Christopher Ward boss Mike France on the British watch boom
“There I was on stage after having won the GPHG [Grand Prix d’Horolger de Geneve] for Bel Canto last year and Max Busser comes up to me,” recounts Mike France, chief exec and co-founder of Christopher Ward.
“I love Max, love what he does, and not only does he congratulate me on the Bel Canto, but he also tells me he’s just bought one.” The delight in France’s face is evident. To have this Swiss iconoclast’s approval is something probably even France wouldn’t have expected when he and his two friends, Peter Ellis and the eponymous Chris Ward, took a boat trip down the River Thames and talked business.
This was 2004. Ellis and France had just sold the Early Learning Centre and Ward was fed up with his t-shirt importing business. The three set out to create, in their words, “the cheapest most expensive watches in the world”. Fast forward 20 years: France and his cohorts at the Alliance of British Watch and Clockmakers, Alistair Audley and Roger Smith, hosted the biggest celebration of British horology ever seen.
There were queues. The scrum at the Studio Underd0g stand, where limited-edition pizza-dial watches were up for grabs for one day only, just about held off from descending into fisticuffs. An exclusive Roger Smith was sold at auction for over £600,000. It’s hard to imagine that any of this would have happened without the rise of Christopher Ward, from tiny disruptor to major player.
“I think you could refer to this as one of those ‘twenty-year-overnight-success’ stories,” says Audley. “Christopher Ward set out to disrupt the luxury watch category and has been building a global following since then, predicated on their watches being wrapped within a great ethos. Speaking as a fan, Christopher Ward has always been a brand to believe in, so the foundations were already firmly in place. For me what’s happened more recently is that Christopher Ward has gained an elevated level of confidence to try new ideas and new innovations, which have also remained firmly on-brand. And the watch world has embraced them.”
To realise what a volte face this is, you have to remember the world into which Christopher Ward was launched. Bremont was just two years old, the likes of Stephen Forsey and Peter Speake-Marin had decamped to Switzerland and the soon-to-be revived Fears wasn’t even a smudge on Nicholas Bowman-Scargill’s spectacles. Similarly, the likes of Roger Smith, Robert Loomes, and Garrick hadn’t even started production. Whippersnappers such as Studio Underd0g weren’t even in the picture. “British” as a word associated with watchmaking carried zero currency. Two decades later, the landscape is very different.
“While the British watch industry has a long and storied history, the success of modern independent brands has helped reinvigorate interest in what we’re doing here,” says Bowman-Scargill, managing director and owner of Fears. “Christopher Ward, Fears, and other British brands have shown that there is both demand and appreciation for watches designed and built with a distinctly British approach – one that values heritage, craftsmanship, and a touch of British eccentricity. As more brands have found success, it has created a ripple effect, giving confidence to others to start or grow their own watchmaking ventures. This collective momentum has been instrumental in shaping today’s thriving independent scene.”
As a relative newcomer to the scene, Richard Benc, founder of Studio Underd0g, has benefitted from this collective momentum both in terms of getting his watches out there and the public’s interest in them.
“When I started Studio Underd0g four years ago, I was reaching out to British brand owners, founders and CEOs I admired,” says Benc. “I was surprised that not only were these people replying to me, but they were helping to open doors wherever they could. Bowman-Scargill, was among the first few hundred people to back Studio Underd0g’s initial crowdfunding campaign back in 2021. There is a well-understood sentiment that a rising tide lifts all boats. If the market for British brands as a whole continues to increase and multiply, then everyone can be a winner.”
Benc is certainly one of this market’s winners. His starting point was to create a brand that countered the stuffiness and seriousness that he perceived to be prevalent in the watch world. Pandemic lockdowns gave him time to finalise a plan and in 2021 a new British brand was born. The only thing serious about Studio Underd0g is its success. The designs riff on watermelons, salmon skin, and pizzas.
It has collaborated with H.Moser on two watches, one at Studio Underd0g prices and the other at H. Moser’s more elevated price tag, with a dial colour combination based on a halved passion fruit (because it was a passion project for the two names involved). It has also concocted one based on a cocktail – the gimlet – in collaboration with Fears; its launch was the star of this year’s British Watchmaker’s Day, with fans queuing from 6am to score one of the 200 pieces only available on the day.
If the crowd at this year’s sold-out event shows anything it’s that there’s an appetite for brands claiming a national identity. “British” doesn’t have quite the same cache as “Swiss made” but it’s a vibe nonetheless and one with momentum behind it.
“The British watch industry is heading towards a new golden era. We are seeing a broader acceptance and enthusiasm for British-designed and British-built watches, not just from collectors but from the industry as a whole,” says Bowman-Scargill.
“The key now is for brands to build on this momentum by continuing to refine their craft, tell authentic stories, and maintain the high standards that have brought them to this point. Collaboration, whether through shared resources or joint ventures, will be crucial in strengthening the industry as a whole.
Ultimately, the goal should be to make British watchmaking not just a niche, but considered as equals alongside the globally recognised watchmaking nations. We’re seeing that with the professionalisation of key brands in Britain as they grow and continue to hire more people.” And to think, this all started with three men on a boat.