![]() ![]() The long roadīoth the owners of Frodsham have been in watchmaking all their lives. Richard Stenning is a watchmaker who worked at Sotheby’s watch department from the 1980s – when antiquarian horology was all the rage – until he departed to take over Frodsham. Philip Whyte on the other hand, was briefly an auditor in the civil service, but has now been involved with watches for almost 50 years. And that, along with several projects Frodsham took on, including replicas of John Harrison’s H3 and H4 marine chronometers, along with a custom clock for Queen Elizabeth, meant that the Frodsham wristwatch took some 16 years to come to market. The entirety of the watch has been built to a unyielding, and somewhat old fashioned, philosophy that recalls high quality engineering of anther era. “With all the decisions taken over the watch,” says Mr Whyte, “ we have never yet found a valid reason to sacrifice mechanical integrity, must always come first.”Ī lengthy process of trial and error in finishing and construction entailed the philosophy. ![]() Notably, even the jewels are in-house, being “new old stock” rubies originally made for small pocket watches many decades ago. The sapphire crystals, mainsprings and O-rings are obtained from Switzerland, while the wire for the hairspring is made by a European supplier, though its overcoil is formed by hand at Frodsham. But the firm also spent the last 16 years working on the Double Impulse Chronometer. Despite the lengthy name, the watch is deceptively simple on its surface, modest in a thoroughly English manner.Īlmost all of the watch is made in-house by Frodsham at its workshop, which is staffed by seven watchmakers. The firm does most of its business today restoring antique Frodsham clocks and pocket watches. Owned by Philip Whyte and Richard Stenning since 1997 – with a fourth generation descendent of Charles Frodsham on the board – the company is located in upscale St James’s in London, though its workshop is just outside London. Today Charles Frodsham has been continuously operating for 184 years, albeit under different owners but nevertheless a remarkable achievement given that the rest of the once great English watch industry has evaporated. Mr Frodsham founded his business in 1834, three years before Queen Victoria ascended the British throne. Despite only recently becoming prominent as a maker of wristwatches, Charles Frodsham is ironically a grand old name in English watchmaking. ![]() Now firmly on the list is Charles Frodsham, which recently unveiled its Double Impulse Chronometer wristwatch. Peter Speake-Marin and Stephen Forsey are English, though both practice their craft in Switzerland. George Daniels and his contemporary Derek Pratt will be high up on the list, but both have sadly passed on, though Mr Daniel’s protege Roger W. The list of modern day, high-end English watchmakers is a short one. Facebook Linkedin Twitter Pinterest Weibo Mail Instagram ![]()
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