For the third year in a row, the Worn & Wound team will be heading to London in March for British Watchmakers’ Day. This event, in a very short period of time, has become one of the premier events on the watch enthusiast community’s calendar. A total of 48 UK based brands will be exhibiting at this year’s event, and just like last year we expect there will be collector gatherings and meetups both planned and more informal happening throughout the weekend across London. This, of course, is just a thing that happens when watch collectors converge as they will on March 7.
As has been the case over the last two years, a big part of the story of British Watchmakers’ Day is likely to be the limited edition releases presented by brands and made available for sale on the day of the event. This year, 26 brands are expected to launch limited editions that you can purchase and take home with you as a memento of the big day. For the first time, the event organizers have stipulated that any limited edition launched on the day of the show be made in an edition of not more than 50, a move to protect the exclusivity of these releases to show attendees and to ensure that all of the LEs collectively amount to something genuinely limited in scope.
We will of course have coverage on the ground in London when the show gets underway, including live photos and social media coverage of as many limited editions as we can get on our wrists. But for now, here are five British Watchmakers’ Day limited editions that I’m most looking forward to seeing in the metal. Think of this article as a map of my future activities when the doors to Lindley Hall open on that morning in March.
Christopher Ward C1 Loco 7326
Christopher Ward CEO Mike France is one of the founders of the Alliance of British Watch and Clock Makers, the trade body that is responsible for putting on British Watchmakers’ Day each year, so it’s no surprise that the brand is taking the opportunity to unveil something pretty major. When the C1 Loco first arrived last year in an integrated bracelet sports watch format, many were rightfully impressed with the inventiveness of the caliber, even if they had to admit that the sporty format was not really for them. It would be a pretty monumental waste for Christopher Ward to develop an entirely new movement and keep it limited to a single case configuration, so the 7326 arrives for those looking for a more refined and dressy execution of the Loco concept.
The headline here is really the case, which is crafted from 904L steel and has a dramatic, contemporary architecture with deeply scalloped lugs. It measures 41mm in diameter and the case height is listed at 14.1mm. This is what I’m most interested in interrogating when I get to see the watch in person. It sounds thick, but according to Christopher Ward a lot of that height can be attributed to the front and rear crystals – they quote a case height of just 8.75mm without the crystals.
Dial side, we have a Union Jack engraved into the dial base, and a lacquered blue offset time telling dial with Roman numerals and faceted hands. It’s an attractive design that is (like many watches that will be released on March 7) wearing its Britishness on its sleeve. There are only ten being made, but as this is likely the platform for a new design for Christopher Ward’s collection, I’m very curious to get a look at it in person next month.
William Wood Great Fire of London Watch
William Wood does a great job with high concept design ideas based around storytelling. This is a tricky thing for a watch brand to get right, as when things start to get literal in a watch design it can feel campy or lazy. What saves William Wood from falling down this path twofold. First, founder Jonny Garrett is an incredible evangelist for his brand. He’s a true believer in William Wood’s mission, which is tied deeply to Garrett’s own family history of firefighting. That really matters – you can tell that these watches are personal for him. The other factor is an unusually high level of build quality. Holding these watches in your hand, even if they aren’t aesthetically your cup of tea, it’s very clear that they are made to a high standard.
The dial design of the Great Fire of London Watch borrows from that of Big Ben, likely the most iconic British time-telling instrument of them all. The caseback is embedded with a genuine £2 collector’s coin depicting the Great Fire of London, which changed the shape of the city in 1666. This is somewhat reminiscent of William Wood’s Dunkirk watch, which featured a small piece of an engine from a historic boat used in the Dunkirk evacuation. Again, it’s a way of telling a story that could be seen as heavy-handed by some, but here, I think, is more thoughtful and enlightening.
Apiar Gen1.1 Underground
One of the coolest watches I got to review last year was Apiar’s Gen1.0, which coincidentally I was first introduced to at last year’s British Watchmakers’ Day event. Apiar uses 3D printing to produce their watch cases, and they take full advantage of the technique’s flexibility to create geometries in a case that are just not feasible with traditional manufacturing methods.
The new Gen.1.1 Underground limited edition takes the same case platform but adds a colorful dial inspired by the map of London Underground, one of the most famous and heavily trafficked subway systems in the world. The “Tube,” as its known, is comprised of several lines that bring commuters in and out of central London, fanning out in all directions. The specific map that inspired this colorful design sees the Tube in a circular structure, which naturally translates well to a watch dial. The colored sections are handfilled enamel, and the colors chosen match up with those used across the Underground system. Only three will be available at British Watchmakers’ Day, so for those who count themselves as both watch nerds and public transportation nerds, this one should be a high priority.
Schofield Skeptico
I had to read the press release for this one multiple times, and I honestly feel like I still don’t have a handle on it, exactly. Which is exactly why I feel like I need to see it in person. Schofield is a British brand that, like William Wood, is built around storytelling. But Schofield goes about it in a much more abstract way. The Skeptico, according to the brand, is an exercise in “free design,” with “no obvious trigger to seed an idea.” That idea has taken designer Giles Ellis to a place that is, well, quite unusual. Described as being inspired by 1970s “ufology,” the Skeptico features a case crafted from Ultem, a material seen often in the EDC world (knife handles and such). The dial has a steel base with a rhodium plated section and a triangular motif that Schofield played with before. The watch is both familiar and breaking new ground. Oh, and it has a hemp strap.
There are actually two versions of the Sketpico that will be presented at British Watchmakers’ Day. The Artefacts features the aforementioned novel case material, and there’s an additional variant dubbed the Sightings in tumbled stainless steel, a more traditional material for Schofield. A total of 50 pieces will be made across both variants.
Timor Heritage Field BWD
Timor’s presence at British Watchmakers’ Day is important as it reminds us of the long history of British watchmaking across many, many decades. Events like this are often naturally skewed toward newer micro and independent brands, so Timor stands out. They are perhaps most famous for supplying watches to the British military during World War II, and they were one of the original “Dirty Dozen” manufacturers with a contract to do so.
For British Watchmakers’ Day, Timor presents the Heritage Field BWD. The design brief here is to celebrate modern British watchmaking while still maintaining some allegiance to the brand’s heritage. The result is a watch with a dial and case that feels authentic to watches of the 1940s, but coloring and small design details (like a more modern typeface) that make it feel contemporary. This idea, of course, is nothing new in watchmaking, and is the very essence of “vintage inspired” in a nutshell. But I find this watch pretty appealing nonetheless and have always been impressed with Timor’s modern output in terms of fit and finish. The proportions on this watch look great, with a case measuring 36.5mm in diameter and 11mm tall (with 50 meters of water resistance). Like the Christopher Ward above, this watch uses the Union Jack as inspiration, borrowing its colors across the dial, but this is a more subtle interpretation of the flag.
Zach Kazan
2026-02-10 15:00:00