We're keen for you to find out a little more about Alison, one of the few female Head Watchmakers in Britain today, so we sat down with a coffee and had a bit of a natter...

Tell us a bit about yourself and your journey into the industry.

I’m from Stoke-on-Trent originally. My dad’s a joiner and my mum’s a nurse and a brilliant painter, so we’ve always had some kind of creativity in the household. I was always really interested in jewellery but wanted to keep my options somewhat open, so when it came to going to university, I did a multi-disciplinary arts course down in Falmouth, Cornwall. The course involved metalwork, glasswork and ceramics.

Once I graduated, I got a job in Southampton as a visual merchandiser at Gap. I moved over to Superdry where I met my partner - whose dad is a watchmaker - we moved in together and all they talked about was watches, all the time.

An opportunity arose at a reputable jeweller and I took a position in their diamond team. The diamonds were lovely (and I still wouldn’t say no to one!) but it was the watches that really interested me. I managed to sell a Rolex within the first few weeks of being there and that was it, I’d caught the bug! The conversations you have with watch enthusiasts are so fascinating - explaining the intricacies of a timepiece was fun and really captured a lot of customers’ enthusiasm for horology.

So, living with two watchmakers (my partner’s brother is a watchmaker as well) the fascination grew. He worked for a British watch company as the head watchmaker, they needed some assemblers and he said, ‘You know how to use tweezers, you’ve done jewellery so come and do a bench test’ and I got the job. I assembled for around a year and a half.

Then, an opportunity to be a watchmaker’s assistant came along. The watchmakers serviced the movements, and I cased them up with the hands and dial, ready to go back to the customer. In between those jobs I did partial repairs, which piqued my curiosity further. I wanted to know how to do this or that, so I eventually applied to the British School of Watchmaking, got in and was sponsored by Swatch to attend. The only problem was that this was during Covid, so I ended up bringing my tools home and made a little workshop in the front room. I learned all about the chronograph movement over Zoom, with our tutor holding up his loop to the camera. It was one of the best years of my life - I loved it.

After graduating I started working at Swatch, went through an intensive Omega training course for 6 weeks, passed the exams and then fell pregnant. At the end of my maternity leave I wanted to go back to my previous employer to become a watchmaker there, which was a great experience. And now, I’m ready for an even more exciting chapter with Marloe. To be able to build a department at my level is a unique opportunity and I know that we will grow together. You don’t develop when you’re in your comfort zone and I needed to be out of my depth again.

How big is the leap from an assembler to a watchmaker?

A big leap. Most people, with a good amount of training, can put a dial and hands on a movement and put it into a case. You do need good attention to detail. It’s gaining knowledge of certain processes and what is happening with the movement – one little chip in a tooth and things can go haywire. The main difference as an assembler is you are going through a standard process – new parts into more new parts – whereas a watchmaker is constantly analysing, reverse engineering and problem solving.

I think most people believe watchmakers dress like lab scientists. Is this true?

We don’t wear latex gloves, but you do wear a lab coat and finger cots. Some put on a visor but most wear loupes. It’s supposed to be a sterile environment as dust is not your friend, so it’s not that far off!

Is it usually a very male-dominated industry?

Yes. In my previous team there were seven or eight watchmakers, and I was the only woman. It doesn’t surprise me. Now we're seeing a huge gap where we have a lot of watchmakers at retirement age and they’re all men because that’s what was pushed back then. Maybe it’s intimidating because it’s such a male-dominated industry, but hopefully, things are starting to change.

Tell us about a typical day in the life of a watchmaker. Do you clock on and off, and do you start and finish on time?

Start on time, rarely finish on time! There’s always something to be done. You’ll go in and wipe down your bench to clean off any dust that has settled overnight, but before all else a cup of tea will be made! I’ll then go to my job tray and see what’s come in from the previous day. There will also be watches that have been repaired that need to be time tested after 24 hours. As we’re building the workshop from scratch, I may come across a job that requires a specific tool we don't have yet, so it’s constant learning and evolving. Some days I’ll be building prototypes for the next exciting project and others it will be purely repair work. Each day is different, each watch is different with various challenges or mysteries to solve.

Some watchmakers like to sit down and won’t get up from their bench ever - they’ll have everything around them. I like to have a bit of a walk around, making sure I'm keeping my mind switched on. Most watchmakers will sit with earphones in; it’s quite a solitary job so you need something to keep you company, whether it’s the radio or a podcast. Normally it is quiet because as soon as you start talking your attention to detail has gone and that’s where you start missing things.

What attracted you to Marloe?

At my previous company, although I enjoyed it, I was getting too comfortable, and I was ready for a change.

In all honesty it was the brand ethos that really propelled me to join the company. I chatted with Oliver a long time ago and built up a great rapport. Shortly after, I met Gordon and I knew it was a good fit. How he designs watches is so authentic and there’s purpose behind everything. Coming from a creative design background I’ll be interested to see how he creates concepts and potentially get involved in that side of things. Even though they’ve been going for 9 years, there’s still so much we can grow and develop, and I want to be part of that.

Do you have a favourite Marloe model and why?

The first model I saw was the Haskell and I loved the vintage look, though I know they're long sold out! I have a real soft spot for the Solent Timer Black Edition which I wear most days, but the recently released Daytimer Madainn is my fave for sure! 

What advice would you give to others on how to get into watchmaking?

In a perfect world, every company would have an apprenticeship scheme. At the British School of Watchmaking, there are only eight places per year so it’s super difficult to get in. We have a massive gap as I mentioned of no watchmakers and so no teachers, and there’s a real shortage of knowledge. There are a few ways to see if watchmaking is for you; you can buy some cheap tools and movements online and have a go yourself or there are short courses for hobbyists at the BHI (British Horological Institute) which can give a good first insight into the profession.

Do you stare at everyone else’s watch on a night out?

My partner is more of a watch spotter than I am. If something catches my eye though... it’s normally on TV, I’ll pause and see which one it is.

What’s your dream watch?

There are two I've put on my wrist that felt like they were made for me. One of them was the Cartier Ballon Bleu Moon Phase in rose gold with a diamond bezel. That was just stunning, and 8 years ago was around £35,000, so goodness knows what it is now. The other one was a Rolex President Day-Date with an olive-green dial in rose gold – just the perfect weight.

How would you sell British watchmaking to someone who hasn’t thought of buying from a British watch brand before?

In terms of Marloe, the designs are so well thought out that nothing has been forgotten about. There’s a reason behind every detail. If you look at a lot of the watch brands out there, they follow trends and so they all start looking similar. With Marloe, there’s a voice and a purpose behind each model so every one becomes very special. In terms of the wider British watchmaking industry, I would say it started here, so buy into the rebuilding of a lost industry. Be a part of the revival and invest in British.

Do you have any watch design ideas of your own?

Honestly, no. That’s why I would quite like to get into it a little bit with Gordon. I want to find time to be creative before I lose it completely!