Mr Smith goes to London
It may have escaped your knowledge that Great Britain harbours the only watchmaker in the world capable of making his watches entirely by hand. But it certainly hadn’t passed No. 10 unnoticed, and the Isle of Man’s Roger Smith was an immediately obvious candidate for the UK government’s international “GREAT Britain” campaign, promoting our nation’s rich tapestry of industrial brilliance. In just under 10 months, Smith had developed and presented his unique piece to the campaign’s director Conrad Bird, the 34 components of its hand-decorated Union Flag dial requiring weeks of work alone. For the next two to three years, the £180,000 watch will tour the world as a shining example of remarkable British ingenuity, after which Smith intends to, “probably keep it for myself,” no doubt frustrating his hardcore connoisseur clientele, many of whom wait 18 months for their watches to be delivered. rwsmithwatches.com