A jeweller has stood on the Lewes High Street since 1819, when Harris opened at 1 Cliffe High Street. In 1919, Wilfred Ernest Clark moved down from London, bought the business outright, and put his name above the door. Four generations later, David Clark FGA DGA, his great-grandson, is the Managing Director, the in-house gemmologist, and the JVA Registered Valuer.
Walk in Tuesday to Saturday between nine and four. The bespoke conversations happen at the counter, the bench is the floor above, and the TAG Heuer workshop is behind the showroom.
Engagement rings, wedding bands, remakes of inherited pieces. Sketch on paper, wax model, bench trial, final piece. The workshop is upstairs above the 224 High Street showroom; David Clark FGA DGA consults personally on diamond and coloured-stone selection and signs off every commission before it leaves the building.
A separate workshop behind the 224 High Street showroom, accredited by TAG Heuer to their factory standard. A Master Watchmaker on the bench with thirty-plus years on the trade, supported by a British Horological Institute accredited assistant. Service work on Breitling, Cartier, Longines, Omega, Patek Philippe, Rolex and TUDOR. Vintage and pocket-watch specialism.
Insurance and probate valuations carried out personally by David Clark, a Fellow of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain, holder of the Diamond Diploma, and a JVA Registered Valuer listed on thejva.org. The written schedule follows in two to three weeks. Insurance figures are calculated on replacement value; probate on current market value at the date of death. The two are explicitly distinguished, so you do not under-insure.
Ring resizing, claw re-tipping, chain soldering, pearl re-stringing, re-rhodium plating of white-gold, hand-engraving. The piece never leaves the building without a written estimate at the counter, and we will tell you up front if the repair costs more than the piece is worth. Drop in Tuesday to Saturday, nine to four.
George III is on the throne. The shop trades quietly through the long nineteenth century, becoming Harris & Kenward, Jewellers and Silversmiths, and survives the Great War. In 1919, Wilfred Ernest Clark moves from London to Lewes, buys the business outright, and puts his own name above the door. W.E. Clark is established.
Wilfred runs the shop for almost thirty years. In 1947, his son Jack joins him on the bench and the shop becomes W.E. Clark & Son. In 1971, Jack's son John takes the keys at twenty-one. He marries Madeleine in 1974; they have three children, Simon, Caroline and David. In 1979, John buys 224 High Street whilst keeping 1 Cliffe High Street, putting Clark's on both banks of the River Ouse either side of the historic Cliffe Bridge.
On the morning of 12 October 2000, the River Ouse bursts its banks. Both Clark premises are inundated. David Clark, the fourth-generation jeweller, joins the family business that same year, aged nineteen, months earlier than he had planned. He has loved being in the shop since he was seven. He stays.
“It is in your blood. I have loved being in the shop ever since I was seven.” David Clark, Managing Director · Platinum Media interview, March 2018
A Master Watchmaker with over thirty years on the trade, supported by a British Horological Institute accredited assistant. Most service work is done in-house, on the premises at 224 High Street.
Black Bay, Pelagos, Ranger. Service work to TAG-Heuer-accredited standard on the Lewes bench.
Submariner, Datejust, Oyster Perpetual. Vintage pieces a particular interest of the Master Watchmaker.
Seamaster, Speedmaster, De Ville. Movements stripped, cleaned and re-lubricated to manufacturer spec.
Authorised Service Centre. Eligible for full manufacturer service warranty, no shipping to Switzerland.
Navitimer, Superocean, Avenger. Crown and pusher seals replaced; pressure-tested to the rated depth.
Santos, Tank, Ballon Bleu. Battery replacements, gasket renewals, dial and movement work.
HydroConquest, Master, Heritage. Strap fitments, regulation, full service.
Calatrava, Nautilus, Aquanaut. Vintage and pocket-watch movements a workshop specialism.
A separate trading identity for the workshop sits at weclarkwatchrepairs.co.uk. Same counter, same Master Watchmaker, same 224 High Street workshop. If you posted a watch to the Lewes shop tomorrow, it would not matter which name you used on the package.
Independent insurance and probate valuations are carried out in the Lewes showroom by David Clark, a Fellow of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain, holder of the Diamond Diploma of the same, and a JVA Registered Valuer listed on thejva.org.
The piece is inspected, cleaned, weighed, measured and photographed at the counter. The written schedule follows in two to three weeks, depending on the complexity and any further investigative work. Insurance valuations are calculated on replacement value (what a broadly similar article will cost to put back in the unfortunate event of loss, theft or damage). Probate valuations are calculated on current market value at the date of death, and represent much lower figures than for insurance. The two are explicitly distinguished, so you do not under-insure.
Bring the piece in two to five days before your appointment, with any documentation you hold. Collection at the counter once the schedule is complete, or by arrangement.
A short form for an appointment in the Lewes showroom. We will come back to you by email within one working day. For an indicative quote on a watch service or a jewellery repair, drop the piece in at the counter Tuesday to Saturday and we will email the estimate.
W.E. Clark & Son
224 High Street
Lewes, East Sussex
BN7 2AF
Phone · 01273 487816
Email · davidclark@weclarkandson.co.uk
Nearby · Cliffe Bridge (medieval stone), Harveys Brewery (1838) one street east, Lewes Castle (1069) five minutes west, Lewes rail station an eight-minute walk south.
W.E. Clark & Son
39 High Street
Uckfield, East Sussex
TN22 1AJ
Phone · 01825 708777
Opened · 2017, our second East Sussex branch.
Same hours · Tuesday to Saturday, nine to four.
Call ahead for valuations, bespoke consultations and watch-workshop drop-offs on 01273 487816. We will confirm same-day or book a slot in the diary.
One business, two trading identities. W.E. Clark & Son is the family jewellers established in 1819 (in the Clark family since 1919). W.E. Clark Watch Repairs is the same firm’s TAG Heuer Authorised Service Centre, run from the workshop behind the Lewes showroom. Same Master Watchmaker, same counter, separate website because Google rewards specialism. If you came in to drop off a watch, you would not notice you had crossed a brand boundary.
Yes. The Lewes workshop is one of a small number of UK workshops to hold the TAG Heuer Authorised Service Centre accreditation, which is the same standard the brand applies to its own service centres. Manufacturer-warranty-eligible service work for TAG Heuer is done in Lewes rather than dispatched to Switzerland. For Rolex, Omega, Breitling, Cartier, Longines and Patek Philippe, the Master Watchmaker is qualified to carry out full movement service to manufacturer specification.
Two to three weeks for the written schedule, depending on the complexity and any further investigative work on a particular piece. David Clark FGA DGA inspects, cleans, weighs, measures and photographs the piece in the Lewes showroom. Insurance valuations are calculated on replacement value (what a broadly similar article will cost to put back, in the unfortunate event of loss). Probate valuations are calculated on current market value at the date of death, and represent much lower figures than for insurance. The two are explicitly distinguished, so you do not under-insure. Fees are agreed in advance, in writing.
Yes, that is one of the most common bespoke commissions. The piece is brought to the counter, photographed, weighed; the design conversation happens in the showroom or by email; a sketch follows, then a wax model for a fitting, then the final piece. Inherited stones are reset where the cut and condition allow; metal is melted and re-rolled where it does not. The original piece is documented end-to-end so the family record is preserved.
No. Independent on the door since 1819. Fourth generation of the Clark family on the bench. Member of the Company of Master Jewellers and the British Horological Institute, listed on the JVA Register of Valuers, and a long-standing member of the Lewes Chamber of Commerce. The decisions are made at 224 High Street, Lewes.