By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Staff Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

JOHN Bull is now on “island time” with the launch of two new lines from the country’s flagship watch brand, LuCairi.

The partnership with brand founder and owner Giorgio Knowles marks the first time a Bahamian watch brand will be sold exclusively at John Bull.

Dorian Roach, John Bull division manager, said: “It’s exciting to have a Bahamian brand in here as something we can brag about to our local and foreign customers. Something different, something to remember your trip by from the Bahamas. We’re happy for Giorgio and for this partnership.

“We like to pride ourselves at John Bull on carrying something with quality, not necessarily expensive, or exorbitant, but something that is quality. Everything that we carry has a quality to it and the companies we carry stand behind their brands, and that’s what we like about Giorgio, he stands behind his brand.”

The latest development is one of a series of firsts for the watch company and the country.

Two new lines, Island Heritage and Island Pearl, were unveiled on Friday.

Mr Knowles said: “I feel very accomplished, it was a long road to get here. I started with one watch, now I have eight different models, so the brand is progressing. I got the approval from the Ministry of Tourism to be the official watch of the Bahamas, so Lucairi is now the flagship watch of the Bahamas and that’s a big accomplishment as well.”

He said: “This is a company that is built on quality and luxury, and that’s what Lucairi tries to deliver. The materials used in our watches, they rival the top companies. I could have easily produced a watch of lesser quality but I told myself that we’ve reached 40 years now and it’s time to start taking the Bahamas further.”

The brand draws its name from the Taino word Lukku-Cairi, which means “People of the Islands”, according to Mr Knowles.

As the first Bahamian watch company, LuCairi entered the market earlier this year with a limited edition timepiece to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of Independence. On Friday, Mr Knowles said there were only three of those limited edition watches left.

Mr Knowles added: “I’m going to expand the female collection, there is only one model right now. There are more models, the next one is called the Black Crab. It’s a play on the black crab syndrome, in terms of how people say that we don’t support each other. What I’ve learnt through LuCairi is that there is support, so the watch will be a representation of that.”