I'm Late, I'm Late, for a Very Important Date - Are we a Nation of White Rabbits?

New Study Reveals that Brits are Obsessed with Being Punctual

LONDON, March 30, 2010 - A new study by WatchShop.com reveals that Brits are obsessed with being
punctual. Sixty two percent of Brits agree that being late is inexcusable,
with 83% stating that our obsession with punctuality is something that is
uniquely British.

The new study of over 2000 Brits, commissioned by independent
watch retailer WatchShop.com (www.watchshop.com) found that 69% of us
claim never to be late, for anything, whilst less than one in ten of us admit
to being late more than twice a week.

For 44% of Brits, being more than five minutes late is
unacceptable and anything greater than 300 seconds late, leaves 67% feeling
downright stressed.

However when it comes to being early, 34% agree that we should
arrive at least 25 minutes early, with a further fourteen percent claiming
that you can never be too early for an appointment.

According to the Watchshop.com study, it appears that the
"white rabbit" condition affects women more than men. Seventy four per cent
of women compared to 54% of men feel stressed about not being on time, and
whilst almost half of women surveyed reveal that being more than five minutes
late is unacceptable, fewer, 40%, of men feel the same way.

Perhaps this is because men believe that they are never late.
The study reveals that 71% of men believe they are never late, compared with
68% of women.

However when asked which sex is more punctual, men and women
disagree of course. 46% of women say they are more punctual than men. Yet men
are less certain, 37% of men say that their sex is better at timekeeping.

And what can you be late for? According to the Watchshop.com
study, more women than men think it's acceptable to be late for a date (10%
women, 6% men) and more men than women think it's acceptable to be late for
family gathering (22% men, 19% women).

"It seems that men and women have some very different
perceptions of time," says Kishore Naib, Chief Timekeeper at Watchshop.com.
"But what is very clear from our study is that, whether male or female, being
punctual is perceived as being of absolute importance in the way we, as a
nation, behave."

He continues: "You could say that Lewis Carroll touched on the
very heart of the British nature with his worrying, time obsessing White
Rabbit character."

Further findings from the study reveal that:

    - 48% feel frustrated and 33% of Brits feel panicked by being
      late. Less than 1% of us feel no shame from tardiness.

    - The older you get, the more punctual you become. Eighty-two percent
      of people over 55 and 71% of 45-54 year olds say they are never late,
      compared with 52% of 16-24year olds and 52% of 25-34 year olds.

    - It seems to take women longer to....

    ...Get ready / dressed (72% take more than 10 minutes / 50% of men)

    ...Brush their teeth (62% of women take three minutes or more / 58% of
       men)

    ...Have a bath (53% of women spend 30minutes or more in the bath / 37%
       of men)

    ...Go shopping (58% of women take over an hour to shop / 45% of men).

    - It seems to take men longer to....

    ...Go to the loo (53% men spend five minutes or more / 35% of women)

    ...Make a cup of tea (65% of women can make tea in 3minutes / 53% of
       men)

    ...Clean the car (62% of men take 20 minutes or longer to clean the car
       / 59% women).

"We may have set ideas of how long men spend on the loo or
women spend getting ready but these stereotypes are born out by our research
which did show a consistent difference in the time men and women spend on
their daily routines," concludes Watchshop.com's Naib.

Note To Editors:

The study of 2039 British adults was conducted by Opinion Matters for
WatchShop.com during March 2010.

ABOUT WATCHSHOP.COM

Established in 2005, WatchShop.com is a leading retailer of brand name
designer watches and is the UK's most visited watch Web site. Stocking nearly
every major designer watch brand, WatchShop.com has one of the most efficient
shopping systems available with communication at every stage to inform you of
order status.

Contact: Ken Hooper, ken.hooper at cherishpr.com, +44-(0)208-996-9545