s Britain’s leading watchmaker and Chairman of the sector’s trade body, the Alliance of British Watch and Clock Makers, Roger W. Smith was determined to express his support for the first ever live show dedicated solely to British brands.

“One of the main ideas behind the event is for exhibiting makers to create a special edition watch that is only available for purchase on the day” explains Roger. “As Chairman, I wanted to lead by example but, as we make so few watches each year, it was a real challenge!”

Fortunately, Roger and his hand-picked team of exceptional watchmakers has more than met the challenge, producing what Roger describes as; “The Series 1 watch as I would make for myself”. He explains; “Over the years, all the commissions for my Series of watches have been made with a modest customisation in their design to give my clients unique variations. The opportunity with this piece was to make what I wanted, and to have some fun!”

As he embarked on the build back in March 2023, Roger Smith went back to his original designs for his Series 1.

“I’ve been asked several times whether there’s a mark identifying this watch as a special edition for British Watchmakers’ Day. Although numbered as the Series 1 ‘No.32’, the irony is that it’s actually distinguished by not having a single mark or change to my original design.”

A time-only piece (showing hours, minutes and seconds), the resulting Series 1 has a deceptively simple yet sumptuous aesthetic. Housed in a 38mm red-gold case, it has a mixed metal dial with a silver engine-turned background inset with red-gold chapters.

“The movement which, as ever is driven by the single-wheel co-axial escapement has my traditional English finish with gilded frosted plates and gold chatons” explains Roger. “I went back to my sketches and worked with our engraver to create the resulting English rose pattern on the barrel bridge. It really is my ideal vision for the Series 1.”

With an order book which has been closed since 2021 and a sequence of world records being achieved by Roger’s watches at auction, it is no surprise that, in the rarefied world of high-end collectors, this Series 1 is garnering enormous interest.

“My hope was that making this watch would contribute to British Watchmakers’ Day and encourage others to produce their own special editions for the day” says Roger; “And it has, with many of our leading brands taking their own approaches to their watches.”

The Series 1 watch will be on high security display throughout British Watchmakers’ Day, along with the rare opportunity to see some of Roger’s other iconic pieces, such as The GREAT Britain; a Daniels Anniversary watch; and a Series 4 pieces featuring his ‘Travelling Date’ complication.

With a reserve price confirmed at £297,500 (excl. of VAT), the Series 1 special edition will be sold by closed bid auction through the rwsmithwatches.com website and Roger Smith has also committed to make a donation from the proceeds of the sale to the Alliance of British Watch and Clock Makers which is a not-for-profit organisation. The closed bid auction goes live on rwsmithwatches.com until 3pm on 9th March, around the close of British Watchmakers’ Day.

“It’s a huge day, a milestone really, for our resurgent watchmaking sector and I will be very proud to see what our trade members are achieving and to have 44 of us together in one space at last. We have a new energy and some brilliant designers emerging. It’s an exciting time to be a British watchmaker,” says Roger Smith.