176 It’s widely recognised that the watch market overall is not strong right now. We all remember (and shudder at) the boom in interest in watches in 2020 and 2021 and the associated leaps in pricing for certain famous models. It seemed for some time that the Hype train would never end, but it did with an auction of a very special Patek Philippe, and the market has been soft with falling prices ever since. New watches have seen sales volumes fall dramatically and brands looking for ways to encourage buyers back amidst ever-increasing competition from new Microbrands and new High-End Independents. There are a few areas of the market where interest remains sky-high, however. As an events business and community of watch enthusiasts, we get to see exactly where people’s energy and activity is going in this market; to great value timepieces with a great story, and often, a local flavour. A Limited Edition Watch from one of our favourite British Microbrands, Studio Underdog Ever since we started The Watch Collectors’ Club in 2021, we’ve been astonished by the interest and demand for British Watch Brands. We recognise the amazing diversity of design and great story telling have inspired clients to try these often very young brands. We’ve done our best to help, running many events with British brands over the last couple of years. We’re even more excited that opportunities for these brands to promote themselves and get their watches on to people’s wrists continue to grow with more and more shows and events popping up. This November we’re running The Manchester Watch Show for the first time, welcoming over 350 enthusiasts to Central Manchester to meet 25 brands from those just starting out to well established names with customers all over the world. Ours is not the only show coming up! Later in November there is the Time and Tide weekender in London in conjunction with the Alliance of British Watch and Clockmakers, bringing together 15 brands for two full days of horological excitement. On the same weekend over in Bristol there’s the new Bristol Watch Show featuring another 10 British brands for a day in Bristol’s smart Clifton neighbourhood. The first of these shows is already sold out, but there are tickets available in Bristol, find them here. A sample of the Mr. Jones Watches Ricochet, one of the most successful models in their collection. They’ll be at The Manchester Watch Show on November 9th. There’s also the well-established Watchpro Salon on the first weekend of the month in London’s Leicester Square, featuring over 40 brands including many British brands, brands just launching, and some famous names from Switzerland and elsewhere. We’ve got a discount for tickets you can use, and The Watch Collectors’ Club will be giving tours of the show during the Saturday afternoon if you want to meet some friendly watch people while you’re there and get help finding the watches you’re most interested in. This year has seen some successful shows already, namely the WatchIt Watch Fair in the Midlands in June, where over 400 people saw timepieces from 40 brands. The current biggest enthusiasts fair in the world is Windup Watchfair in New York, and plenty of British brands were there visiting clients last week. Both are great signs that the market is healthy for great watches with interesting design at good prices. An Elliot Brown Holton Automatic. This company from Devon are regular attendees at watch fairs in the UK and will be in Manchester. The other area that remains strong is that of smaller independent brands. These range from handcrafted low double digit producers making exceptional High Horology, such as Roger Smith on the Isle of Man, Kari Voutilainen or Berneron in Switzlerand, Felipe Pikullik in Berlin, to more affordable new ideas, like Anoma or Killokium. Enthusiasts love getting behind these brands as they offer something different to what’s found from the large legacy companies that dominate the industry. A Voutilainen Vingt-8 Limited Edition piece. We’re aiming to put more events on next year that help you get close to these watches. We’re running 7 events in November, but 2025 will see us step up again. We’ll run more than one show in the UK, and are returning to Watch and Wonders in Geneva in April (come with us for exclusive access, we’ll take care of your whole itinerary). We’re also looking to set up more events around the UK for brands to showcase their watches if they don’t already have distribution. If you think we should come to a city near you, let us know! We love hosting great watch events that bring the community together and allow watch people to meet other watch people and get hands on with great watches. Keep an eye on our site and social media so you don’t miss out as we start to schedule some of the fantastic stuff we’ve got planned for 2025. If you’re coming to Manchester, we can’t wait to meet you there, and if you still want a ticket, the only way to get one is to join the Club as a Member. There’s a great set of benefits and a year’s membership starts from only £75. The post Upcoming Watch Shows demonstrate parts of the Watch Market remain Strong first appeared on The Watch Collectors’ Club.