A workshop where every watchface fits
A NORTH EAST watchmaker trained by world-leading horologists from Breitling and Cartier has set up his own repair and restoration workshop.
Blyth-born Richard Rigg, 44, began repairing and restoring watches and clocks when he was nine years old, following in the footsteps of his older brother.
However, while his brother would go on to work in London, Richard decided to stay in his native North East after studying at the British Horological Institute, where he would ply his trade for a local jeweller.
Over the next 20 years, the role would see him train with some of the world’s most luxurious brands, from Cartier to Omega, Tag Heuer and Breitling and fix watches valued anywhere from £1,000 to £1million.
Holding a long-held passion for horology however, Richard often found himself having to turn customers away due to the age, brand or style of their timepiece and decided there must be a better way to service those whose watches were deemed unfit for repair.
It was this desire, coupled with his watchmaking expertise, which led him to launch his own watch repair and restoration business, Rigga Repairs, after being supported by the North East Combined Authority and UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
“I decided to set up on my own to help people who have watches or clocks they really value but either don’t have anywhere to take them or want a more cost-effective alternative to the high street,” Richard said.
“Over the years, I’ve lost count of the number of people who I’ve seen turned away due to their watches being too old, not being a certain brand or in too bad of a condition, and it always pained me to see. Especially when a lot of them were hugely sentimental items.
Operating out of a hybrid office and workshop, Rigga Repairs accepts everything from £5 watches to £5million watches, with customers from as far as Dubai and Canada paying to have their watches fixed and serviced.
“The majority of stores and jewellers could probably fix most of the watches, but they don’t see it as economical, whereas we see value in every timepiece,” he added.
“This is what has really set us apart and has been key to our early success. We’ve had everything from vintage Rolex and Tag Heuer watches to Rotary, Zodiac and Timex.
“We’ve also had watches from the 50s through to the 70s that people have had passed down through generations and have just sat in drawers because nobody would fix them. It’s very satisfying from that point of view.
“In fact, since opening six weeks ago, we’ve repaired a watch or clock per day on average, so it’s going great.”
Richard received free start-up advice and support from the North East BIC prior to setting up the business, courtesy of the Enterprising North programme which is delivered by a unique consortium of local delivery partners across the Gateshead, Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland area.
“My business adviser, Nham Lee, has been amazing and I genuinely don’t think I would be where I am now if it wasn’t for her,” he said.
“We were introduced earlier this year and it’s been quite a journey; we meet up once a month and her advice and support, from setting up the business to securing my premises, has been invaluable.”
Nham added: “It has been brilliant working with Richard on the launch of Rigga Repairs and seeing the business go from what was a pipedream of becoming his own boss to a successful start-up business.
“The Enterprising North programme was set up to help those with a desire to set up their own business to make the leap into self-employment and Richard is a great example of how it is enabling people to do just that.”
For more information on the Enterprising North programme, click here.