British watchmaking has been firmly on the rise over the last two decades – after a long period of decline – as emphatically displayed at the 2024 British Watch Fair earlier this year, which saw some 80 brands on show. And the industry is metamorphosising yet again as brands and makers look to balance a surplus of design and heritage strengths with the need to rely on manufacturing capabilities from abroad. Counter-intuitively perhaps, but the more globalised the watch market becomes, the harder it is to manufacture away from the established centres in Switzerland, Germany, Japan and China.
Among British watch brands to know, Bremont and Roger Smith already have a global profile (and we recently covered Schofield), so who’s next to match their profile?
Christopher Ward
Christopher Ward built an identity around no-frills simplicity but has invested sufficiently in design, storytelling and (Swiss) manufacturing capacity to be a credible competitor in any market – the Twelve X (ti) is a smart, combination of integrated sport case in titanium with a skeletonised version of the SH21 calibre, a twin-barrelled, chronometer certified movement that was developed for the brand in 2014. At £4,120, it’s quite a package for the price.
Fears
Two of the more interesting British brands are revivals of older companies (Fears, seen above, and Vertex, below) that fell by the wayside during Britain’s 1970s doldrum years, and both revived by descendants of the original founders. Fears specialises in seemingly simple designs that are anything but when looked at in detail, such as the ‘eye-dropper’ hands on the green-dialled boutique edition Brunswick (£3,350) and the £19,500 collaboration with Garrick that features a movement handmade in Norwich.
Vertex
Vertex’s revival has been built around carefully updated military designs from the 1930s and 1940s – the brand is allowed to use the original War Department ‘Broad Arrow’ on the dial of these watches. Typical is the new M36, the original of which was produced just in time for early examples to be worn at D-Day. The contemporary version sticks to the period watch in overall design and dimensions but incorporates a modern self-winding movement and details such as solid-block SuperLumiNova on the dial.
Fiona Krüger
It's not all heritage, though, as two Scottish names show nicely. Fiona Krüger is a designer now based in Switzerland who brings an outsider perspective to watchmaking and has a knack of persuading high-end suppliers to work with her. Typical is Fracture, an AED138,000 (£29,000) limited edition that’s a collaboration with Dubai’s Perpetuel Gallery. Made from recycled titanium, the watch was produced to Krüger's design by Agenhor, which has provided specialty movements for the likes of Hermès and Fabergé.
anOrdain
anOrdain, based in Glasgow, makes enamel-dialled watches with a difference, as the £4,200 Model 3 Aqua demonstrates. A collaboration with the renowned Method Studio, the silver dial’s texture replicates a carved block of ash wood, achieved through techniques developed in-house. Naturally enough, the watch comes in a Method Studio mini trunk.
Studio Underd0g
And, as a bonus, spare a moment for Studio Underd0g: classic designs with a fresh twist, throw-away prices and released as very limited-edition drops via underd0g.com.
Read our guides to the Japanese watch brands and American watch makers you should know.
