ABOUT US
In Nov 2018, we opened our shop on Cuba St, in the heart of Wellington in New Zealand, and it is now one of the most inviting retail spaces you will find, fully stocked with interesting pre-owned and new watches, as well as a wide range of watch accessories, jewellery, beautiful culinary knives and other gift items.
The idea to have a vintage watch shop on Cuba St in Wellington, New Zealand seemed pretty simple at the time. But before opening we realised there was a sizeable gap in the market, an opportunity to join exclusively with new watch brands and offer them in the New Zealand market place.
To fill this gap, we wanted to introduce a fresh range of cool, new and unique watches not available in New Zealand, and also to meet a wider range of budgets. Some of our new watch brands are recently established, smaller and independent watch companies with one-off production runs (could be anything from around 200-2000, depending on which brand you are looking at). This means that you are way less likely to find someone else wearing the same watch as you.
We also have new watch brands which are well known, well established brands such as Oris and Louis Erard. We also have a small carefully chosen selection of Tissots and retro Casios.
Unimatic, has been so successful with their limited edition watches and collab runs (often selling out overnight), so they have established new ranges of watches which they endeavour to supply continuously. In 2021 we had our first watch collab with Unimatic, you can find out more about this here.
Also home to a large selection of quality contemporary art for sale, selected from private collections.
MEET THE TEAM AT FIVE:45
We are Ryan, Mal and Luke, three guys with a love for all things watches.
Founder Mal Brow, comes from a photography and arts background, not to mention a keen watch collector himself, saw there was a gap in the market for this niche business. After finding the perfect space for their shop, he partnered up with Ryan McKenzie, a watch scholar like no other. Watch collectors like their knowledge being tested and Ryan does this in spades. Originally a key member of Partridges, where he was the Rolex brand manager amongst other things. He offers far more than just sales expertise and is paramount to the business success. Luke Calder is our full time photography guru, who also takes care of social media, sales and shop administration which are all key to this business.
Come upstairs and you’ll see a great selection of items including handmade leather watch rolls and watch storage boxes, horological literature, beautiful cufflinks, uniquely designed watch movement necklaces, fine culinary knives and hundreds of watches with a mixture between new, pre-owned and vintage. Make sure you check out other brands we have carefully sourced and offer exclusively in New Zealand, including Wolf for watch storage, Bucknbear for knives, Nationwide books and Rubber B straps.
We are based in the newly refurbished and earth quake strengthened Maguires building on one of New Zealand’s finest streets, Cuba Street, the most vibrant new and retro shopping area in Wellington, surrounded by some of the best cafes, restaurants and art galleries in the Capital. We’ll be here for you from Tuesday to Saturday or anytime by appointment only and open 24/7 through our online shop. We look forward to hearing from you!
IIn July 2020, FIVE:45 was selected as one of the seven finalists in the emerging products category of the Wellington Gold Awards. The Wellington Gold Awards in association with The Dominion Post celebrate excellence and enterprise of businesses in the Wellington Region. Since being established in 1999, they have become an eagerly anticipated event on the corporate and social calendar.