The British Horological Institute recently awarded Roger W. Smith the Barrett Silver Medal in recognition of his “dedication to and successfully continuing the finest traditions of English watchmaking”.

First awarded in 1987, The BHI Silver Medal is only awarded to members of the British Horological Institute and has only been awarded six times since 2000.

Kenneth Lloyd Jones, in presenting the prize, noted the exceptional story of Roger Smith’s devotion to the pursuit of making watches by hand, and extraordinary determination during the many years it took him in doing so.

During his acceptance speech, Mr Smith remembered his own studies for the BHI qualification at the Manchester School of Horology almost 25 years ago, remarking that his first day on the course was “the most enjoyable day in education that I had ever had” and from that day, he knew that he “had been gripped by this fascinating and multi faceted occupation of horology”.

Despite the current economic downturn, Mr Smith believes there has never been a better time for the horologist, “In the past 15 or so years we have all witnessed a rapid expansion of the Swiss watch industry and its renewed interest in the modern mechanical wristwatch along with the ever-increasing numbers of watches and clocks that are now becoming collectable”.