A LEGACY
in Time.
Our Vision
To create a new era of luxury - shaped by women, grounded in craftsmanship, and inspired by the world.
Our Mission
We exist to create exceptional timepieces as works of art.
How it all
BEGAN
The brand was formally established in 2021 by Ashley Law-Smith.
The concept of The Face in Time however was born long before then and largely influenced by her family lineage.
Ashley remembers being influenced by her Chinese grandparents whilst in Africa. Her grandfather being able to read, write and speak both English and Chinese ran a successful import business and her grandmother designed and tailored clothing for high profile clients in Zimbabwe. She explains;
"I distinctly remember during school holidays sneaking into the storage room at my grandparents house, opening up all the watch boxes to take a look inside. I also spent a great deal of time with my grandmother, who taught me how to sew and more importantly how to choose the right fabric for the pattern. She was a lover of all things fine and a big advocate for quality over quantity which seemed to resonate well with me. As we were both born in the Chinese Year of the Dragon, this made a lot of sense.
Someone asked me how The Face in Time came to be and sometimes it is as simple as things must run in the blood. The experiences of my youth may have shaped me more than I realise. I am a Chartered Accountant by profession and I think the watches are a perfect blend between the creative mind of my grandmother and the business undertakings of my grandfather."
Billy and Shirley Law-Smith in Harare, Zimbabwe circa 1961
Ashley Law-Smith
Founder
STORY
I noticed that woman were underrepresented in the Swiss luxury market, what was available was lacking that creative flare, everything seemed so plain.
To add further context, during my research, I discovered out of the 125+ Swiss watch brands on Wikipedia, only 1 of them was female founded, and that brand is no longer selling to the market.
I thought, how could that be and the answer came of no surprise as during the birth of Swiss watches, Women were hardly allowed to attend school never mind open their own businesses, so starting a watch brand would have certainly been a ludicrous idea.
It has not been easy to establish a luxury brand especially in todays competitive environment. However, we are here and I am proud and passionate about what the team has achieved so far. We will continue to create engaging designs tailored to our female customers and who knows what the future holds, maybe we will release a male collection. I've got some really great ideas for a debut release.
I am a big believer that we are all creators and this brand has come fruition from a vision, a series of actions and drive from the passion in my heart.
It's our Time
to Shine
The watches have been designed specifically to a modern day woman. From the case shape, glass bevel to the dial creations and even the watch size, it has been carefully crafted with the Women in mind.