About Us
Tampa Bay's #1 Watch Experts
Started in 1983 by Jeffrey P. Hess, noted horological researcher and collector, author and speaker, our focus has always been the historical unique aspects of individual pieces of fine and decorative arts and fine horology. Joined in 1998 by his wife, Katrina M. Hess, co-founder of Houston Jewelry and Appraisal services in Texas, their little mom and pop exploded as they built the Company into the powerhouse it is today with 45 employees, including 2 former Sotehbys’com associates, five Art design graduates and 8 GIA graduates.
We have built this little company into a steadfast and noted entity that values historical context as much as they do the social interactions that are inherent inthe fine and decorative arts world.
We put the customer at the center of everything, but put historical context and documented research next. We pride ourselves in helping others research forgotten tomes, obscure watch companies, unusual cut diamonds and especially mid-century modern design items. But w don’t forget the Victorian antique or the sometimes obscure, loose are movements like the Fauvists or the Pre-Raphaelites.
We put the customer at the center of everything, but put historical context and documented research next. We pride ourselves in helping others research forgotten tomes, obscure watch companies, unusual cut diamonds and especially mid-century modern design items. But w don’t forget the Victorian antique or the sometimes obscure, loose are movements like the Fauvists or the Pre-Raphaelites.
We like to think we are a step up from normal “merchants” who think of antique and fine art as commodities. We think of each piece as a living breathing remnants of the past that helped shape all current living artists in some manner or another.
With locations in St Pete and Tampa, we serve the greater Tampa Bay area including Brandon, Lakeland Clearwater, and beyond!
This is why you need to give us a shout. We truly understand this “Business” as not just a “business” but as an exercise in history!
