# Watchlotto archive > A historical archive of watchlotto.com before acquisition. This historical archive is not a live competition service. It covers the original 2016 to 2020 chapter. The history of Watchlotto, founded by Harrison Gwinnett in 2016: its first winners, Southend United partnership, worldwide handovers and original 2020 chapter. ## Origins Watchlotto was founded by Harrison Gwinnett in 2016. This archive preserves its original story, winners and milestones. At 16, Harrison was fascinated by luxury watches. He wanted to own one himself, but for a fraction of the price. Working in London, that interest grew. He first considered opening a jeweller’s, then found a different idea: make the watch world more fun by giving people the chance to win one. A spot-the-ball game of skill gave people the opportunity to make that same dream a reality. The watches brought people in. The winners, their reactions and the personal handovers became the heart of the story. The first competition followed in 2018. Owen Simmonds, a university student in Plymouth, won a Rolex Oyster Perpetual through a 99p promotion. That first handover became a moment Harrison would keep coming back to. [Harrison Gwinnett’s story](https://harrisongwinnett.com/history) The company was incorporated on 22 September 2016. ## Reported growth - 185,000: Average monthly users - 85: Countries reached - 18,000+: Daily reach through FIFA - 10,000+: Miles delivering prizes in 2020 Forbes reported an average monthly audience of 185,000 users across 85 countries in its April 2023 retrospective. These are reported figures, rather than independently audited analytics. [Forbes](https://www.forbes.com/sites/trevorclawson/2023/04/22/from-watches-to-avatars-building-a-web3-company-from-the-ground-up/). The daily FIFA reach and 2020 delivery mileage are figures supplied by Harrison Gwinnett for this archive. They describe the original business period and are not current operating figures. ## Reported valuation and FIFA Forbes described the company’s value at Harrison’s exit as about £11 million. This is a reported valuation, not a claim about sale proceeds. [Forbes](https://www.forbes.com/sites/trevorclawson/2023/04/22/from-watches-to-avatars-building-a-web3-company-from-the-ground-up/). The original shirt partnership appeared in FIFA. The edition depicted in the supplied screenshots is not independently confirmed, so this archive uses “FIFA” without assigning an edition. ## The journey ### 2016: It started with wanting one. At 16, Harrison was drawn to luxury watches but wanted a way to own one for a fraction of the price. That thought became Watchlotto: a game of skill, a dream watch and a different way to own one. [Company incorporation record](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/10389664) ### 2017: A little backing. A bigger ambition. Early backing gave the idea room to grow. The focus was on building the experience, bringing people in and turning the first chapter into something bigger. ### Pre-launch: The first meeting. The first video. Harrison and Jamie Robertson met for the first time to film Watchlotto’s very first piece of content. The platform had not launched yet. Before the winners and the journeys, there was this moment on a sofa, making a start. ### 2018: A 99p entry. A first unforgettable win. In his director’s interview, Harrison places the first competition in 2018. Owen Simmonds, a university student in Plymouth, won a Rolex Oyster Perpetual 39 through the 99p promotion. Harrison remembers the nerves, the excitement at Owen’s door and his family coming out afterwards. [Harrison recalls the first win](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLewxurunak&t=1356s) ### 2019: Rebuilt. Relaunched. In your pocket. A second version of the website and the arrival of mobile apps opened up a new chapter. Watchlotto was finding its rhythm, and the community was growing with it. ### 2020: The year everything accelerated. The pace was changing. In his September interview, Harrison described the move from monthly to fortnightly competitions, with weekly competitions the next goal. More winners and more personal handovers were at the heart of that ambition. [Harrison on the next step](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLewxurunak&t=1021s) ### 2020: On the shirt. On the screen. The Southend United partnership put Watchlotto on the shirt and into FIFA. Back at the office, Andy Cole and Sol Campbell joined the judging. The story was reaching a much bigger audience. [Southend’s announcement · 24 July 2020](https://www.southendunited.co.uk/news/2020/july/southend-united-is-delighted-to-announce-watchlotto-as-a-main-partner/) ### 2020: A dream worth going the distance for. The handovers were personal. In 2020, over 10,000 miles were travelled delivering prizes, with journeys reaching as far as Australia. What began as one person’s idea was now making memories around the world. ## The director’s interview [Jamie Robertson interviews Harrison Gwinnett](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLewxurunak), recorded 17 September 2020. The recording date is printed on the creator’s official video thumbnail. Jamie Robertson sits down with Harrison Gwinnett to talk about the idea behind Watchlotto, its first winner, the judging process and the community growing around it. The recording date is distinct from its archival YouTube upload on 27 August 2025. - [00:55: How it all started](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLewxurunak&t=55s) - [05:48: Inside the judging process](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLewxurunak&t=348s) - [11:44: Keeping in touch with winners](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLewxurunak&t=704s) - [22:36: Owen’s 99p win](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLewxurunak&t=1356s) ## The handover 19 November 2020. The business was acquired and Harrison Gwinnett stepped down as director. Companies House records incorporation on 22 September 2016 and Harrison’s director resignation on 19 November 2020. The archive’s acquisition wording and date reflect the founder’s account; the officer record establishes resignation, not a transaction date. [Companies House](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/10389664/officers). ## Archive media The archive combines original photographs supplied by the founder with Southend United’s original kit-launch and charity-announcement artwork. ### The winners: The very first winner. The first winner was Owen Simmonds, a university student in Plymouth, UK. His prize was a Rolex Oyster Perpetual, and he was over the moon. In the 2020 director’s interview, Harrison recalls the first competition in 2018: a 99p ticket promotion and an Oyster Perpetual 39. Owen won through that promotion. Harrison remembers them being just as nervous as each other. It was the first winner handover, and the idea was suddenly very real. [Harrison remembers Owen’s win](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLewxurunak&t=1356s) ### Behind the scenes: Inside the judging room. Behind the scenes at the Watchlotto office, Sol Campbell and Andy Cole joined the team for official spot-the-ball judging. The group photograph captures everyone together on a judging day. Before the platform launched, Harrison met presenter Jamie Robertson for the first time. Together they filmed the very first piece of Watchlotto content, also preserved in this gallery. In his director’s interview, Harrison explains how showing the judging videos became a priority. Entrants wanted to see the people, the process and the decisions behind the competition. [Inside the judging, with Harrison](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLewxurunak&t=348s) ### The partnerships: On the shirt. In the game. Watchlotto became Southend United’s main shirt partner in 2020. The club’s original kit-launch artwork shows the logo taking its place on the front of the home shirt. That real-world sponsorship appeared in FIFA through Southend’s in-game kit. It was part of the game’s normal club branding, bringing Watchlotto to a new audience. [Southend United, 24 July 2020](https://www.southendunited.co.uk/news/2020/july/southend-united-is-delighted-to-announce-watchlotto-as-a-main-partner/) ### The reactions: Reactions we won’t forget. The winners and their reactions became the heart of Watchlotto. Owen was over the moon at his first handover in Plymouth; Harrison remembers them both being just as nervous as each other. The photographs bring together moments from Plymouth, Sydney and the Channel Islands. Jamie Robertson made the personal handover in Sydney. COVID meant the team could not travel to the Channel Islands to deliver that prize in person. Sometimes the moment began with a phone call. The archive also captures Harrison with a Southend United player delivering the news to a winner. Alongside those moments are more photographs from Harrison’s own archive: a personal prize handover and a video call from the Watchlotto sofa. ### The journeys: A world away. The journeys became part of the story. Presenter Jamie Robertson travelled to Sydney, Australia, for a personal prize handover beside the harbour. ### The community: Room for a good cause. The Southend partnership created an opportunity to give something back. Watchlotto donated its branding space on the junior retail shirts to the Teddy Hewitt Foundation. The club announced the arrangement in July 2020, giving the foundation a place on the shirts worn by young supporters. [Southend United, 24 July 2020](https://www.southendunited.co.uk/news/2020/july/teddy-hewitt-foundation-to-be-shown-on-junior-retail-kits/) Individual handover dates other than the first competition’s reported year, the Southend player’s name and the FIFA edition shown are not confirmed. The first filming session happened before launch; no exact filming date is asserted. ## Sources - [Company incorporation record](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/10389664) - [Company officer record](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/10389664/officers) - [2023 Forbes](https://www.forbes.com/sites/trevorclawson/2023/04/22/from-watches-to-avatars-building-a-web3-company-from-the-ground-up/) - [Southend United partnership announcement](https://www.southendunited.co.uk/news/2020/july/southend-united-is-delighted-to-announce-watchlotto-as-a-main-partner/) - [Teddy Hewitt Foundation junior-shirt announcement](https://www.southendunited.co.uk/news/2020/july/teddy-hewitt-foundation-to-be-shown-on-junior-retail-kits/) - [Director’s interview, recorded 17 September 2020](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLewxurunak)