Bristol Watch Show 2025 - A Celebration of New British Icons

On November 1 ^st 2025, the Clifton Club played host to the second annual Bristol Watch Show. After the success of the inaugural show in 2024, Fears organised a second gathering of English watch brands from the South-West. 15 brands exhibited at this historic venue and were greeted by a sold-out attendance for two sessions across the day.

The combination of passionate brands and enthusiastic attendees meant for a very special day. Here are some of our highlights from the show and what we look forward to next year.

One of the brilliant parts of attending local watch shows is that they offer the opportunity for attendees to meet brands that they have never discovered before. Whether it’s big international brands or smaller independents, a watch show can be the best way to learn and discover. Bristol Watch Show did this perfectly by focusing on local and small independent brands that celebrate the watch industry in the South-West of England.

Despite being in the industry and having collected watches for many years now, even I still came across a brand that I hadn’t heard before. Dawsey is a British watch brand that can truly claim to be that more than most. All their cases and dials are designed and machined in England by the brand themselves. Sam, the founder of Dawsey, developed his love for watches alongside his career in the automotive industry. He combines his knowledge as a professional engineer and his passion for watches and British manufacturing to build watches to order. I look forward to seeing a lot more from Sam in future.

Abinger; a brand that we are very familiar with after hosting the founder, Tom on our YouTube channel; made their exhibition debut at this year’s show. I asked many people that came to the WatchGecko stand what their favourite brand at the show was and many of them said Abinger. A great first impression and display from the family team.

We have also recently featured John, the founder of Ember Watches on our channel. His stall brought a pop of colour to the show. The Rocket model was popular with John’s stand being constantly busy. The ‘Sky Blue’ model featured on our video featuring myself, Chris and Jorge. This was the first time all three of us had sat down in front of a camera together, and we all shared our love for the show and this particular model.

If anyone watched our video in the lead up to the show you will know the treasures that Horological Underground is home to. Bringing a mix of vintage wrist and pocket watches along with their own modern creation, The Kopf. Their stand was also busy throughout the show, and several watches found new homes.

The brand that made this whole show possible and put so much effort into planning and executing a brilliant event. The stand was filled with some of the latest and greatest models from the brand. All other attendees were well looked after with members of the Fears team ensuring everyone was set up and comfortable in their stands. I was very impressed with the coordination and hospitality from Fears on the day and in the exciting lead up to the show.

I love watch shows for the way they bring the community together. The watch community in England is one of the friendliest and most welcoming I have ever come across, and it seemed as if the friendliest and most welcoming within that were at the Clifton Club that day. I was able to witness and be a part of so many wonderful conversations. I was able to meet with collectors of not only British brands but a wide diversity of modern and vintage, valuable and affordable.

Having a catch up with Rikki from Scottish Watches and Britt Pearce is not something I had on the bingo cards for this year. But Bristol Watch Show brought together a multitude of creators that were able to talk freely to attendees. A true show of the community we all share in this industry.

To many, the watch industry is dominated by the Swiss and Japanese giants that fill shopping malls and high streets. But there is a new wave of creativity and engineering growing in Britain that can no longer be overlooked. Bristol Watch Show is proof that new designs, brands, and passion can be found in all parts of England.

Many attendees that visited our stand commented on their love of our products and were even wearing the straps they had bought from us. It was lovely to see our straps being worn and loved the way we intended them to be. My favourite combination I saw was a sandblasted OCTOPOD and elasticated strap in ‘Dune’! Thank you to everyone that came by the WatchGecko stand and said hello, we really enjoy meeting each and every one of you and appreciate your kind words.

We really enjoyed Bristol Watch Show 2025. It was well organised, welcoming, informative, and above all else, a true celebration of watchmaking. Next year’s show has already been confirmed, and we look forward to meeting once again with the brands and people that attended this year, along with some new ones. Mark it in your calendars as the next Bristol Watch Show is going to be even bigger than the one just passed!

Shows like this are the best way to connect with the industry first hand and discover new watches and people that may have passed you by in the past.

We will once again be the official media partner for next year’s event. So, make sure to subscribe to the WatchGecko YouTube channel and follow The Bristol Watch Show on Instagram to keep up with the latest announcements.

We hope to see many of you at the next Bristol Watch Show.