![]() As such, Trade membership is free of charge for any watch or clock making business that’s owned and managed in the British Isles” says Roger. To make this a success we need as many Trade members as possible to work collaboratively to make this a success. “Ultimately, our sector is about Makers and Collectors, so we want our membership opportunities to reflect that. There are two types of membership for ‘the Alliance’ - Trade and Club. “That’s been of enormous value and I’m very grateful for their support during these formative times.” “What really helped in our early strategy sessions was getting the perspectives of other companies who clearly shared our enthusiasm but are also completely different in their outlook as well” explains Roger. The other Founding Members of the Alliance are watchmakers Fears, Mr Jones, and Robert Bray/Sinclair Harding, the renowned clockmaker. Their response has been fantastic and underpins the shared enthusiasm we all have to return Britain to its horological heyday.” However, we felt it vital to share the idea with other friends in our sector and were delighted to find that the idea chimed so readily with other brands and, vitally, our other UK bodies, such as the BHI, Worshipful Company of Clockmakers and the Guild. “What Mike France has brought is the insight and experience from a stellar career in British retail, before making Christopher Ward a modern success story. “So far, it’s been about putting together a ‘brains trust’ and sharing ideas” says Roger. ![]() Ultimately it’s about bringing new talent, from all backgrounds, into horology and providing opportunities not just for watch and clock makers, but skilled people within a growing supply chain.” We’re right at the start of that journey of course but that’s what makes it so exciting. “Our aims are very clear” says Roger “Above all we want to promote British watch and clock making around the world and let people know that, while our sector is still small, we’re truly back in contention! I have my own passion for helping Britain return to making more of our watches and clocks within our shores. The initial founders are Roger (Chairman), Mike France and Alistair who, like Roger, is a fellow GREAT Britain campaign ambassador and has worked closely with the UK Government during the development of the Alliance’s strategy. That really confirmed what our instincts were telling us and so we embarked on what is now the Alliance of British Watch and Clock Makers.” To our amazement, he discovered more than fifty watch and clock makers already trading in Britain. “I asked one of my long-term strategists, Alistair Audsley, to look into the current position of the sector and the potential for us to establish such a trade body. What came as a genuine surprise was just how many watch and clock making businesses are now trading in the British Isles. We’d both observed a resurgence with new watch companies setting up across Britain and felt the time was right to establish a trade body to help promote and develop our sector.” Roger continues “I’d always checked in with Mike at the various shows we attended but, as our conversation expanded into our hopes for the British watch and clock sector it became apparent that our views were very much aligned. The foundation of a trade body has been a long held ambition of Roger’s, but this was galvanised by a chance meeting Mike France of Christopher Ward in November 2018 at what would become the final Salon QP show. If we can all start sharing our experiences, learning from each other, working out ways we can help each other, there’s no limit to what we can achieve” says Roger. “It’s an exciting time because we have this real opportunity to forge our own vision of how watchmaking should be in Britain today in the 21st Century. ![]() London, 30 October, 2020Īfter several years’ observing a “quiet renaissance” in British watch and clock making, Roger is delighted to announce his co-founding of a trade body, which he hopes will help to guide and develop horology as a recognised trade sector of the economy. The Alliance of British Watch and Clock Makers has been established to develop the nation’s exciting resurgence in horology.
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