The speeches are done, the rhetoric spoken and the die is cast as Mrs. Theresa May, British Prime Minister announced that Britain would formally start the process of leaving the EU (European Union) in March 2017. Paraphrasing Mr .Winston Churchill’s famous words of “Never in the field of battle has a nation owed so much to so few” it is clear a similar rhetoric should now be said such as ” never has British trade owed so much to the collective spirit of a nation that voted OUT”.
It is time and it is now for British watchmakers to put their stamp on producing truly British made watches establishing brands worldwide;in the true tradition of George Daniels (1926 – 2011) the legendary watchmaker and considered as among the best in the world. His signature of lubricant-less caliber is a step in the right direction that of concern for the environment.
Britain dominated watchmaking in the 1700’s starting with
- Robert Hooke’s invention of the balance spring in 1664
- Daniel Quare who put the minute hand on the horological map
- John Harrison winner of the longitude prize and temperature compensation mechanism in 1753
- Thomas Mudge pioneering lever escapement in 1755
- John Whitehurst made the Centre Seconds pointer in 1765
- Thomas Prest patented the keyless winding mechanism in 1820
- John Harwood credited for the automatic winding technology in 1924
- and of course George Daniels who invented the coaxial escapement.
- among others
(dates and names information courtesy of Mr. Colin’s article in British Watchmaking, July 2016)
Modern day British watchmakers such as Roger Smith, Robert Loomes, Schofield, Bremont and Meridian among a few others craft entirely British watches in the classic traditional way. There is also no dearth of talented watchmakers who are known in the trade and by watch collectors for their passion and exactness. Many a watch forum has written about the excellent service such as a Perpetual Time review that lauded the attention to detail during a restoration or another Perpetual Time review that alluded to the use of generic spare parts in world famous branded watch at affordable prices.
These facts go to prove that British watchmaking skills are alive and robust. Putting mass production technology and creating high quality watches on the lines of Glasshute is the message of Brexit to the watchmakers of Britain. They owe the denizens of the United Kingdom and the debt can only be repaid with Made in Britain watches to be among the best in the world.
Perpetual Time Reviews 