There is an ancient Arabian proverb that goes, "He who has health has hope, and he who has hope has everything", I was reminded of it while attending the inaugural British Watchmakers Day held in London recently because it's clear that British Watchmakers are thriving and healthy right now. To keep it healthy, we hope the day expands to encompass a broader public offering.
 
We are members of the British Watch and Clock Makers (BWCA), so it was good to see the industry broadening, and with so many new entrants incoming in recent years - let's hope they stay in good health in these tough times. The day was, it must be said, primarily about watches rather than clocks - but there were some fabulous (and fabulously expensive) clocks on show, too.
 
As one might expect, this day was heavily populated by fans of specific watch brands and watch enthusiasts and not really a general public opportunity as it was ticket only, but with such healthy interest, we feel sure a broader access meeting will be coming up soon...we certainly hope it can expand to a less London-centric location in future too. Our customer base is not primarily London or even city-based, so something open outside the metropolis will certainly help us :-) 
 
A healthy watchmaker community is good for all, and having the opportunity to see old and newer brands together helps to promote this burgeoning trade. Many are planning expanding their horology staff and UK purely British facilities to back up Swiss services, and that is going to lead to jobs in the sector and more diversity, too. Wagstaff is also planning this, but it does take a lot of time and money to rebuild this way. Many of the newer brands are using Kickstarter to fund new products. Access like that wasn't available to old hands like us back in the day when we kicked off, but who knows maybe we should adopt it to stay up with the latest. 
 
We date back to 1923 so we feel a little like we are participating right now in a sector that is growing strong again and offers a bright future for watch consumers with greater choice. It was fascinating to see the theme of 'adventure' featuring so prominently in many brands messages and good to see many embracing the environmental challenges we all face - let's hope all that adventure is in the great British outdoors! That is healthy for all.
 
Wagstaff Watches are in a healthy place and will be around for a long time and helping this healthy industry continue to build on the sector's plans and we also have great new releases coming later this year and a 'centenary' watch too - keep a watchful eye open!
 
We left the day feeling the health of the industry is good hands with the BWCA and the leadership provided by the founders will hopefully lead to an even healthier British industry - with that help comes a lot of hope and we all know that means everything.