The Rise and Decline of England's Watchmaking Industry, 1550–1930

The English watchmaking industry had a prosperous period in the late eighteenth century, but it declined due to competition from cheap Swiss watches and machine-made watches from America. Other once-prominent British industries also faced similar challenges, leading to their decline. Clerkenwell, on the other hand, retained its pre-industrial production methods.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 394 pages
Publication date: 29 January 2024
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This comprehensive survey of the evolution and decline of English watchmaking addresses a significant gap in the historiography of British industry. Situated in Clerkenwell, London, the industry sourced raw movements from Prescot, located approximately 200 miles away in Lancashire. Subsequently, smaller watchmaking centers emerged in Coventry, Liverpool, and Birmingham. During the late eighteenth century, the English industry dominated European watchmaking in terms of output, and its lucrative export markets extended to the Ottoman Empire and China. Moreover, it played a pivotal role in the development of marine chronometers, the most intricate and sophisticated hand-crafted pre-industrial mechanisms, which were instrumental in the subsequent dominance of Britain's navy and merchant marine. Despite Britain's reputation as the workshop of the world, its watchmaking industry experienced a decline. The reasons for this decline are multifaceted. Firstly, the influx of cheap Swiss watches into British markets posed a significant challenge. Subsequently, in the era of Free Trade, machine-made watches from American factories gained popularity, facilitated by the successful application of the American system of watch production in Waltham, Massachusetts, after 1858. The Swiss watch industry responded adeptly, expanding its operations and reclaiming its dominant position in global markets. However, English watchmaking did not undergo the same adaptation, and its trajectory foreshadowed and was later followed by other once-prominent British industries. Clerkenwell, in contrast, retained its pre-industrial production methods, which limited its ability to modernize and compete effectively. Other modernization attempts in Britain faced limited success or outright failure.

Weight: 594g
Dimension: 152 x 229 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032131351