What Makes John Nugent Tick: The Story of One of Brinker’s Favorite Watch Enthusiasts

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Brinker’s Jewelers has a long history in Evansville, Indiana, of providing exceptional quality and service to customers. The store would not be what it is today without the support and relationships we’ve built with our customers over the past 3 generations!

In our mini blog series, “Our Brinker’s Story”, we’ll highlight customers that have grown to know and love Brinker’s Jewelers. These stories talk about the experiences that have helped developed relationships and keep our customers coming back for generations.

What Makes John Nugent Tick: The Story of One of Brinker’s Favorite Watch Enthusiasts

John Nugent’s relationship with Brinker’s Jewelers started over two decades ago when he purchased a beautiful eternity ring for his wife on their tenth anniversary.

He’s been shopping with Brinker’s ever since. “The people draw me in. It’s a trust factor,” says John. 

Even before he shopped at Brinker’s for the ring, he had an incredible passion for watches, which is why he naturally gravitated toward Brinker’s, as that passion was something that only Brinker’s could accommodate. 

Through his many Brinker’s experiences, John understood the way that Brinker’s worked and that they valued quality over quantity. Because of this, John knew that Brinker’s was the right jeweler for him and his family.

Why The Watch Obsession?

It started when I was 14,” says John. He has always held a deep interest in time. He’s loved clocks and all of their intricate inner-workings ever since he was in his mid-teens.

When he saw the billboard.

One day, John was with his father on a family trip out of the country and was blinded by a shiny watch band on a billboard. He knew right then and there that he would eventually own one, even though his father wasn’t particularly a fan at the time.

A few years later, John became acquaintances with a respected jeweler in town. Taking note of John’s unique enthusiasm for the complexity of timepieces, the jeweler allowed him to take the broken watches home to see exactly how they worked. They helped him develop an appreciation for all the work that it takes to create a similarly intricate timepiece. His passion has deepened ever since. Along with his passion, so has his relationship with Brinker’s.

Brinker’s Knows Best

“I really wanted that specific watch. Everyone knew that I wanted it too. My birthday is on the 23rd of December, but I didn’t get it. So I was obviously a little upset.”

Unbeknownst to John, Brinker’s Jewelers Watch Department Manager, Dean Powell and John’s wife Alice, surprised him on Christmas morning with the watch of his dreams!

The staff at Brinker’s worked in secret to coordinate the surprise for John, getting the watch just in time and ensuring that the “little green box” from Brinker’s Jewelers made it under his tree without a hitch.

Since Then:

Since establishing his relationship with Brinker’s Jewelers over 20 years ago, John is no longer considered a really good customer, he is considered family. Known by the staff as “Nuge,” John frequently volunteers his time to help Brinker’s during their important events throughout the year. Nuge has traveled the world with Brinker’s Jewelers watch department. He has gotten an “insiders look”. He has extensively toured many watch factories around the world and met with upper management and owners of some of the most respected watch brands in the industry. His favorite watch factory to date is that of Nomos Glashütte located in Germany.

What’s Next for “Nuge” & Brinker’s?

John is actually designing a special watch for himself right now! In his spare time, he is doing watch photography work for Brinker’s and is also heavily involved with Dean Powell on several special projects for the upcoming holiday season.

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