If you care about British watchmaking, there was only one place to be last Saturday: British Watchmakers Day in London.

Last Saturday I travelled to London for my first British Watchmakers Day. I had missed the previous two editions due to being on holiday — not this time! Although it was almost a near miss again, as I travelled back from holiday the day before (Friday) just to make sure I wouldn’t miss out.

Organised by the Alliance of British Watch & Clockmakers, the event brings together many of the most exciting independent brands in the UK. For enthusiasts, it’s a rare opportunity to see dozens of British watches in one room and meet the people behind them.

I had heard that crowd management had been a pretty serious issue previously. In earlier years they had 600 people per session — one in the morning and one in the afternoon — which meant things got very cramped. This time, however, they switched to three sessions (10–1, 1–4, 4–7) with fewer people in each, and it worked brilliantly. There was a great buzz around the place, but you could actually move around and see the watches.

I was in the 1–4 session. Towards the end I started to feel for the exhibitors, who were clearly getting tired after talking all day already — especially with the knowledge that another few hundred guests were about to arrive and they’d be doing it all again for another three hours!

As an event itself, it was truly excellent, and something I aspire to work towards with my own event in the Midlands: the WatchIt! Watch Fair.

My only concern is where they go from here. If they stay at this stunning venue they are already limited for space, and the exhibitors are about 90% the same each year with only a handful changing between editions. Also, the pricing structure has unfortunately pushed out some of the smaller brands who are still doing fantastic work.

My highlights and favourite two watches

My absolute favourite watch on display was the Clemence Photic MkII.

Everything about this watch is incredible for the price. The build quality — with its scratch-resistant coating rated to 1000 HV — the frankly insane double-articulated bracelet, the sublime finishing and chamfering. The design is simple, legible, bold and modern.

And… it’s assembled in Britain.

All for £649 on the bracelet. Quite frankly, that’s insane.

The Munro was equally brilliant, but visually I slightly preferred the Photic.

The second watch which truly blew me away was the Sidereus Sidus GMT.

Every Sidereus watch is hand-assembled, regulated and tested in Ireland, and you can instantly feel the quality the moment you handle one. The design of the Sidus GMT is also superb: wide concentric circles organise the dial beautifully, while the day/night indicator is integrated into the under-dial disc used to display the second time zone. The applied logo at 12 ties the whole dial together and draws the eye perfectly.

A very special piece.