British Watchmakers' Day 2026 - Remarkable and Unforgettable

We have just witnessed the largest British Watchmakers’ Day since the Alliance of British Watch and Clock Makers was founded in 2020. I’ve had some time to reflect on the show and let my voice recover from two full days of filming and events. While the energy may have dissipated slightly since the weekend, the lasting messages from the show have certainly stuck with me.

The main takeaway for me at this year’s British Watchmakers’ Day was the number of brands that have moved assembly to the United Kingdom. The main headline, of course, is Studio Underd0g’s acquisition of Horologium, the UK’s largest watch assembly company, which recently moved into a larger premises to accommodate growing demand. For Studio Underd0g this means all assembly will now be under their control and based in the UK.

For the other brands that had been using Horologium, it means finding alternative options. I actually see this as a positive. While I’m sure it has meant a lot of stress and work for those brands in the short term, the end result appears to be new collaborations forming and brands working together to bring their assembly to the UK.

To give a few examples, Beaucroft, Arken, Clemence and even a brand as young as Abinger have all been able to move towards this goal by combining forces with other brands and watchmakers.

What does this all mean though? Simply that British brands are beginning to take more control over their manufacturing and bring more of that work back to the country they call home. This has always been one of the Alliance’s biggest goals, and seeing it begin to materialise in just its fifth year can only suggest that bigger things are still to come.

The love for British watches also continues to grow, and not just in the UK. For those of us here, it’s obvious that British Watchmakers’ Day has quickly become one of the highlights of the year, and easily the biggest spectacle this country has to offer the watch world.

What may be less obvious to residents of this small island, however, is that the impact of the show and the brands based here extends far beyond the walls of Lindley Hall. I spoke to many brands over the course of the weekend who are now seeing significant popularity in the USA, across Europe and increasingly into Asia. What we are witnessing is the community and brilliance of British watchmaking spreading much further afield.

Of course, as with every British Watchmakers’ Day, the main attraction is the watches themselves. In particular, the limited-edition pieces that launch at the show.

Interestingly, this year there may not have been one watch that completely stole the spotlight, but that might not have been such a bad thing. Having spoken to some of the brands after the show, it seems that sales were strong across the board. Many brands in the sub-thousand-pound category saw great success.

It felt like the spread of interest was wider this year, without one main focus piece dominating the conversation. To me, that feels more aligned with the long-term goals of the Alliance.

That’s not to say there weren’t favourites, of course.

Christopher Ward sold all ten of their Loco limited edition in a matter of minutes, despite the near £5,000 price tag. Ember, making their British Watchmakers’ Day debut, also received a lot of attention for their Rocket concept, which may have been thanks in part to my suggestion that John brought sweets matching the dial to coax visitors over to the stand.

My personal favourites included the Christopher Ward, but I also couldn’t ignore the red dial of Beaucroft’s latest piece. The concept, story and overall design of Diatom’s Terra Meteorite also caught my attention.

If you were unable to make the show, then not to worry. Some brands have now made their limited editions available online. Make sure to read my full article on this year’s British Watchmakers’ Day limited editions and check out our video over on YouTube.

This year was an interesting one for me personally. It was the first British Watchmakers’ Day I had attended since joining the industry, which gave me a completely different perspective compared to last year when I attended as a punter.

For me, the energy, excitement and community spirit all felt amplified. When you are part of such a special event, it genuinely feels like you are part of the wider Watchmakers’ Day family. I’m sure the organisers will have hoped for exactly that feeling, and I hope the attendees felt it too.

On the topic of community, another highlight for me was the people I met over the weekend. Familiar faces and new ones alike stopped by the WatchGecko stall and kindly accepted my slightly tricky interview questions.

From avid collectors and newcomers to media personalities and the watch brands themselves, it felt like a culmination of every type of enthusiast. I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to meet so many of them.

I was also blown away by the reception our stand received. At some points it meant I was having five conversations at once, which was slightly chaotic but brilliant all the same.

So, thank you to everyone who took the time to learn about our brand. We look forward to seeing many of you again at the shows we’ll be attending later this year.

This is an exciting question to think about. I now find myself in a unique position where I can see both where brands have come from and where they are headed.

Over the past few years, I’ve watched the capabilities of this industry grow and mature, and there now feels like a much clearer sense of direction. In some ways it almost feels like we are approaching the halfway point of the Alliance’s goal of bringing manufacturing back to the British Isles.

We are already seeing a shift towards British assembly, which can only really lead in one direction: the development of more internal processes and manufacturing capabilities.

I honestly believe we are not too far away from seeing components - not full watches just yet - beginning to be manufactured in this country. There are, of course, examples of full British manufacturing in the case of Roger Smith, although there are not many of us who can afford those exquisite timepieces.

I also believe we will see more brands making their way into retail spaces. Whether that means high street jewellers, their own offices or even dedicated single-brand showrooms, several brands have already managed to make that jump successfully.

This is particularly exciting because it allows customers to interact with the watches and learn about them in a physical setting. For smaller brands that primarily sell online, this has always been one of the biggest challenges.

Creating more opportunities for people to experience these watches in person can only help the industry continue to grow.