Watch making

The history of clock and watchmaking in the UK reflects centuries of innovation, craftsmanship, and global influence. From monumental mechanical clocks to the fine precision of wristwatches, British horologists have made significant contributions to timekeeping and the wider field of horology.

14th–16th Century  – The early days of clockmaking

The UK’s clockmaking history began in the 14th century with the introduction of mechanical tower clocks. These large, weight-driven devices, such as the famous clock at Salisbury Cathedral (c. 1386), were installed in churches and town halls to regulate public time. These early clocks lacked hands or faces and marked time audibly, using bells. By the late Middle Ages, clockmaking emerged as a distinct craft, setting the stage for future developments.

16th-17th Century – Domestic clocks and early watches 

By the 16th century, pocket watches emerged in Europe, and British watchmakers began to refine the technology. These early timepieces were worn as status symbols rather than precise tools. Lantern clocks, weight-driven and made of brass, became popular in British homes during the 17th century. These clocks often featured intricate craftsmanship.

The Worshipful Company of Clockmakers was established in 1631 to regulate standards in clock and watchmaking, underscoring the craft’s importance.

Following Christiaan Huygens’ invention in 1657, British makers adopted and improved pendulum clocks. The pendulum significantly enhanced accuracy.

17th-18th Century – Precision watch and clock making

The 17th and 18th centuries were a golden age for British clock and watchmaking, marked by major innovations and high levels of craftsmanship. Known as the “Father of English Clockmaking,” Thomas Tompion (1631 – 1713) created precision clocks and pocket watches. His designs, including early balance-spring watches, became benchmarks of quality. John Harrison (1693–1776) solved the longitude problem for maritime navigation with his marine chronometer, a milestone in both clock and watchmaking.

By the 18th century, pocket watches became essential tools for professionals and a symbol of status for the wealthy. British makers such as George Graham (who perfected the cylinder escapement) and Thomas Mudge (inventor of the lever escapement) set new standards for watch accuracy and reliability.

19th Century – The Industrial Revolution and mass production 

The Industrial Revolution brought mechanisation to clock and watchmaking. Factories in Birmingham and, Coventry , and London began producing affordable, standardized timepieces. As factory production increased, traditional watch and clockmakers found it challenging to compete with cheaper, mass-produced imports from the USA and Switzerland. The 19th century saw the widespread adoption of accurate clocks and watches to regulate railway schedules, with British firms producing robust pocket watches for train conductors and engineers.

20th Century – The rise of quartz and modern innovations 

The wristwatch gained popularity during World War I due to its practicality in battle, with British soldiers and officers adopting them widely. The 1970s quartz revolution, led by Japanese companies, disrupted traditional mechanical watchmaking. British manufacturers struggled to adapt, leading to the near-collapse of the domestic watch industry.

In the late 20th century, British companies like Smith of Derby (clocks) and independent watchmakers like George Daniels revived the tradition of fine mechanical horology. Daniels’ invention of the co-axial escapement (later adopted by Omega) is considered one of the most significant watchmaking innovations of the modern era.

21st Century: Heritage and independent craftsmanship

Today, UK clock and watchmaking is defined by bespoke craftsmanship, restoration, and independent innovation. Institutions like the British Horological Institute and workshops across the UK focus on restoring historical timepieces and passing on traditional skills.

• Albert chain making (precious metal by hand)
• Case making (watches)
• Casting (precious metal)
• Dial enamelling (watches)
• Dial printing and restoration (watches)
• Drop stampers, formers and pressers
• Electroplating
• Engine turning
• Engraving (hand)
• Gear cutting
• Glass cutting (watch) – including the cutting of synthetic sapphire and fancy shapes
• Goldsmithing (covers setters, mounters, polishers)
• Gong making – for repeating watch mechanisms – extinct in the UK
• Lapidary
• Pinion cutting
• Silversmithing
• Strap making (for watches/leatherworking)
• Tool makers (including small engineering and horological gear cutter manufacture, clipping tool and die sinkers)
• Watch finishing

• Lack of awareness: Lack of general public awareness in career opportunities in the craft.
• Training issues: Lack of opportunities for watch and clock making apprenticeships past a technician level. Due to the low number of master watch and clock makers in the UK and the amount of time it takes to train apprentices there are limited opportunities for those wishing to further their skills to find a master to train with.
• Training issues: There is a higher industry demand for watchmakers than clockmakers and, as a result, there are more training opportunities for watchmakers. However, there are more higher level training opportunities for clock makers who want to progress past technician level, there is no current equivalent for watch making. 
• Financial issues: Lack of funding available for watch and clock making apprenticeships past a technician level. There are limited current schemes that offer support to trainees past an introductory level. Qualified technicians will already be earning the national living wage, however, will require a great deal of additional training typically taking a further 3-5 years to reach the skill level of a master clockmaker. This is extremely financially draining for small workshops who must cover the additional wages and the loss of earnings of the master clockmakers carrying out the training.
• Health and safety challenges: particularly in relation to those working on turret clocks and public timekeepers. For example, glass work requires impact testing and water ingress checks. These additional checks are often costly and not economical which deters owners from having them restored.
• Lack of access to allied crafts supporting the trade: It is now virtually impossible to create every component of a watch or clock in the UK due to a shortage of allied craft businesses, the most extreme examples being spring making (hair and mainspring) and jewel making (synthetic corundum train jewels and watch crystal), neither of which still exist in the UK on a commercial level. Rebuilding these networks of allied craftspeople takes time and is very expensive meaning watches and clocks completely fabricated in the UK are considerably more expensive to produce than those made in countries with better trade support.
• Aging population: particularly effecting conservation and restoration, there are more specialists with the skills required retiring than there are entering the trade.
• Set up costs: It is incredibly expensive to setup a workshop. Lathes are very expensive as are many other tools.
• Competition from larger international companies: Watchmakers in particular are being snapped up by companies who can pay higher wages. This is a major problem because these watchmakers spend their time repairing watches and not honing their watchmaking skills.
• Training and recruitment issues: Brexit has changed the landscape for recruitment.  Previously companies would take European trained watchmakers on a regular basis. In the UK now, the few college graduates tend to go to big name firms like Cartier, Omega, Rolex where they can command a higher salary and it is difficult to recruit into the relatively low paid, but highly skilled, making jobs.

• British Horological Institute
• British Watch and Clock Makers’ Guild
• The George Daniels Educational Trust and Committee
• The Worshipful Company of Clockmakers

The Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust award Scholarships to existing masters of craft to expand their skills and Apprenticeships both to those at an entry level as well as technicians who have secured a position with a master irrespective of age.

The opportunities below detail training opportunities for both watch and clock making.

British Horological Institute (BHI)

Students progress through a distance learning course (DLC) or in-person practical training.

• Diploma in Clock and Watch Servicing (Level 3)
  • Designed for beginners and those entering the field.
  • Covers servicing and basic repair of clocks and watches.
  • Requires 420 guided study hours.
• Diploma in the Servicing and Repair of Clocks/Watches (Level 4)
  • More advanced servicing and repairs, suitable for those with intermediate skills.
  • Completion meets the criteria for accredited membership (MBHI).
• Diploma in the Repair, Restoration, and Conservation of Clocks/Watches (Level 5)
  • Focuses on advanced restoration and conservation techniques.
  • Completion meets the criteria for fellowship (FBHI).

• Hands-On Practical Courses: Short workshops and taster sessions at Upton Hall in Nottinghamshire.

British School of Watchmaking (BSOW)

• 3,000-hour course (two years) focusing on advanced mechanical watches, including complex mechanisms
• 1,800-hour course for quartz and automatic watches.

Both are WOSTEP certified, aligning with global watchmaking standards.

West Dean College of Arts and Conservation (Chichester)

• Foundation Degree (FdA) in Clocks: A two-year practical course that integrates conservation principles with clockmaking.
• Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip): A program focused on advanced conservation and restoration techniques.
• Short Courses: Cover specific skills like wheel cutting and gilding.

Birmingham City University (BCU)

• BA (Hons) Horology program, the only degree of its kind in the UK, which combines traditional craftsmanship with modern technology. Students learn repair, design, and manufacturing of clocks and watches, with access to cutting-edge facilities.

The Worshipful Company of Clockmakers

• • Provides informal learning opportunities, prizes for excellence, and lectures.

UK independent makers and micro workshops making watches and chronometers from start to finish including all parts (where viable):

• Charles Frodsham & Co Ltd
• Mike Blayney
• Roger W Smith
• Struthers Watchmakers
• Seth Kennedy 
• David Cottrell

Independent UK crafts businesses that make their main craft income from the modification and refinement of movements, including the significant making of parts for existing pieces within the UK:

These include:

• Bremont
• Garrick Watchmakers
• Loomes Of Stamford
• Dent London
• Peter Roberts Watches

The British Horological Institute publish a list of current accredited repairers‘ of watches, clocks and turret clocks. The list is not exhaustive and it is estimated that around half of professional “craft” watch and clock makers are on the list. An FBHI accreditation will mean that a maker has demonstrated that they can make clocks or watches in their examinations and assessments.

The number of professional makers given above reflects those working as independent or ‘master’ watchmakers. There will be other makers working as watchmakers and technicians, the explanations of which are given below.

Independent or master watchmaker (11-20 practitioners)

A master watchmaker is a highly skilled and experienced craftsperson specialising in making, assembling, and maintaining traditional timepieces powered by mechanical movements. There is no technical definition but this is typically associated with certain criteria:

• Certification of formal training: A master watchmaker is typically a professional who has undergone rigorous training and has achieved certification from a recognised institution or organisation. They will have usually spent 7-10 years at the bench post-graduation. They will have all the formal qualifications of a watchmaker plus the following higher level capabilities:
• Independent working: Can work independently on all aspects of watch restoration, assembly, and making. A master watchmaker is expected to handle every stage of the watchmaking process, from conceptual design to assembly, troubleshooting, and finishing.
• Has a comprehensive skill set: Designing and fabricating timepieces and movements from scratch. Assembling and adjusting complex mechanical movements Restoring vintage and antique timepieces. Diagnosing and repairing intricate mechanical faults. Making custom or replacement parts using traditional methods.
• Years of experience: typically requires many years of hands-on experience, mentorship, and continuous learning in the craft.

Watchmaker (estimated 21-50 practitioners)

A watchmaker will typically have all the technician skills but will also have the skills to make components from scratch. They will largely work independently but will still be reliant on the support of master watchmakers for more complex making and problem solving. Today, they will primarily be working in the repair and restoration of vintage and antique pieces. Traditionally they would have been manufacturing parts for the master watchmaker to finish and assemble.

Certification of formal training: A skilled watchmaker in the UK would typically hold a combination of:

• Formal education, such as a City & Guilds diploma or a British School of Watchmaking certificate.
• BA or Foundation Degree from West Dean, British School of Watchmaking etc.
• Industry certifications, such as WOSTEP or brand-specific training.
• Hands-on experience, gained through apprenticeships or work in a service centre.

They will also have some years of experience working at the bench doing a range of repair and restoration tasks including manufacturing parts. 

Watch technician (101-200 based on the list of BHI accredited repairers)

A watch technician is a professional who has developed the technical expertise to perform precise assembly, maintenance, and repair of watches, primarily focusing on well-defined tasks rather than the full creative or complex work of a master watchmaker. 

Certification of formal training: A skilled watch technician in the UK would typically hold a combination of:

• Formal education, such as a City & Guilds diploma or a British School of Watchmaking certificate.
• BA or Foundation Degree from West Dean, British School of Watchmaking etc.
• Industry certifications, such as WOSTEP or brand-specific training.
• Hands-on experience, gained through apprenticeships or work in a service centre.

Dava Sobel. Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time (HarperCollins, 1995)

Rupert T. Gould. The Marine Chronometer: Its History and Development. (Holland Press, 1923) 

R.W. Symonds. Thomas Tompion: His Life and Work. (Batsford, 1951)

George Daniels. Watchmaking. (Philip Wilson Publishers, 1981 (revised 2011).

Anthony Turner (Ed.). The Clockmaker’s Handbook. (Oxford University Press, 2000)

David Penney. The Development of Watchmaking in England: A Historical Perspective. (British Horological Institute, 2006)

Museums and Institutional Sources

British Museum: Horological Collections Catalogue: https://www.britishmuseum.org

Royal Observatory, Greenwich: https://www.rmg.co.uk/royal-observatory 

Science Museum, London: Making the Modern World: Time and Clocks Exhibit: https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk

Worshipful Company of Clockmakers’ Museum: https://www.clockmakers.org

Online Resources

British Horological Institute (BHI)

• Offers resources on the history of horology in Britain, including publications and training programs.
• https://bhi.co.uk

Antiquarian Horological Society (AHS)

• Publishes research on the history of clocks and watches, particularly focused on British developments.
• https://www.ahsoc.org