Studio

When it comes to choosing a watch, it’s important to remember that one size does not fit all, find out how to choose the perfect watch size for you.

Everything you need to know about adjusting your fabulous new L&J timepiece.

Join us during the coming months as we go behind the lens with photographers and explorers alike to give you the ultimate summer exploration inspo, whilst we redefine discovery.  Warning! This will make you want to get off of that sofa, leave that office and live more in the moment.  Your travel companion? Our Meridian... Stayed tuned for more... #SlowMoments #DiscoveryRedefined _______________________________________________________ 10 ESSENTIAL TRAVEL ITEMS Let's face it: Summer is slowly coming to an end... However, now is probably the best time of the year to hit the road! Most tourists are returning home but the temperatures are still nice and warm. Traveling in September/October means stress free flights and escaping the ultra-hot days. And to embrace the joy about our travel plans, what could be better than looking at some must have travel items that will definitely help get us in the mood! _______________________________________________________ WHAT'S YOUR #SLOWMOMENT?  How do you slow down when daily life becomes too overwhelming? Do you take a bath and relax to the sound of your favourite anti-stress meditation app? Or how about reading that book on Hawaiian best practices for reconciliation that your friend suggested the other day? Does a walk in nature help you calm your busy mind? Or maybe a HIIT training class is what sets you free best... Whatever it is, we want to know how you create those #slowmoments in your life. Simply comment on this Instagram post and let us know how and tag a friend to be in with the chance of winning a Meridian watch. However, most importantly by doing so, you will help us build more awareness around the importance of taking time out and stepping away from stress.  You ready? Comment on the picture, tag a friend and make sure that you are following us @larssonjennings and tag both, #larssonjennings and #slowmoments in your post. Deadline is 15th August. _______________________________________________________ Travelling in LJ Style Hitting the road - or the five-star hotel - oftentimes trigger the thought that for this holiday we need to look and dress our absolute best. Why? Well, because those picture perfect Insta moments in front of Mount Kilimanjaro or the Great Canyon cannot be retaken anytime soon. However, we don't want to encourage you to put on those heels or sweat in a suit - we know you wouldn't do this anyway. Travelling in LJ style is much more about feeling comfortable in your skin and wearing outfits that make you feel and look good. Here is some of our favourite looks by travel style icons @marilee_pham, @wethepeoplestyle, @robinlam and @moderosaofficial. _______________________________________________________ L&J Travel Inspiration Before heading on the next big trip getting that dose of breathtaking travel inspiration is definitely a must. Our watches have made it around the world, accompanying travel addicts such as lifestyle blogger Divya, NYC girl @wgempire in Hawaii, London-based muse Michella Choi, bombshell Roos van Dorsten and LA stylist Stacey Marie... _______________________________________________________ MERIDIAN: Your Favourite Travel Companion Living in today’s society where a hectic lifestyle and the same daily routines have become a massive part of our lives, we are often craving for times of rest, self-development and slowing down. We want to escape the inevitable hustle of daily life and instead spend more time enjoying the priceless moments in life. Travelling and exploration allows us to gain new perspectives, step away from our sometimes narrow-minded point of view and help us collect meaningful memories that will last forever. Inspired by this love of exploring and discovering unknown places as well as new parts of ourselves, we have designed the iconic MERIDIAN collection which draws its inspiration from the great pilot watches of the past, combining nature elements of sea, air and earth. With its luminous hands and markers, textured sub-dial and large indexes, we mixed the best of the past with modern Arabic numerals and contemporary colourings, making the MERIDIAN one of your favourite travel companions! Start exploring the full collection here.

No jewellery wardrobe is complete without a watch or two (or more). With everything telling you the time now — smartphones, tablets and appliances — watches are worn for much more than utility. Women are especially embracing timepieces to suit their individual style. You’re going to want one for every mood and occasion. Go Big Along with boyfriend jeans and cardis, watches with big faces and chunky straps or bracelets are on-trend. Because men’s watches have gotten bigger over the last decade, simply buying a men’s watch can overwhelm women’s smaller wrists. As a result, watchmakers have delivered sport and dive watches with metal, leather or rubber bracelets that still have heft, but better proportion for women. That being said, don’t hesitate to try on any watch you may like, even if it’s labeled as a men’s watch. If it looks great and you love it, who cares? How to wear it... If your watch has a big metal bracelet: Try wearing it loose, so it hangs a bit like a bangle. Don't add any other bracelets. Wear it tighter, and layer and stack bracelets on the same arm. Play with expectations by choosing a big watch in rose gold tone. Look for a ceramic watch with metal or diamond accents. Look for Classics A sport watch can go almost anywhere, but why let it have all the fun? An elegant rectangular face in a yellow gold tone with a luxurious tan, brown or black leather band will never go out of style. Smaller watches with streamlined metal bracelets can go from the boardroom to happy hour without missing a fashion beat. How to wear it... Play with textures and mods: Small metal watches worn close to the wrist look fresh with a stack of bangles, bolos or leather bracelets. Classically styled watches with leather bands look amazing when contrasted with edgier apparel, like a bare sleeveless top and leather trousers or tights. Small jewel-encrusted watch faces and bracelets are evening ready and a beautiful alternative to other jewellery. When you don’t need them to just tell time anymore, watches become an essential part of your jewellery wardrobe.   This article was originally published on Jewelry Wise - Expert Source for Jewelry Advice.   Image credit: @wgempire & @styleinbeta photographed by @joeywang__ wearing @verafield_official

7 BENEFITS OF WEARING A WRISTWATCH Smartphones do everything we need them to do, from organising our schedules to giving us weather updates. They even tell the time. So many of you might wonder why I would be writing an article on wearing a wrist watch. Aren’t wrist watches obsolete? Well I’m here to tell you the many benefits of wearing a wrist watch in today’s smartphone society that may just surprise you. #1. ACCOUNTABILITY The whole essence of a wristwatch, the function of it is to tell the time. There are still fields in our industries where wearing a watch and time are extremely important. Pilots, Airline Stewardesses, Businessmen and women, Stock Brokers, Military Men, Home Designers, Caterers. If time is an important function of your life, then a wristwatch is something that you will definitely need to keep you accountable. # 2. CONVENIENCE Now many of you may say wearing a watch is redundant. I have a smartphone. Why on earth would I wear a watch when my phone tells me the time. But when you wear a watch and someone wants to know the time, it’s a simple flip of your wrist. No digging in your pocket or handbag to find your smartphone. No fingerprint scanner or code to turn your phone on. Just turn your wrist over and bam! You know the time.  # 3. LESS DISTRACTIONS  Wearing a watch and knowing the time is just that. Nothing more. When we grab our smartphones, we not only see the time, but we check updates, play games, check Facebook, take photos. We become distracted. So much so there are an abundance of articles online about how our smartphones are actually making us less conversational one on one. Whereas having the simplicity of a wrist watch is just for the simple function it provides. To know what time it is and keep you on track throughout your day.  # 4. CONFIDENCE It’s amazing how a piece of jewellery or a scarf, a tailored jacket or a fancy pair of dress shoes help make us feel confident. Well, a wristwatch adds the same to our style. People notice watches. I mean, I’ll be honest. I  have asked people about their watches when I see a sleek design. A watch will make you feel confident and build your confidence. There’s just something about wearing one that holds a value of importance that cannot be explained. It’s more important to be noticed than not noticed, and wearing a watch helps you get noticed.  # 5. STYLE AND BUILD I remember as a kid growing up my grandfather having a pocket watch. Watches aren’t something you can just mass produce, at least not the good ones. There is a lot of craftsmanship that goes into building a good watch. Each one unique in style and function. Each one with a story to be told. So style and build are important when choosing the right watch for yourself. # 6. FAMILY TREASURE This goes hand in hand with number 5 on the list. Having a beautiful wristwatch you take pride in, even one unique in style is something that means something to everyone. My son loves Venom the comic book character and when he came across this black and white Venom watch that was sleek in design, he purchased it right away. He wears his watch almost every single day. This is the type of watch he can pass down to his own kids who may love comic book characters. Just like any family heirloom, a watch is something that can be treasured for years to come. # 7. TIME IS IMPORTANT Building a relationship with time is important. It helps us know how many hours are in a day. Many of us don’t know if we are honest about how much time we have. It’s a reminder we may not want to know about. But it’s important. Having a good relationship with time changes your outlook on life, and the right watch can help you do that. It not only keeps you on track but lets you value the time you do have to spend it right with the people you love, and understanding its value is something that will change your life.   Written by Jodi Shaw, originally published on Just Jodi Shaw.

This week in the Studio we sit down with founder Andrew Jennings to find out how Larsson & Jennings got started and the journey which has taken the brand to where it is now. From a youthful fascination with watches to thousands of orders within an instant of launching, the first chronograph and beyond. Meet our CEO and Founder and see what keeps us running. - What made you want to start your own business, in particular a watch brand? I spent many of my younger years dreaming up entrepreneurial ideas and it wasn't until I was in my twenties that I merged my love of vintage watches with my entrepreneurial drive. I have always had a fascination with watches, the first watch I actually owned belonged to my uncle. As an army radio DJ who was obsessed with cars he was something of a hero to me. When he’d got his first radio job in 1962, my grandmother bought him a Rolex 6239 Daytona cosmograph for £250, so that he could time his live radio shows because it had the cosmograph timing function. It was actually the first Rolex Daytona ever to be released and my uncle wore it until he died in 1994. When I was 10 years old, he left the watch to me but I was banned from wearing it until I was old enough to look after it. In 2001, when I was still at school, I read an article in GQ on vintage watches - it showed a full-page image of my late uncle’s Rolex Daytona. The watch was valued at around £20,000. I frantically called my dad, who put it in a safe where it stayed for another 10 years. At twenty-six I was working in finance and searching for an entrepreneurial idea to leave the City and I saw a gap in the market for modern yet classic dress watches at a great price point and went with it. I actually almost sold my Rolex to buy our first batch of watches - which I managed to fund with savings and credit cards so now the watch is safely locked up and apparently worth even more - not that I ever want to sell it!  - How did the brand start to take off? While working in finance as a 9 to 5 (actually 7 to 7!) I knew I needed a shoulder operation that would take me off work for two months, so I timed it to fall over the Christmas period, when I hoped Larsson & Jennings would be busy. I had no employees, my arm in a sling and was fulfilling orders from my apartment – attaching watch straps to watch heads by hand to keep stock levels low and bombarding the local post office with sacks of parcels to post. We turned over £100,000 that December (2012) with the help of social media so I went back into my finance job after Christmas, quit on the spot and began to work full time on Larsson & Jennings that January.  -   What separates Larsson & Jennings from other watch brands? We have managed to offer a very luxurious product that features exceptional materials and features at an affordable price by working closely with our supply chain and by not over diluting our distribution which means we can pass the margin savings onto our customer. Our unique approach to design across product, stores and communication has been key to our growth and success as we are always looking for new ways to challenge the industry - I started Larsson & Jennings to offer an alternative to the many look-a-like watch brands in our price segment so remaining independent and challenging traditions is very important to me.  As we grow organically we value the importance of establishing a clear message through our content messaging, collaborations and affiliation with great brand ambassadors, focusing on design and the highest quality for a product that cates for both men and women and most importantly, is affordable.  - Which model is your personal favourite? That’s a tough question but our LJXII Lugano 40mm with a silver Milanese band will always have a special place in my heart as it was our first offering and was inspired by our founding nations of Stockholm and London; Swedish minimalism meets British heritage. However this year, after five years of success we launched the Rally, our first chronograph and was a nod to my Uncle’s Rolex which inspired me from the beginning. I am so proud of our offering as there is truly something for everyone, our LJXII range is our classic whereas the Velo and Meridian offers something new for us, aesthetically.  - What have been your key achievements over the years? Selling our first watch to a complete stranger was a phenomenal feeling, as well as launching our flagship store on the iconic Seven Dials in Covent Garden with a pop-up in New York along the way too. We are also stocked in some iconic retailers globally. Watch-making is such an important part of who we are as a brand I am proud we are bringing something new to the millennial customer by always reimagining classic design and staying true to our Anglo-Swedish roots.   - What’s next for Larsson & Jennings? We have some big plans for 2019, and beyond, which includes some exciting new products and unique store experiences. I don't want to give too much away now but keep posted... -  Follow Andrew on Instagram here.