Words: Kieran Morris
Illustrator: Claudine Derksen
To wear a Rolex is to stand out from the crowd. For the watch dealers of London’s Hatton Garden, paranoia is the default setting. They endeavour to stay anonymised wherever they can, although to walk along the inlets of this infamous jewellery district, the modern breed are easy to pick out if you know what to look for. They clean out the coffee shops in the morning, hit the local PureGym by midday, then pass through Leather Lane market for a protein-heavy lunch before returning to their desks to day-trade like city boys in their imperious eighties pomp. With the rocketing popularity of pre-owned Rolexes, some have made millions in the past few years; others will make millions across the next few weeks. You’ll see Jacob Cohën jeans, Dior T-shirts, Prada pumps and silver tennis necklaces. You won’t see many watches. “It’s not worth it,” confides one dealer, who, true to form, requested anonymity.
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