Ben Winstanley
Deputy Editor
Ben Winstanley is Deputy Editor at Square Mile, London's leading luxury lifestyle magazine for the City, and Editor of its sister title HEDGE, where he covers the intersection of haute horlogerie, fine dining, travel, and sporting culture.
As Square Mile's head watch writer, he stands on the front line of the latest industry news and releases, regularly attending Watches & Wonders in Geneva and interviewing some of the most influential figures in watchmaking. Over his tenure, Ben has profiled industry titans including Breitling CEO Georges Kern, Vacheron Constantin's Laurent Perves, and MB&F founder Maximilian Büsser, while taking readers inside esteemed manufactures from Jaeger-LeCoultre to Tudor. His writing spans the full spectrum of horology – from accessible gateway timepieces to seven-figure complications – always with an eye toward helping readers navigate the intricate world of mechanical watchmaking.
Beyond watches, Ben's expertise extends across the luxury landscape. He's interviewed Hollywood stars like Austin Butler and Tom Hardy, explored Michelin-starred restaurants from London to Tuscany, and profiled everyone from fashion dynasty scions to legends of Formula 1 like Lewis Hamilton. However, if you were to nail him down to a singular passion it would be his love affair with golf.
As an avid course aficionado and student of golf architecture, Ben has travelled the length and breadth of the planet in search of his next great round. Whether it be the wind-swept links of Northern Ireland or the dramatic coastline of Saint Lucia, he's experienced the lot – typically found in heated competition with his equally golf-mad wife, Sophie.
Outside of the office, you'll find Ben studying the art of cocktails and coffee making, or having the occasional flutter at the racetrack.
Ben Winstanley's articles
Take your best shot at West London Shooting School
West London Shooting School blends world-class facilities with a relaxed atmosphere certain to suit crack shots and shooting novices alike. Ben Winstanley finds out more…
Published: Thursday 5th March 2020
Lewis Hamilton: “We need to have real minorities come through”
Lewis Hamilton is the greatest Formula 1 driver of all time. In this interview, Hamilton talks fashion, racing, and why he won't join Formula E
Published: Thursday 5th March 2020
Hamilton Grand, St Andrews: luxury living at the Home of Golf
It’s the most iconic patch of turf in world golf, and now it’s right outside your front door: Hamilton Grand offers a unique chance to own property facing St Andrews’ Old Course, says Ben Winstanley
Published: Monday 3rd February 2020
Square Mile Golf Awards 2019
What a year 2019 has been for golf. From the very best products of the year, incredible courses, and spectacular players. Here's our definitive list of this year's standout performers
Published: Thursday 16th January 2020
The Bar Necessities: Hide, Below
Hide is the exciting £20m Mayfair super-restaurant by Ollie Dabbous and Yevgeny Chichvarkin. We descend the twisted oak staircase to Below: a stylish cocktail bar, serving one of the most interesting cocktail menus in London
Published: Wednesday 15th January 2020
The luxury watches to invest in now
We have rounded up a selection of the finest, rarest and most exciting watches to invest in – if you can get your hands on one, that is…
Published: Tuesday 7th January 2020
Lights, camera, wrist action: the best watches from the movies
From the most iconic timepiece to ever grace our screens to a brand new watch saluting the Caped Crusader, we check out the best watches from the world of film
Published: Friday 20th December 2019
Meet Valerie Messika: the woman changing the face of the jewellery industry
Valérie Messika is changing the image of diamond jewellery with her eponymous brand, finds Ben Winstanley. If it's good enough for Beyoncé…
Published: Wednesday 18th December 2019
Square Mile Watch Awards 2019: The Winners
The judges have cast their votes, the awards have been presented, and now it's time to share this year's winners
Published: Thursday 5th December 2019
Daniel Compton: “We’re in it for the long haul”
How do you sell a watch in 2019? Audemars Piguet has the answer. Ben Winstanley sits down with UK general manager Daniel Compton to talk about the AP House concept, the CODE 11:59 collection, and the future of AP
Published: Monday 2nd December 2019
Pitch is the most sophisticated virtual golf club in the UK
Part members’ club, part chic golf den, Pitch London brings a heavy dose of cool to the City’s various sports bar options. Ben Winstanley heads down to find out more about this unique experience
Published: Monday 25th November 2019
The Pass confirms Tom Kemble as the most talented young chef in the UK
You might not expect to find one of the UK’s best new restaurant in a 19th-century manor house, but that’s exactly what Ben Winstanley discovers at The Pass inside West Sussex’s South Lodge hotel
Published: Monday 25th November 2019
Obsession 2020: a gastronomic festival like no other
In the serene rolling hills of Lancashire, Ben Winstanley discovers a surprising fortnight-long culinary event bringing together the world’s best chefs
Published: Wednesday 20th November 2019
Seabird: the seafood specialists of The Hoxton hotel
Checks out the coolest new seafood spot in London – the aptly named Seabird
Published: Tuesday 12th November 2019
Tech tock: the most technically advanced luxury watches
While the mass market may be proliferated by smart watches, the high end is still the domain of Swiss luxury. Ben Winstanley selects the mechanical watches still pushing the boundaries
Published: Friday 8th November 2019
Square Mile Watch Awards 2019: The Judges
From auctioneers and retailers, journalists and collectors, meet this year’s judging panel for the Square Mile Watch Awards 2019
Published: Tuesday 1st October 2019
Square Mile Watch Awards 2019: Best Complication shortlist
We're looking for the watch that has created the smartest solution, whether that is visual or mechanical, to a watch complication
Published: Friday 20th September 2019
Square Mile Watch Awards 2019: Military-inspired Watch shortlist
Whether it's inspired by military heritage or simply plays on military themes, which watch did it best this year?
Published: Friday 20th September 2019
Square Mile Watch Awards 2019: Technical Innovation shortlist
What technical innovation has moved the world of watchmaking forward most this year?
Published: Sunday 15th September 2019
Square Mile Watch Awards 2019: The Icon shortlist
These are the watches we know and love but with a fresh face for 2019. It might be a new complication or a new design entirely, but which icon suits its new guise best?