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British Watchmakers’ Day is quickly becoming one of those dates that just gets circled in the diary without a second thought. No hesitation, no “shall I bother this year?”. You go. Simple as that.
And the 2026 edition at Lindley Hall was another reminder of why.
For those who haven’t been, the concept is beautifully straightforward. Loads of British brands, a room full of collectors, founders actually standing behind the tables, and watches you can pick up, turn over, and properly look at. Not locked behind glass, not guarded by someone in a suit who thinks you might run off with it. Just enthusiasts talking about watches, and movements, and straps and there was also a conversation about some boots…
But the real reason I love British Watchmakers’ Day and pretty much any watch event is the people. It’s one of the few events where Instagram names suddenly turn back into actual humans and you realise you’ve known someone online for years but have never actually shared a pint with them.
It was brilliant to see friends old and new, and a particular highlight for me was catching up with Ian, Gemma and Guy from Elliot Brown. They had their special edition Beachmaster on the stand, which deserves all the attention it’s getting. Only ten pieces, deep English green dial, built like a tank and designed around a patented mission-timing system that actually has a real-world operational logic behind it. Proper tool watch thinking.
But if I’m honest, while the Beachmaster was impressive, the watch that absolutely stole my heart was something else sitting quietly there.
A Flat Dark Earth, no-date Holton.
It just works, the dial, the case, the minute hand, and the bezel.
Sometimes a watch doesn’t need a press release or a story. You pick it up, put it on, and immediately think: yes, this is it. Simple, purposeful, and completely unapologetic about what it is. Classic Elliot Brown. And really, how often do you need to look at the date!
It was also great to have a proper chat with Ian, and I am very much looking forward to the Mystery Machine watch they’ve got coming later this year. Watch lovers, keep an eye on that one. I won’t spoil anything, but it’s going to be worth the wait.
And, as always, it was great to see the team behind Zulu Alpha Straps. Darren and Tyler are good lads and it’s always a pleasure to catch up with them. I also managed to get a sneak peek at a few of the things they have coming down the line, which look very promising indeed.
If a watch of mine isn’t on its original bracelet, the it will be on a ZA strap. They’re hard to beat for quality, and the customer service is the sort of thing you don’t really see much of anymore. Even the leather card holder I have from them gets comments almost every time I use it, which says something.
It was also great to see Don and Hugo from Vertex absolutely run off their feet. Their stand looked fantastic, and my photos will not do it justice. Vertex have this wonderful ability to balance genuine heritage with watches that actually feel modern and wearable. Every time I see their collection it reminds me why they have such a loyal following.
One brand I was slightly gutted to miss out on was Nomadic and it was totally my fault because I got caught up chatting to other people. Their Céad 126 British Watchmakers’ Day edition looked brilliant and with only seven pieces made it was always going to disappear quickly. I loved their watches when I saw them at the Time+Tide event back in December, so hopefully I’ll catch one in the wild at some point.
Another pleasant surprise for me was Timor. I think this might have been the first time I’d properly spent time with their watches in person. I have a mate who absolutely loves them, he’s ex-Royal Navy clearance diver and is pretty demanding on all his kit, so I’ve heard plenty about them over the years.
I always assumed they’d be a bit small for me, but actually on the wrist they felt spot on. Understated, very purposeful, and clearly rooted in that mid-century military watch design language that Timor does so well.
Huge credit as well to Katya, the ever-smiling face of the Alliance of British Watch and Clock Makers, for putting on another excellent event. Organising something like this is no small feat, especially with nearly fifty brands and a couple of thousand watch enthusiasts wandering around with cameras and strong opinions about lug widths.
As always, one of the best parts of the day came afterwards. A few of us ended up in a pub, talking watches, life, and all the usual nonsense.
One mate said something that really stuck with me. He owns something like (way too many, in case his wife reads this) watches, which is impressive by any standard, but he only actually wears one.
All day. Every day.
No rotation. No agonising over what to wear in the morning. Just one watch that becomes part of his daily life.
And the more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea.
So here’s the plan. From July to December 2026, I’m going to try the same thing. One watch. Every day.
The only problem is deciding which one.
I do know one thing though.
London in summer and subtlety rarely share the same postcode. Every beer garden from Balham to Soho suddenly looks like a luxury watch catalogue that’s escaped into the wild.
So if I’m doing six months with one watch, it probably shouldn’t be a Rolex. I’d quite like to keep both wrists and my personal space.
