Every industry worth its salt deserves a mouthpiece, one through which it can yell loud and proud about just how exceptional they are. Case in point, the British watch industry, which has made huge strides over the last few years in becoming one of the most vibrant, creative and driven havens of horology.

Ranging from creative, fashion-forward designs to accessible watchmaking to serious haute horology, British watches no longer means just one thing. The British Watch & Clock Makers Alliance brings us all together under one roof where we share our successes, frustrations and vision for the future. We are proud to be 1 of 60 British Watch & Clock Makers part of the Alliance.

In 1800 Britain made around half of the world’s watches; around 200,000 pieces a year. By 1900 the quantity produced in Britain had declined by half, despite the worldwide market for watches having risen into the millions.

The problem lay in the hand made nature of English watches and the heavy reliance on skilled workers who were reluctant to adapt to the changes in technology. The Swiss and the Americans were much quicker and more successful in adopting mass production techniques. Mass manufactured watches were soon able to compete directly with hand-made ones, and eventually surpass them in performance despite only costing a fraction of the price. As a result the watchmaking industry in Britain collapsed.

There was a brief resurgence in post war Britain, however the remaining businesses were not robust enough to survive the biggest crisis in watchmaking – the emergence of the quartz watch.