of Stamford
Our ancestry dates back to Thomas Loomes in the 1650's
Loomes & Co are a family firm of watchmakers. They run their workshops in a traditional manner, employing a small team of highly skilled staff, each individual responsible for one aspect of our watchmaking. Responsibilities include everything from machining components to the final assembly.
Based in the picturesque town of Stamford, the workshops are conveniently accessed from the Old Great North Road (A1). You can travel to the workshops by car from London, York, Birmingham and Oxford, all in under 2 hours.
Loomes can date their watchmaking ancestry back to Thomas Loomes who, in the 1650s, ran London's largest firm of clock and watchmakers.
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Sitting inside England’s first ever conservation zone, Loomes & Co is housed in the former Stamford gaol house, a building dating back to 1588. Fronting onto the River Welland, and spreading over four floors, the workshops are a showcase of horological expertise, not just watchmaking but also repair and restoration of fine clocks and watches.
Robert Loomes
Robert Loomes, FBHI grew up in a family business steeped in horology, surrounded by clocks and watches, and by tales of Thomas Loomes, a very eminent 17th century watchmaker. Serving a traditional apprenticeship under his father Brian Loomes, Hon FBHI, himself a well-known technical author, who has written numerous books on clocks and watchmaking; Robert decided to take up the reins and follow in his father’s footsteps. These days Robert serves as Chairmam and a Director of the British Horological Institute, and past steward of the Clockmaker's Company.
With a background predominantly in repair and restoration, Loomes was convinced it was possible to design, sketch and manufacture every component required to create an English watch. Loomes set about creating a workshop and a team of watchmakers who could produce a watch from scratch under one roof. Each component is carefully sketched by hand, before starting the meticulous process of turning a sketch into machined components.
Robina Hill
Robina Hill FRSA took over as managing director of Loomes in 2011,she came with a background in project management and performing arts. At that time Loomes were making wristwatches using imported components. Robina’s vision from the start however, was that Loomes should produce entirely British made watches. Thus within two years Robina and her team had created the Robin collection to much global acclaim appearing in the Telegraph, GQ Magazine and the New York Times.
Robina has raised the profile of the company by working with events and charities including Gurkha Welfare Trust, Mountain Trust of Nepal, Riding for the Disabled, Matt Hampson Foundation and Rotary. In doing so over £30,000 was raised to assist the people of Nepal and truly helped put Stamford on the map .
Robina is an enthusiatic Lady Liveryman and Past Steward of the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers
As Robina is fond of saying “watchmaking is where art meets science and it’s fun”.