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Has the British Watch Industry Really Grown 65% in Three Years?

The Alliance’s Bellwether surveys report revenue growth of 65% between 2021 and the year ending April 2024, but the figure is not a measure of UK watch output.
Estimate4–5 min Catalogued SpecialistWatchRanker Team

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According to the Alliance of British Watch & Clock Makers’ Bellwether surveys, reported sector revenue rose from £125 million in the 2021 survey to about £206 million for the year ending April 2024—a reported increase of 65%. That is a trade-body survey comparison, not an official government statistic or proof that UK watch production rose by 65%.

What does the 65% figure measure?

The Alliance’s July 2025 announcement for its second Bellwether survey describes about £206 million in revenue for the year ending April 2024, 65% above the £125 million baseline reported in its first Bellwether account in 2021. The Alliance says this equates to an 18% compound annual growth rate over the three-year period. These are the Alliance’s survey-reported figures, not a continuous official time series. Bellwether II; Bellwether I.

The comparison also needs an accounting qualification: the 2021 account describes an estimated retail market value after applying retail margin to wholesale revenues, while the 2025 announcement labels £206 million as sector revenue. The published summaries do not establish that both rounds used precisely the same accounting basis or methodology. The 65% is therefore best read as the Alliance’s reported comparison, not as a rigorously harmonized national-accounts measure.

Does it mean 65% more watches were made in Britain?

No. The figure is about revenue, not the number of watches or clocks produced, UK factory output, jobs, or exports. The survey announcement does not break the increase down into unit volumes, prices, brand mix, exchange rates, business formation, or changes in survey coverage. Revenue growth alone cannot show which of those factors drove the result.

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“British” is also broader than “made in Britain” in this survey. The Alliance describes its reach as the British Isles, including the Republic of Ireland, and the companies counted as British-headquartered were not necessarily required to manufacture, assemble, or finish products in Britain. The Alliance’s description of its scope sets out that wider remit. So the result should not be presented as a measurement of UK-only manufacturing.

How large is the industry, and who is growing?

Bellwether II identifies more than 140 operating companies and approximately 1,600 jobs, including full-time, part-time, and freelance work. The Alliance says 67% of currently operating businesses were founded since 2015. Those figures suggest a varied sector with many relatively young businesses, but the survey’s headline count is not evidence that all firms are alike in size or activity.

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Growth was widespread among respondents but not universal: more than 75% reported revenue growth over the prior three trading years, 42% reported double-digit increases, and 30% reported growth of 300–400%. These are company-reported results; they do not mean each firm grew at the sector’s 65% rate. The announcement does not provide enough methodological detail to independently assess sampling, response rates, or weighting. The Alliance’s Bellwether II summary provides the reported figures.

Does strong demand mean every brand has a waiting list?

No. The Alliance reports a 98% overall sell-through rate, but capacity conditions were mixed: 60% of companies described output as balanced, 20% reported unmet demand, and 20% reported surplus capacity. Sell-through is a survey-wide result, not a guarantee that any particular model is available only by waiting list—or that every company is selling everything it makes.

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Where are the watches and clocks being sold?

In Bellwether II, reported sales were split across the UK (53%), America (28%), Europe (8%), and Gulf Cooperation Council countries (4%). These figures indicate that sales are not confined to the domestic market. They are the destinations reported in the announcement and should not be treated as a complete export series or as evidence that exports themselves grew 65%.

The first Bellwether account said more than 100 watch and clockmaking brands produced over one million timepieces in 2020, alongside its estimate of at least £125 million in retail market value. The Alliance’s 2021 account also described meaningful international demand. That earlier snapshot offers context, but its figures should not be directly combined with the later survey as if the definitions and measurement were identical. Bellwether I.

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How much confidence should readers place in the claim?

The 65% figure is useful as a summary of what the Alliance’s two Bellwether rounds reported. The first survey was produced by KPMG; the second was conducted by Skolorr, according to the Alliance. The published announcements do not provide enough methodological detail to verify whether sampling and accounting definitions were fully consistent, so the comparison is not equivalent to an audited, official statistical series.

It is also not independently corroborated by a watch-specific government output series in the sources cited here. HM Revenue & Customs reported £410.1 billion in UK goods exports in 2024, down 3% from 2023, but that broad figure does not measure watches. HMRC also cautions that earlier business-characteristics releases were not updated and are unsuitable for comparison. HMRC’s 2024 goods-trade commentary is general trade context, not verification of the Alliance’s claim.

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The Alliance’s chief executive, Alistair Audsley, described the three-year result as an 18% compound annual growth rate. Mike France, Christopher Ward CEO and Alliance co-founder, said it “proves the sector’s resurgence beyond a doubt.” Those are comments from people involved in the sector, not independent validation of the survey’s methods or accounting basis. Both statements appear in the Bellwether II announcement.

What the 65% claim does—and does not—tell you

  • It does: report the Alliance’s comparison between a £125 million baseline in its 2021 Bellwether account and about £206 million in revenue for the year ending April 2024.
  • It does not: establish a 65% rise in watches made, UK-only manufacturing, employment, or exports.
  • It does: describe a sector spanning the British Isles, including businesses not required to manufacture in Britain.
  • It does not: show that every company grew, that all makers face unmet demand, or that the two survey rounds are a perfectly matched official series.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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