It was nearly 10 years ago that I set myself an objective to not only build a new watch brand, but also bring assembly and elements of manufacturing back to Britain - and what an incredible time it's been! A lot of work goes into doing what we do, and I think sometimes we forget to celebrate the milestones, the achievements, the progress we've made as a business and as a small team of devoted and talented individuals. Well today, we celebrate, we raise a glass to Marloe, to how far we've come and more importantly, to the next chapter in our story.

You see, over the past 9 months or so we've quietly gone about building a small workshop in our new Sonning Common HQ. It has taken quite a few months of research and preparation to give us the ability to service, repair and assemble in-house, but I am so proud (and slightly emotional) to announce that we are now ready to put these new wheels in motion.

It all started back in October last year when we began our search for watchmakers in the local area - thankfully, the Henley-on-Thames area is brimming with talented individuals with this skill set, thanks to the mini-Switzerland that appears to be forming in this little corner of the world. We had discussions with several candidates, but something wasn't quite clicking. I approached a contact in the industry who gave me a single name - someone who had actively been working on a British Made calibre for some time and who is highly respected in the industry. We immediately got in touch with this person and arranged to chat over a coffee. 

By the time Alison had sat down opposite me, I knew she was the one - she is Marloe through and through - her values, her attitude - the stars were aligning, but now it was my turn to woo her to join Marloe. We met several times over the following months as I showed her what we were trying to achieve - which was no small feat as at the time our new workshop was missing a roof! Thankfully, Alison is very creative and set about planning the layout of the workshop - the workshop that we hope she will lead for many years to come. I'm not sure how many female head watchmakers there are in Britain, but we are delighted to have one in Alison.

Once Alison joined us on April 1st, we set about speccing the workshop and sourcing all the relevant equipment we required to deliver on our objective - which was a challenge in itself. From pressure testers to ultrasonic cleaning tanks, height-adjustable workbenches to microscopes, we left no stone unturned - although our company card was a little sore after the experience! Over the coming months as we took delivery of the equipment, we set to creating our workshop - fitting counter tops, drilling holes in walls and installing partitions. We finally had our professional watchmaker's workshop. 

As I watch the video above, I still can't believe that we're beginning this new chapter - one of rejuvenating the British watchmaking industry and, in time, teaching and training apprentices to acquire this incredible skill. The Watchmakers’ Apprenticeship Scheme has unfortunately not had the resources it's needed over the past couple of years - but we've been meeting with several advocates who are trying to breathe life back into the scheme and who are even lobbying government officials to support it. 

Our workshop will be accepting servicing and repairs in the coming weeks, and we'll be in touch very soon with more information. Some of you may have watches such as the Cherwell or Derwent that are now 8 or 9 years old and will be very much in need of a service - and we'll prioritise those watches. 

In due course, our workshop will also be assembling some of our upcoming releases, something we're very excited about - the ability to promote 'Assembled in Britain' will not only be a rather large feather in our cap, but will also fulfil the original objective we had back in 2015. You'll even have the option to visit us and see your watch being assembled in front of your eyes – it’s a truly awe-inspiring experience to see a watchmaker at work. 

Here are a few more photos to give you a taster of the new workshop. Alternatively, feel free to make an appointment to come and see it for yourself.