July 2026
British watchmaking joins the global
sector conversation

Alistair Audsley
CEO, THE ALLIANCE


Over the past few months I’ve had the privilege of representing the Alliance of British Watch & Clock Makers at three significant international gatherings. This has been the culmination of a lot of committed networking, reciprocated by significant goodwill on the part of my fellow CEOs around the watchmaking world.
First, a global roundtable hosted by the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry, bringing together the principal national bodies from Germany, France, Italy, China, Japan, South Korea, the USA and, now, the UK.

Then two days in Colmar as guests of France Horlogerie, for the Eurotempus and CPHE meetings - a forum of European cooperation dating back to 1967. The agenda was real: the opening of the Indian market, the ongoing turbulence of US tariffs, counterfeiting, and PFAS regulation. It was gratifying to hear our peers remark on just how dynamic our young trade body has become.

And most recently, the inaugural Global Watchmaking G7 at EPHJ in Geneva, hosted by Oliver Müller. This was the first time the world's leading national federations had gathered in one room to discuss the present and future of the industry. Switzerland, China, Germany, France, Italy, Japan - and the UK. Five years ago, none of this would have happened.

Before the Alliance, there was no official trade body that could speak for British watchmaking, so the UK simply wasn't in the room. That has changed and, beyond the formal economics in the discussion is an undeniable feeling of camaraderie and friendship across our trade bodies. Of course each of us is trying to achieve the best slice of market share but, as a group of trade bodies, we’re all aligned in our efforts to promote global watch culture in all its richness and diversity.

In many respects its analogous to our own objectives for our trade members - the Alliance exists to promote British watchmaking as a whole. Our goal is to increase our overall market and its up to the individual brands to tussle over market share.

Ultimately though, a seat at these tables means Britain is now finally consulted on the trade, regulatory and economic questions that shape every business in our sector. It means we're part of today’s bigger picture instead of being a historic footnote to it.

#BritishWatchmaking #Watchmaking #BWCMA


Previous Articles