British Watchmakers’ Day is nearly upon us. Tomorrow, March 9, watch lovers from across the UK (and across the world – our own Zach Weiss and Blake Malin will be in attendance) will descend on Lindley Hall in Westminster to celebrate all that British watchmaking has to offer. The event is run by the Alliance of British Watch and Clockmakers, and was conceived to raise awareness and money for the Alliance, which works to support watchmaking in the UK by fostering ties between its trade members. 

Roger W. Smith, the famed independent watchmaker who famously apprenticed for George Daniels, was an early Alliance member and one of the group’s most vocal supporters. He’s taking part in British Watchmakers’ Day this year alongside many of his colleagues in the Alliance, and he’s particularly excited about the diversity and the representation from a new generation of watch brands that will be present. “The vast majority of our trade members are outside of traditional horology,” Smith told me in an interview. “That’s very exciting to me, it means we’re going to have lots of innovation, lots of ideas, and new stories taking place.” 

One of those new stories is a watch Smith himself will be presenting at British Watchmakers’ Day, which is loosely organized around participating brands bringing limited edition pieces to sell for one day and one day only at the fair. For Smith, this presents a challenge and an opportunity. His watches are largely made by hand to exacting specifications and take a very long time to complete, so it would be logistically difficult for Smith and his team to create a watch for an occasion like this given the ongoing work they’re engaged in for clients. On the other hand, it affords Smith an opportunity to make a watch based on his own personal preferences, a rare opportunity. 

“This was the first time i’ve ever had the opportunity to design one of my own watches,” he told me, explaining that clients will typically ask for distinctive design elements to make their watch unique. The final design has roots in Smith’s early work, going back to design principles established in his Series 1 timepieces. The end result is stripped back, simple, and undeniably beautiful. “An understated, traditional, English finished watch,” according to Smith. 

 

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The timepiece Smith has created for British Watchmakers’ Day, officially designated as a unique Series 1, measures a comfortable 38mm in diameter and is cased in red gold. It features a matching red gold hour ring at the perimeter and an engine turned, mixed metal dial. It will be sold via a closed big auction at the Roger W. Smith website, and has a reserve price of £297,500. Excess funds from the sale will be donated to the Alliance. More information on British Watchmakers’ Day and the Alliance can be found here.