Top 5 Best British Watches in 2024

Following British Watchmakers’ Day, which was hosted by the British Watch and Clockmakers Alliance in March, the Best of British Watches event took place in Brighton earlier this month, celebrating all the weird and wonderful things coming out of the British scene in a more laid-back setting. The fact that the British watchmaking scene can sustain not one but two dedicated events in a single calendar year is perhaps why articles like this one are becoming ever more common. There is, quite frankly, a need for them like never before.

One of the most satisfying things about the British watchmaking scene is its diversity. While women, people of colour, and members of the LGBTQ+ community are still sorely underrepresented — something I am hopeful the next generation of makers will address — the products and the stories behind them are extremely varied.

We have some of the finest horologists in the world in Roger W. Smith, Charles Frodsham, and Garrick; some of the greatest modern-day success stories in the field of brand building such as Fears, Christopher Ward, and Studio Underd0g; artisans like anOrdain, industry leaders in the graphic design space like Schofield, and upstarts willing to turn aesthetic expectations on their head like Anoma.

Understandably, creating a shortlist of the Best British Watches right now is pretty challenging, so before I get on with sharing my top three, I’ll say this: look into the work of every single one of the brands I’ve mentioned thus far and you will not be disappointed. The state of our industry is strong. The creativity and the optimism within the community are higher here than anywhere else I’ve seen. Yes, times are tough and sales are not what they were, but these makers and that plucky never-say-die attitude associated with the Brits will keep the ship on course however stormy the seas become.

To make this list a little more interesting, I’ve only included watches that are available for purchase right now with delivery dates landing within 2024. That eliminates anything from Roger Smith, the Frodsham Double Impulse Chronometer, the Fears Garrick, and anything from anOrdain. Were any of these pieces available, they would have made the list.

These days, it’s pretty hard to write a “Best of British” article without mentioning Christopher Ward. In the past year, the brand has exploded in popularity, with its profits leaping from around £220,000 to over £3,000,000. That is a simply stunning increase. Stunning as it may be, however, a surprise it is not.

CW has always appealed to the heads of watch lovers thanks to its risky-but-rewarding decision to pursue an absolutely transparent pricing structure. This way, buyers know why what they’re buying costs what it costs, and are better able to appreciate the margins involved in running what is now a global business. It turns out people don’t so much mind paying three times the manufacturing cost (which is itself is a considerably lower markup than most brands charge); they simply don’t like not knowing why.

Recently, however, the brand has started to tug at the heartstrings as well, thanks to truly exciting designs like the Bel Canto and the Twelve. I’ve chosen one of the more recent additions to the latter range as my pick as it’s an incredible value proposition for around 5K.

Better still, pre-orders being taken now are currently due for delivery in December 2024, so you might just be able to get this one on your wrist before 2025 ticks around.

I had the pleasure of meeting Matteo for the first time during the recent Geneva Watch Days fair. He’s the real deal. His approach to design is bold and enthusiastic. I believe the Anoma is successful because it looks like something that should have existed before. It is both familiar and fresh. That normally bodes well for a design having staying power. And, perhaps best of all, it doesn’t really look like anything else on the market.

Okay. This one’s going to cost you. But it might just be the most exciting release of the year (and is definitely the fruitiest).

Studio Underd0g has forged an extremely unlikely partnership with H. Moser & Cie., the Haute Horlogerie brand headed by the esteemed Meylan family, and known for, amongst other things, the Streamliner.

The brands are bonded by their tongue-in-cheek approach to the industry and their communication styles. Until now, however, Moser’s output has been mostly serious (if we momentarily ignore the cheese watch and the stunning Apple Watch “knockoff” that was actually a great piece). Both the Moser Endeavour Perpetual and the Studio Underd0g 03 series (the brand’s first chronograph with a Swiss movement) share a passion fruit-inspired colourway, because, well, it’s tasty…

This collaboration blew up the internet and took Geneva Watch Days by storm. Many were gobsmacked that Moser would partner with a brand that operated in a much lower price point, opining that the team-up therefore benefitted Studio Underd0g “more”, but the sales strategy (100 duo sets priced at CHF 59,000) might go some way to explaining Moser CEO Edouard Meylan’s thinking.

I have no doubt that Richard Benc and his team could have shifted a couple of thousands of these pieces without breaking a sweat had they been available separately, but, as it is, the Studio Underd0g 03Series Passi0n Fruit will remain a rare beast, ensuring this marketing endeavour will keep paying dividends down the road.

Giles Ellis has had this watch in mind for almost as long as Schofield Watch Company has existed. This painstaking labour of love has taken a lot from its creator over the years, with every detail agonised over. Watching Giles wrangle with his unique visions can sometimes be tough to witness — it’s an almost masochistic process, with much sleep lost to the precise realisation of a dream. The only other designer I know personally who pours so much of themselves into their creations is the majestic Sylvain Berneron. I feel for them both during the exhausting and exhaustive design process but they create such wonderful things I selfishly don’t want them to stop.

The Schofield Obscura is perhaps the perfect Schofield. While it is quite detached from the brand’s bread and butter, it is the best-ever application of Giles’s graphical sensibilities and would, I believe, sit very comfortably alongside the original Schofield Signalman GMT in any independent watch collector's box.

While you may not have a great chance of receiving one the in-demand Fears Garrick collaboration pieces within the 2024 calendar year, those of you wishing to scratch the Fears itch can do so with the Brunswick 38 Copper Salmon.

The Brunswick collection is the Bristol-based brand’s best known line. With its timeless but characterful cushion-shaped case, it’s easy to see why. This iteration is particularly beautiful thanks to the vertically grained copper salmon dial, which dramatically shifts appearance in different lighting conditions.

This is what you want from a sub-5K watch, which is tailor made to constitute a one-watch collection. It is versatile but interesting. It is muted but magical. Excellent build quality (for which the brand is renowned) is on display here. A well-finished case, applied indices, and the ability to look equally delicious on either a strap or bracelet means that for whatever event you strap on this watch you won’t be left wanting.