Old England

Old England was a fashion watch brand developed by Richard Loftus and Accurist in 1967.

History

Designer Richard Loftus created the Old England brand for fashion watches in 1967. Part of Accurist, it quickly became one of the top fashion watch brands in the United States and United Kingdom. By 1969, it was already the leading brand in these markets, along with Sheffield. Loftus concept was to produce inexpensive Swiss watches with collections that would change every six months. Their models, featuring the Union Jack or brand logos like Pepsi, became popular accessories and were worn by the Beatles, Twiggy, and Princess Anne.

The company leveraged various Swiss movement, case, and dial producers from its offices in La Chaux-de-Fonds through the 1970s. Initially using Roskopf movements, they quickly adopted quartz, and were well known for LED and LCD digital models. Always an affordable brand, Old England adopted 9 karat gold cases and moved a bit up-market later in the decade. Models included "Go Go", "Beach Watch", and "Motor-Wrist", reflecting the lifestyle of buyers.

In 1983, they Switched to Japanese movements and production. The company also launched a clothing line, and this would outlive the watches.

From 1999 through 2006, Old England was part of the Richemont Group.