel quite different on the wrist. Lambeth Reach has the more traditional character. Lambeth Dark is quieter and more understated, with a darker appearance that changes the way the familiar details sit within the dial. We like them together for exactly that reason. One feels rooted in the past. The other feels like a more modern interpretation of the same story. Neither needs to replace the other.

A piece of British rowing history

There is something particularly nice about the Lambeth watches being connected to rowing.

The Doggett's Coat and Badge is not a race created for modern marketing. It has been part of life on the Thames for centuries. The race began in 1715, and the tradition has continued through generations of Watermen. Our involvement began in 2015, when Pinchbeck started sponsoring the event and presenting the winner with a watch. That means these watches have a connection not just to London, but to the people who have worked on the river, rowed it and made their living from it for generations. For us, that is what makes a watch like this interesting. It isn't history added afterwards. The history is where the watch began.

Traditional and modern

We often talk about the importance of looking backwards without simply copying what has come before. The Lambeth watches are a good example. The Reach carries the story in a more traditional way. The Dark takes that same story and changes the mood.

Put them side by side and they almost feel like two generations of the same idea. One is bold in its history. The other is more restrained in its expression. But underneath both is the same connection to the Thames, to London and to a remarkable piece of British rowing history. And perhaps that is the part we like most. A watch can carry a story for a very long time. The way we tell that story can change.