Ep. 158: The Alliance of British Watch & Clock Makers, with Mike France and Roger W. Smith

Today on the Worn & Wound podcast, we’re talking all about British watchmaking, and our guests are exactly the two people you’d want to speak to about the subject. Mike France is a co-founder of Christopher Ward, a British brand that will be very familiar to most Worn & Wound readers, and Roger W. Smith is a British watchmaker based on the Isle of Man who produces about 15 handmade watches per year. 

Mike and Roger occupy very different segments of the British watch market, but have joined together to form the Alliance of British Watch & Clock Makers, a newly formed trade body that exists to promote British watchmaking throughout the world. On today’s show, they talk about forming the Alliance, how it came about, and some of the unique characteristics of watchmaking in Britain that make it special and unique.

This week’s episode of the Worn & Wound podcast is brought to you by Citizen and their iconic line of Eco-Drive watches. For over 40 years, Citizen has been producing watches with Eco-Drive technology. Highly efficient and versatile, Citizen Eco-Drive watches are powered by any light – artificial, natural, and even dim light. Eco-Drive watches never need a battery replacement and once fully charged, many models will operate for 6 months with no light source. Some of our favorite Eco-Drive models include the ultra-thin Eco-Drive One, Promaster Nighthawk, and the Super Titanium Armor.

To learn more and discover Citizen’s full line of Eco-Drive watches, head to citizenwatch.com/podcast.

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Show Notes

• Virtual Windup Watch Fair
• Alliance of British Watch & Clock Makers
• Mike France on Episode 148 of the Worn & Wound podcast
• Roger W. Smith
• The Co-Axial Escapement: An Horological Hit
• Minutia Repeater with Kiran Shekar
• George Daniels