Watch Specialist for a London Auction House

We are on the hunt for a passionate and driven Watch Specialist to join a well-established auction house in London. The purpose of the role is to carry out watch sales in line with the business’s year-on-year growth objectives.

Our Client is a privately owned, well-established London auction house which is fast becoming a major player in the international art market. With 20 specialist departments, around 60 staff, regular dedicated and themed sales are held across a breadth of specialisms. In addition, monthly Interiors, Homes and Antiques sales contribute to a busy calendar of 100 auctions per year.

Driven by the knowledge, enthusiasm and savoir-faire of the current head of department, our client's watch sales have grown markedly in stature and expertise. The ideal candidate for this role has a strong knowledge and genuine interest in watches, as well as good market and trend awareness; demonstrating a good level of specialist expertise achieved through previous roles, business acumen and strong valuation skills. For an expert passionate about the field, keen to grow their expertise, who has a commercial eye and a strong understanding of the breadth and depth of the watch - this is a golden opportunity to shine.

AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

Responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

Strategic and Business Development

• Develop business contacts and strategic opportunities, including developing auction and private sales strategies.
• Identify and maintain relationships with all client categories (collectors, dealers, other auction houses especially the main three in London).
• Liaise on material in the field with other internal departments: pre-press, marketing, public relations etc.
• Proactively research and gather information into the marketplace/trends/buying and selling patterns and order to devise a business development strategy for the sale.
• Identify and grow the client base for sourcing and selling of watches.

Consignments, Valuations, Cataloguing, Pre and Post-Sale Responsibilities

• Take lead responsibility for the consigning of watches to the sale, and coordinate the work of others in this respect.
• Respond to incoming walk-ins, written, phone and email enquiries to determine sale potential, along with other members of the department.
• Work with colleagues to determine provenance, authenticity, value, condition, and marketability.
• Catalogue consignments and work on the production and layout of the online catalogue, and any associated e-catalogue with the Head of Department.
• Coordinate and drive pre-sale exhibition set-up.
• Alongside colleagues in the team, work with potential buyers to provide condition reports, and attend weekend exhibitions, to market and sell the sale.
• Work with the marketing and communications team, to help develop a coordinated marketing plan to achieve budgeted sale totals.
• Participate in telephone bidding with clients during the auction, as required.
• Participate in the full after-sales analysis, and implement any agreed changes.

General

• Ensure compliance with all internal policies and procedures and any relevant external bodies or processes.
• Participate in organization-wide meetings, activities and processes, and develop internal contacts, networks and interactions as appropriate.
• Actively participate in events, valuation days, and other functions to represent the company e.g. evening events to promote the sale.
• Carry out other duties as required by the Directors and Managing Director.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

• A qualification relevant to the field.
• Proven knowledge in the field of watches gained both through study and work experience.
• Experience in the field, preferably at a top auction house.
• Proven ability to develop relationships with the major collectors, dealers, auction houses and galleries.
• Excellent writing skills in English, and ability to combine an understanding of the material with a commercial sense of marketing and promoting value.
• Excellent verbal communication and interpersonal skills, including first class spoken English.
• Ability to work to tight auction deadlines, balancing photography, cataloguing, sale organization, marketing and promotional details.
• Experience working on projects of all sizes, long- and short-term; demonstrated ability to prioritize a variety of concurrent projects.
• Excellent knowledge of the Microsoft 365 Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, Outlook, etc.).
• Ability to learn systems, with excellent IT proficiency.
• Superior customer service skills.
• Strong follow-up skills with attention to detail.
• Ability to thrive within a fast-paced team environment.

Reports to - Head of the Department

Main contacts

Internal: Executive and Managing Directors, other specialist departments, client liaison and other business functions especially marketing and communications

External: collectors, dealers, galleries, other auction houses, customers, members of the public

Start Date - ASAP