As part of Youtube series ‘Two Watch Collection’, content creator Justin Hast visited Purdey HQ to sit down with CEO Dan Jago, drawing parallels between the wonderful worlds of watchmaking and gunmaking. Surrounded by the legacy of Purdey past and present, Hast is initially a little perturbed by the Sidelock Side-by-Side and Purdey Trigger Plate Over-and-Under that lie on the Long Room table between them both. “We’re in a legendary temple of Victorian gunmaking,” Jago starts, setting the scene and running through Purdey history as Hast settles in.
“There’s 100 reasons why you’d come to Purdey,” he continues. “Protecting and preserving craftsmanship is what we do. Our factory is in Hammersmith, where we hand-build and make shotguns and rifles for everything from shooting deer in the Highlands to shooting grouse on a moor in Yorkshire… Every gun is made bespoke; it’s a slower process than making a suit, each usually takes between 12 and 24 months, sometimes a bit longer.” Hast is, understandably, impressed.
“It’s probably through my love of craftsmanship that I first encountered the brand,” Hast shares, as Jago fills him in on the stand-out features of the guns and their usage, drawing comparisons with watchmaking. “I’ve always loved anything mechanical, anything gadget based,” says Jago. “I love the concept of what a watch is. When I was 17 I ran away to sea and joined the Navy where I spent 10 years as a navigator. The idea of a portable device that tells the time accurately was founded in maritime navigation... My father was also in the navy and liked the concept of watches, I think that rubbed off on me.”
They talk about what defines luxury, and the idea of maintaining a tension between desirability and accessibility, while creating something that is purely about quality. “The craftsmanship of making technical, waterproof clothing is one thing, the craftsmanship of design is another, in terms of getting the balance right,” Jago explains. “When I watched your videos a whole world opened up to me about how complex watches are, and how much overlap there is between gunmaking – in terms of craftsmanship, passion, desire – and watchmaking.”
Talking about the first of several watches he brought with him to discuss (bending the rules of the series slightly), Jago says: “The thing that tipped me [into buying this watch] was going to see the factory and the people that make the watches – and to realise there’s as much craftsmanship goes into making this as there does into making a Purdey gun. When you see the sheer detail and complexity and microscopic nature of true watchmaking, it’s everything.”
Price, both agree, is irrelevant. “As far as gear that brings joy, that you can wear or use over and over again for years and years and pick up the stories, the scuffs, the patina, that’s what it’s all about,” Hast agrees. With a watch – a Purdey gun, a Field Coat, or any quality piece for that matter – it’s about the history and sentiment tied up within it that makes it all the more compelling and meaningful. Whether you’re a watch collector or not, there’s much enjoyment to be had in watching the full conversation in the video above.
Many thanks to Justin Hast and Dan Jago.