After months of hype and sold-out tickets, June 13th saw the second edition of Hands On Horology open in Shoreditch’s Protein Studios. With over 800 guests packing in to see 50 different distinctive watch brands, it was an even bigger success than last year’s debut.
From the queues hundreds long at 9:29 to the last few collectors making those last-minute purchases on the way out, it was a packed day of timepieces. This was the first time many watch lovers in the UK had a chance to get to grips with eclectic brands like Arsene Lippens, Kollokium, Gaga Laboratorio, Kuoe Tokyo and headline sponsor Grandeur and they made the most of it. Champagne flowed, watches changed hands and bank accounts got lighter.
Along the way our silent auction of two unique piece watches raised enough money to donate 2,300 meals to food distribution charity Felix Project alongside support for Mind mental health charity. Attendees also went home with an array of hand-painted custom dials from The Dial Artist and two lucky collectors won a distinctively Italian Echo / Neutra courtesy of our wrist shot competition.
Another highlight was the many event special editions that were on display from innovative microbrands like Awake as well as horological powerhouses such as Sartory Billard and MB&F M.A.D Editions. Our NATO watch strap collaboration with WatchGecko in the Hands On Horology colours also proved a major talking point as we gave them away as premium wristbands for Priority Pass holders and it was fantastic to see the level of excitement and enthusiasm they garnered with more than a few collectors fitting them to their watches then and there.
To those that attended, we’d like to say thank you. You helped us solidify Hands On Horology as the finest watch show in the UK for the second year running. And for those of you that couldn’t make it, make sure to subscribe to Oracle Time magazine to make sure you don’t miss out next year. As an OT Club member you’ll unlock access to a free general ticket or discounted priority pass to the show alongside a host of additional benefits that includes access to the print magazine, special discounts, future special editions and event invites.
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More details at Hands on Horology.
