Mike France, co-founder of the Alliance of British Watch and Clock Makers and CEO and co-founder of Christopher Ward, tells WatchPro how a chance meeting and conversation five years ago led to the founding of a new official trade body for the horology sector in the UK.
“An art venue in Chelsea isn’t the most obvious place to start a revolution. But in late 2018, aat the final SalonQP watch show at London’s Saatchi Gallery, the country’s most esteemed watchmaker, Roger Smith, and I had a rather intense and interesting discussion. Why, we wondered, was there no organisation to promote the interests of our horology industry when British watchmaking was already undergoing a revival? And that being the case, what was stopping us from setting one up?
“And so was born the idea for the Alliance of British Watch and Clock Makers – an umbrella trade association for British horology, with a simple goal: to promote UK watchmaking and watchmakers worldwide.
“And here we are, little more than five years later, on the verge of the very first British Watchmakers Day (BWD) at Lindley Hall in Westminster with more than 40 British brands about to demonstrate just how dynamic watchmaking in the UK really is.
“I suppose its proof that Roger and I weren’t smoking dope when we thought there was something bubbling up back in 2018. It just needed a vehicle like the Alliance to bring it to the surface. And the hope is that British Watchmaker’s Day acts as the turbo-charger that accelerates our sector onwards towards our goal of making it a £1 billion industry by the end of the decade.
“The support of the brands for the Alliance has been fundamental to its success and BWD has been no different. The spaces were snapped up almost immediately; the fact that brands such as William Wood, Fears, Duckworth Prestex and Studio Underd0g are all creating limited editions only to be sold on the day tells you everything about that support and the endeavour of the people involved. And, if I’m not mistaken, it’s a world first.
“I have been to many a watch show, but never known watches being made only to be sold at a show. It’s brilliant – and has added greatly to the excitement surrounding the day. And having the first Roger Smith watch ever made available to the public for open sale. Wow! Mind you, I think this Series 1, that Roger designed for himself, is going to bring in some pretty stiff competition.
“British watchmaking is significant again and British Watchmakers’ Day is a beacon of that significance. It tells the world how far we’ve come and where we’re going. I can hardly wait for the doors to open.
“My only headache is the number of ticket requests I’m getting – we’re almost at ‘Taylor Swift’ levels of demand – and the event sold out weeks ago. There’s only one solution: to start planning the next one!”
