While ‘Swiss made’ carries a lot of kudos, there's no doubting how much British watchmaking's star is rising. So much so, thanks to the Alliance of British Watch and Clock Makers (will ABWCM catch on?), there's even a British Watchmakers' Day in the calendar – a Watches and Wonders type gathering on home turf. Ahead of this year's inaugural exhibition in London, where over 40 brands will be involved, here is our pick of the best brands and their new releases.
You might have a Rolex Day-Date Puzzle dial for every emoji mood or a Konstantin Chaykin to fulfill your inner joker, but did you ever think a fire exit-inspired watch would be an option? William Wood is the only brand we know of to use decommissioned fire hoses as a material, and it's done so again with this Fire Exit Watch. “You have watch categories for military, diving, racing, astronauts… So why not firefighting?” asks founder Jonny Garrett.
In a similar vein to the Rolex Puzzle, this piece features a distinctive day wheel with each weekday portrayed by a different tongue-in-cheek exit sign – (Monday = Late for work, Sunday = Hungover) – using the dial as a fusion of safety, style and satire. Only 300 pieces are available. williamwoodwatches.com
Record-breaking Roger Smith is defined as one of the greatest watchmakers of today. As the only apprentice and collaborator of the late Dr. George Daniels, his pedigree is pretty perfect. And he's decided to debut a first at British Watchmakers' Day: a one-series Series 1 watch, available for immediate purchase by collectors. With an order book that has been closed since 2021, it's a big moment for the industry as a whole, given the rare feat of having a watch readily available for a consumer to wear on their wrist in no time.
“Continuing the legacy of the late, great George Daniel’s was never going to be easy,” shares watch expert and enthusiast Rob Nudds. “Building on it seemed harder still. And yet that’s exactly what Roger has done. We’re witnessing both a succession and an ascension, which is surely destined to conclude with Roger Smith regarded as the most important British watchmaker of his generation.” rwsmithwatches.com
Watch designer Crispin Jones has been on a mission since 2007 to bring whimsical watchmaking to the forefront of the industry. “I wasn’t the sort of person who took apart clocks in their childhood. I began my career as an artist,” shares Jones. “We create distinctive watches that tell a story and remind the wearer to enjoy the moment. Each of our watches have their own unique story and way to display the time."
Exhibit A: The Indefatigable Sphinx comes in four iterations. Partnering with British artist Edward Carvalho-Monaghan, the dial features a surreal, imaginary landscape populated with dream-like characters and objects and is one of the most technically challenging watches created by the brand. mrjoneswatches.com
For the fair, Fears has launched a novel Brunswick 39 ‘1924 Edition’ watch, a silver-cased homage to the 100th anniversary of the gentleman’s cushion-cased watch it debuted in 1924. Ten lucky wrists will be able to celebrate the centenary, created exclusively for the day. And in the advent of newness, Fears is also launching its first-ever standalone boutique in the birthplace of the brand: Bristol. fearswatches.com
Christopher Ward earned global recognition at the GPHG Awards last year (the Oscars of the watch world) so it’s only fitting that the British brand brings some of the joy back to home soil. As such, the award-winning 41mm Bel Canto has a laser-etched Union Jack on the dial in a rich blue hue. “This very British Bel Canto covers new ground and offers insight into the future development of the collection,” shares CEO and co-founder Mike France. christopherward.com
The result of challenging themselves with an inventive brief to produce a watch for the British armed forces of WWII, Studio Underdog has created this 37mm model which has a sandwich dial that differs between the dark of night and daylight, depending on the light source. In the starkness of day, the printed numerals appear to float, casting a shadow on the lower base dial, but in darkness, the printing details are backlit by the bright Super-LumiNova base dial and appear to be totally disconnected from any surface. It’s a testament to Studio Underd0gs charismatic approach to watchmaking, say watch expert, Balazs Ferenczi. “They’ve managed to get successful in a very short period of time because they don’t take themselves too seriously. While a lot of micro brands look to project their brands, Studio Underd0g just wants to have fun.” underd0g.com
The main purpose of British Watchmakers' Day is to give a platform to up and coming brands. Take Monro for instance, which is releasing a new collection of colourful Adventure GMTs. Zero West Watches has two one-off watches that show off its unique take on pilot watches. Wearing its Cambridge roots proudly on the dial, Beaucroft unveils this sleek sky blue British Sky Dweller to make up for the perennially grey British weather, while Duckworth Prestex toys with the 24 letters making up ‘British Watch & Clock Makers’ to replace your typical numerals.
Together, and in their own unique ways, these offbeat approaches typify what watchmaking is about, demonstrating exactly why British watchmaking is in such a good place right now.
