In a Forbes story earlier this year, Hamilton Powell told the magazine he started Crown & Caliber because he saw a friend get "screwed" by a local jeweler he sold a watch to.
Powell, now the CEO of the company, founded Crown & Caliber in 2012 as a “legitimate and transparent way” to buy and sell luxury timepieces. He told Forbes he wanted Crown & Caliber to be for watches what CarMax is to pre-owned cars.
Powell, an Atlanta native, quit his job in private equity to start Crown & Caliber.
And now that company, with more than 40 employees, is based in north Fulton County. Powell moved Crown & Caliber from Buckhead to Sandy Springs at a new space on Interstate North Parkway.
READ: What’s up with that castle in North Fulton?
READ: 10 from DeKalb County to watch in college basketball this year
The two-floor building covers 10,000 square feet and houses the company's teams for sales, marketing, authentication, service and an appointment-only retail showroom. The company says it is one of the largest watchmaking facilities in the southeast
"Watchmaking" refers to any certified individuals who repair or make watches. In the case of Crown & Caliber, it's just repair. The company doesn't make watches, but employs skilled craftsman who repair them.
“Increasingly, our clients have expressed a desire to be able to experience our brand in person. It was for that reason we elected to create our new appointment-only retail space in Sandy Springs,” Powell said in a statement to the AJC. “It allows us to be closer to the customer so that we can constantly hear from them and thus improve and evolve our experience.”
Powell added that the new space allows customers to see watches, meet the team, and even enjoy Scotch.
READ: Ga. Secretary of State investigating vote-buying in Milton
READ: Candidates in Roswell runoff to debate next week
Crown & Caliber is an online marketplace for certified pre-owned luxury watches, featuring more than 40 brands like Rolex and Breitling. Every watch that is sold on its marketplace has undergone a 45-point inspection by one of the company’s master watchmakers, verifying authenticity as well as functionality.
Currently, there are more than 2,000 watches listed on the Crown & Caliber marketplace. Every watch is sold with a one-year comprehensive warranty.
“Moving our office to Sandy Springs was one of the best decisions we have ever made,” Powell said. “The Sandy Springs government could not have been more business friendly in accommodating the unique needs of an online tech-based marketplace such as us. As a result, our transition was distraction-free and smooth.”
Like North Fulton County News Now on Facebook and follow on Twitter
MORE LOCAL NEWS...
About the Author
