We had the very best of British in our London Studio for our second British Watchmaking Weekender

Russell Sheldrake

It’s that time of year: our annual British Watchmaking Weekender has just wrapped up, and we had the very best of what Britain has to offer in our London Discovery Studio for all to come and see. Last year, we had the event spread over Saturday and Sunday, with both days fully open to the public. Crowds descended both days, with about 600 people passing through the space over the course of the weekend. This year, we decided to change things up a bit.

We had an intimate evening on Friday where we invited the industry in for an open and frank discussion with none other than Roger Smith, the preeminent British watchmaker, to talk all things from the history of watchmaking in this country, to his personal journey, and what is happening today with the British Watch and Clock Makers’ Alliance. This evening was very much the calm before the storm, as Alliance co-founders Mike France and Alistair Audsley were chatting with brand owners and employees, discussing the year that has passed with highlights such as the bellwether report indicating the stratospheric growth we have seen, not to mention the record-breaking British Watchmakers’ Day back in spring.

The night was a personal highlight of mine: getting the chance to interview Roger Smith in front of a live audience for the first time, and having him give such candid and honest answers will be something everyone in that room will remember for a long time. We even got his opinion on the new innovations in escapements from the likes of Rolex and Breguet that we have seen this year, and all I can say is that he shed a lot of light on them (but that will have to stay in the room!)

We’ve been lucky enough to host a lot of events in our London Studio by now, and I can say without a doubt that I have never had a room be so quiet for long, and it was all thanks to Roger Smith, as the room hung on his every word.

All of this led us to Saturday, and the main event. 12 brands, three two-hour sessions with a panel discussion in each, and a lot of curious fans wanting to get hold of some watches. Doors opened at 10 am, and straight away, you could tell how excited people were to get in and see what these brands had on offer.

While most of the brands took our standard wall-mounted display cases, we had Roger Smith with his new Series 6 and Wolf with a wall of winders taking over our lounge area. This meant everyone had plenty of room, and boy did they take advantage of it.

There was the constant buzz of engaging conversations happening up and down the Studio from start to finish. Every brand had well-informed and curious watch fans coming up to them to ask them what they are up to, how they are doing and finding out those extra details that can only be explained face-to-face.

Having people such as Studio Underd0g founder Richard Benc and Farer founder Paul Sweetenham on hand is always a treat. While many of these founders are very public-facing, it is rare to catch them in person and be able to chew their ear off about whatever you want.

As I mentioned above, throughout the day, we had a series of panel discussions taking place, and we held these in the middle of the action, as conversations buzzed on around. Three or four brands joined Andrew in front of the camera for some open and honest chats about a particular topic.

We will be publishing these talks on here and on our YouTube soon, but to give you an insight into what’s to come, we had one on creativity in the British industry, one on the spirit of adventure, and the last one on the use of heritage in today’s market. All three were equally engaging and show just how collaborative the British industry is today, with each brand, more often than not, choosing to talk about the other watches on the table, rather than promote their own.

There was nothing but positive vibes all day, as brands were kept busy with the constant stream of people flowing in and out of the space, being kept well fed and watered by our amazing catering staff. To think about where we were in the British industry just a few years ago, an event like this would almost seem impossible. Not only were those who attended it finding it educational and fun, but there were sales happening throughout the day as well.

All that remains for me to say now is a massive thank you to all the brands that came down and represented themselves and our industry flawlessly, as well as the crowds of people who came and made this last week such a special occasion for everyone. It means a lot to me as a British watch journalist to see these events come together and be a massive positive influence on all involved. We can’t wait to see you at the next one.