Issue 193: The Watchmaker I Found On My Doorstep
A visit to Mr Jones Watches in its South London HQ. Plus: hats!
Hello and welcome back to The Fourth Wheel, the weekly watch newsletter that didn’t have to venture far for this week’s story. I have written plenty of watch brand ‘factory visit’ type stories, but this was the first time I could pick up some eggs from the local supermarket on the way home. Writing about Mr Jones Watches has been in the back of my mind for literally years - and it still took them getting in touch with me to break my inertia. I was glad I did.
This kind of writing is closer to what I think of as traditional magazine fare - the kind of thing I’d submit to Esquire or the like. Let me know if you’d like to see more of it here.
The Fourth Wheel is a reader-supported publication with no advertising, sponsorship or commercial partnerships to influence its content. It is made possible by the generous support of its readers: if you think watch journalism could do with a voice that exists outside of the usual media dynamic, please consider taking out a paid subscription. You can start with a free trial!
Here’s a little taste of what you might have missed recently:
But First, An Announcement: Hats
That’s right. It is a momentous day for headgear aficionados the world over, for I have finally launched into the nigh-on desolate marketplace that is the branded baseball cap. “You’ve got your own merch!” shrieked one of my highly respected journalistic colleagues, with thinly-disguised glee at my embrace of the least British of all behaviours: self-promotion.
I said to myself that 2026 would be the year I try as many new things for TFW as possible. I’ve thought about it for far too long, but here it is: a hat. Very little extra information is needed, really - it’s cotton, it’s grey, you put it on your head - but I hope some of you like it otherwise my friends and family are all getting some really predictable Christmas presents this year (and next year, and the year after that).
Full disclosure: this is my first time venturing into this world, and while I have spent a long time on Shopify trying to work everything out, I am slightly worried that in today’s landscape of tariffs and duties and so on, I will have made some kind of elementary mistake. If anything looks amiss, please let me know and I will make it right.
One more thing! Paying subscribers are entitled to a ten percent discount - you’ll find a code behind the paywall. And new Founder Members will receive a free hat, while stocks last.
