At 9:30 on Saturday 14th June, people were queueing around the block from Shoreditch’s Protein Studios. Why? For the inaugural edition of London’s newest watch show, Hands On Horology – and once the doors opened one thing became obvious: it was a roaring success.
In case you missed it, more than 700 people filed in across two sessions to the light-filled, industrial-cool interiors of Protein Studios to get up close and personal with over 40 exceptional watch brands. Some were new to the UK; some were showing off exhibition-specific limited editions. All of them were great.
Guests were welcomed with a drink (depending on whether they preferred a glass of Champagne Henriot or a cocktail), invited to take part in our wrist shot competition to become part of the HOH Photo Wall and experience a range of whiskies from Japanese, American and Scottish distillers. Some lucky visitors even had their wrist candy of the day sketched by Hands On Horology’s artist in residence, Ben Li, AKA Inkdial.
Watches, however, were what people were there to see and watches there were aplenty. Whether you’re into artisan microbrands like Awake, mid-range disruptors like Christopher Ward and Horage or upper-echelon haute horologists like Laine and Bianchet, there was something for everyone. Watches were admired, watches were discussed and ultimately, watches were bought.
So, to everyone that came, we thank you for attending. While we put the hours in pulling this all together, you’re the ones that made it work. To our priority ticket holders, we hope you enjoy your swag bags and to everyone that missed out, we hope to see you next year. Because after this, there will most definitely be a next year.
In the meantime, don’t forget to keep an eye on the Hands On Horology Instagram account (@hands.on.horology) for some great shots of the show and future exciting announcements. And if you took part in the wrist shot competition, make sure you check your inbox this week to see if you’re the lucky winner of a Beaucroft Element, Spinnaker Dial Artist edition or an annual Oracle Time membership.
