BY HARLAN CHAPMAN-GREEN
Saturday the 7th of March, saw 2026’s version of British Watchmakers’ Day take over Lindley Hall in Westminster, London. It was the show’s third run (I believe) and my first time there. Having never been, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of ingenuity and creativity on display at the show and am glad to have finally made it.
I’ve already done a whole historical piece on the topic, but for those not in the know, Britain was one of the top power players in the horological world in the 18th century, the other being France. Some of the most important innovations in horology, including the lever escapement, which is still in use today, came from British watchmakers. Of course, time passed, and Britain became more interested in industrial manufacturing and in capturing foreign lands; meanwhile, the Swiss built up their clock and watchmaking skills until they were the world leaders of today.
In the modern age, Britain has been slowly but surely rebuilding its horology industry, and the foundation of The Alliance of British Watchmakers and Clockmakers by Alistair Audsley, Mike France (Christopher Ward co-founder) and Roger Smith OBE in November 2020 cemented the progress of the British horological sector. There are currently 112 watch and clock-making companies in the Alliance, demonstrating serious interest and enthusiasm for British watchmaking.
This year, 48 companies were squeezed into Lindley Hall, which really seems a little too small for the event these days, with 1800 ticket holders through the day, plus who knows how many press members. With that said, while it’s very people-y, it’s so nice to be able to get from one end of the show to the other in about 30 seconds (crowd depending) compared to the voluminous halls of Palexpo, which hosts Watches & Wonders Geneva. Depending on the size of the brand, some had quite small stands while others took up more space. Established names like Bremont, Christopher Ward and Fears occupied the largest spaces, but they equally seemed to be the busiest. Well, they and the show’s headline sponsor, Roger W. Smith, who is marking his 25th year of flying under his own brand name. Roger Smith OBE is known for studying horology under and working with the late Dr. George Daniels. These days, his workshop on the Isle of Man is a lot busier, with a team of around 15 people making 20 or so watches a year.
Plenty of brands were showing off their creations, so many that I couldn’t visit them all, but I did get the camera out and snap a few photos of some of my favourites. These included Apiar, which uses additive manufacturing to 3D-print the titanium cases for its watches. This type of manufacturing isn’t limited to traditional shapes, meaning Apiar’s watches look completely different by design, with a near-natural skeletal shape visible along their sides.
Bremont’s new Altitude MB Felix the Cat landed with a splash and got everyone talking.
Christopher Ward was also displaying its new Loco watch alongside its Bel Canto, which I’ve not had a chance to get hands-on with up until now. I was very impressed with both, but the Loco appealed to me a bit more. Detrash’s watches, made from recycled materials, were a pleasure to see; meanwhile, Mr. Jones Watches (MJW) and Studio Underd0g kept the tone lighter, especially the former.
Clockmaker Sinclair Harding was also present with some of its most beautiful clocks, including its Rosemary clock and its Three Train Striking clock. It also brought along a futuristic piece called ‘La Colonne du Temps’, which uses mechanics to display the time in a digital format and was developed in partnership with horology legend Jorg Hysek. I realise that was a quick run-through of the brands I saw, so if you want to ask me any more questions, please put them in the comments section at the end of the article, and I’ll do my best to reply.
More than just a trade show, British Watchmakers’ Day is also a chance for Alliance members and ticketholders to see the latest watches from their favourite brands and buy them too. Many brands made special-edition watches just for the event, all of which had sold out, according to the brands I spoke to. General admission tickets cost £15, but they were free to paid-up members of The Alliance of British Watchmakers and Clockmakers, the annual membership fee of which is £65 but you get much more than just access to the show for your money, including free subscriptions to magazines like WatchPro and Europa Star, priority access to events, early access to special edition watches from Alliance watchmakers and even discounts on selected watches. Membership is free to students of certain UK-based horology schools, and you’ll even get a snazzy lapel pin. I’m not sure where I put mine, but it’s here somewhere.
The brands on display in 2026 were:
Abinger, Adley, Anoma, Apiar, Arken, Bamford London, Beaucroft, Bremont, Brooklands Watch Company, Christopher Ward, Clemence, Detrash, Diatom, Duckworth Prestex, Edward Christopher, Elliot Brown, Ember Watch Company, Farer, Fears
Geckota, Golby, Great British Watch Company, Isotope, Justin Richardson, Marloe Watch Company, McQuaide, MHD Watches, Möels & Co, Moriarty Watches, Monro Adventure, Mr Jones Watches, Nomadic, Olivier Meylan, Omologato, Paulin, Pinion, Pompeak, Roger W Smith
Schofield, Sher, Siderius, Sinclair Harding, Studio Underd0g, Swan & Edgar, Timor, Vertex, William Wood, Zero West
I think shows like this are important to highlight the success of things happening in the local area. It’s easy for writers like me to forget that the point of all of this is to get hands-on with as many watches as possible to deliver the watch content you want to see, and hopefully to entertain you as well. Quite a large percentage of WristReview’s audience is based in the UK, so really, there’s no reason not to go, and I encourage you to do the same. If we cross paths, please do say hello.
British Watchmakers’ Day will return on Saturday, 6 March 2027.
Explore more at British Watchmakers’ Day
