A watch made by a Bolton man in his parents' garage has become the most expensive British watch ever made. 'Pocket Watch No.2' was made by Roger Smith over five years in the mid-1990s.
Having originally sold in 2004 to a US collector, it was re-sold at an auction in New York on Saturday (June 17) for just over £3.8million, The BBC reports. The pocket watch was originally given an estimated price of 'in excess of £1m'.
This beat the previous record for a British made watch of £3.6m, set back in 2019.
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The watch was made by hand by Mr Smith, born in Bolton in 1970, between 1992 to 1997. He then presented the work which had been made meticulously to Dr George Daniels, one of the great watch makers of the last century.
Impressed by the craftmanship he was offered an apprenticeship - the only person given an apprenticeship by the great watch crafter. Mr Smith said the sale of the watch had been a "profound moment" for him and the figure was "beyond all expectations".
"Pocket Watch Number Two is the most important watch I have made and, for the watch to have received such interest, has also been very humbling," he said to the BBC.
The auction house, Phillips, said the watch represented "a landmark achievement in the industry" and "was the cornerstone of the 21st century English watchmaking renaissance".
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