When you think of holidays, you think of leaving the cold and dreary winter months to head somewhere nice and warm. Not so for me over the last couple of weeks, but I’ve been trading in a sinfully hot and sticky north Queensland for some R&R at home in the UK. It was through sheer coincidence that I happened to be in the area at the same time as the first-ever British Watchmaker’s Day. After some back and forth with a few mates, I decided to put the jet lag to good use and spend the day exploring some of what the apparent renaissance in British watchmaking has produced. I set off for London with my trusty Farer Aquatic on my wrist (the only logical choice).
Not only was this an excellent opportunity to see what’s going on in the world of British watchmaking, but it was also a chance to finally put some faces to names and meet some of the lovely people I’ve been able to build relationships with while writing for Watch Clicker. I could not access the member side of things, so my ticket was valid only in the afternoon. The event was held in Lindley Hall, right in the center of Westminster, and very easily accessible from just about anywhere. After a quick look at the event map, I decided that my first stop would be Farer. As many of you who have read my articles and follow my Instagram feed will know, I’m a fanboy for the brand, and, as it happened, I had the Aquacompressor I reviewed a few months back in the hopes of returning in person. It was also fantastic to finally meet James and Paul, the two people I’ve had the most contact with in the brand. It looked like they had brought out their whole line-up, and I spent a good while trying on several of their other designs. Feeling like the proverbial kid in a candy shop, I turned to my next meet-up in the afternoon.
I’m willing to bet that most of you have not heard of Bōken watches before, so let me cure that right now. Bōken is a small brand, the brainchild of Daniel, who has set himself the task of building what could be the ultimate adventure micro brand. I contacted him through a mutual friend and photographer, Nacho (@gzm.pix on Instagram). Through Nacho, I came to be at the event in the first place. Of great significance for the boys at Bōken is the upcoming launch of the Odyssey, the 1000m-resistant behemoth that took center stage at their booth. The two of them are rather pleased with their new creation, and rightly so. While I can’t give away too much info, it will be launching soon, and we hope to get hands-on with an example in the not-too-distant future. Their current Nomad and the upcoming Odyssey are well worth a look if you’re into tough, over-spec’d dive watches with some serious design charm.
Opposite Bōken was a reasonable heavyweight of the British watchmaking industry, William Wood. Set up in honor of the founder’s grandfather, William Wood. Based on his grandfather’s life as a firefighter, the founder, Johnny, has drawn heavily on firefighting as inspiration for his designs. After a very informative conversation with some staff members at the booth, I took the opportunity to try on several of their watches. They aim for a more refined and classic design than either of the previous two brands. A nice touch is that the rubber straps that come with the watches are made from recycled fire hoses. This adds quite a lot of color and detail that helps bring the watches to life. Of particular note is their new Fire Exit watch, a design with a rotating disc on the back that acts like a zoetrope with the classic ‘fire escape man’ in a constant running motion. The rest of the design also leans heavily on fire escapes, creating a picture that, while not necessarily appealing to all, is unique and creative. Also of note is their extensive use of bronze, again calling back to the helmets firefighters used to wear in the past.
With the afternoon drawing to a close and no thanks to the healthy dose of jet lag and an oncoming cold, I decided to make one more lap of the hall. Thanks to a quick break in the crowd around his booth, I could briefly talk with Ken Lam, the founder of Arken (he’s been on 40&20 for those interested in hearing more about the brand). Those of you who have come across the brand will know that they produce a remarkably unique style in their watches. While they have only two releases, both are instantly recognizable and spectacular. It was also lovely to chat with Ken after having exchanged a few messages with him over Instagram. I’m also hoping to be able to get hands-on with their Instrumentum dive watch for a review at some point. Perhaps the most exciting booth I managed to get to was that of Helicon. They’re a small microbrand compared to some mentioned above, but talking to their founders shows they’re no less passionate. Their current line-up consists of several colorways for their Master 62 design. It’s heavily vintage-inspired and an absolute spec monster. It looks almost as if it came straight out of the ’60s. It’s precisely what you’d imagine if someone asked you to come up with a chunky, no-nonsense diver, and while I might be a little biased toward that sort of thing, I think we can all agree they have a definite charm to them. They’re another brand to keep an eye on and hopefully one we can feature on here before too long.
After some short conversations with brands like Alkin and Clemence, it was time to head for the exit and make the long journey home. What I took away from the afternoon is that British Watchmaking is in the middle of a definite comeback. While there isn’t any particular theme or overarching style, I can say that it’s definitely a market to watch for the next few years. There is something for everyone between the more established names like Farer and William Wood and the dozens of smaller newcomers. I am also very happy for the British Watch and Clock Makers alliance, which put everything together. While I sadly missed Roger Smith and didn’t manage to make it to the Vertex table (the queue…), there was a vast amount on display, and all things point to plenty of significant developments to come. One thing that slightly soured the afternoon was the lack of Bremont, who appeared not to wish to be part of the alliance for reasons best known to themselves. One would think that the UK’s largest watch company would be leading the charge, but they were nowhere to be seen. Hopefully, this will only be the beginning for events of this style in the UK, and I look forward to covering more in the future!
To learn more about the event, click here
