It’s hard to talk about independent watchmaking since the turn of the Millennium, without referencing Roger W. Smith. Based on the Isle of Man and the sole apprentice to the late, great, George Daniels, his body of work may be small in number, but it is substantial in its quality and impact.

We think the story of Roger Smith, has for a number of years, been irrevocably tied to that of Dr Daniels. Though the tale of their proximate relationship is known to many, some may not be as familiar with Smith’s path prior to joining Daniels’ workshop, or how he has evolved his craft and vision since first setting-out on his own. We’ve been lucky enough to know the watchmaker for a number of years now, having seen the appreciation for his work grow steadily over time. In many ways, he has become the contemporary flag bearer for the long tradition of English watchmaking, which spans back many hundreds of years.

To that end, we wanted to fill-out some of the missing elements of his story, covering them in as much detail as possible. To do so, it made sense to go back to Smith himself, to uncover topics he mentioned having not thought about in years. We also spoke to the very first watchmaker to join him, Andy Jones, who was in the year below Roger at the Manchester School of Horology. Finally, to understand Roger's connection with George from a different perspective, we also gathered insights from David Newman, one of Daniels’ closest friends and the Chairman of the George Daniels Education Trust.

Whilst there may be some small details that we miss out in this article, we hope that we are able to present a more complete picture of how 'Smith of Bolton', as George sometimes called him, to one of the greatest independent watchmakers working today. 

Despite how it may now seem , Roger was not born a master of all 34 skills that make-up the Daniels Method. Far from it. He was born in Manchester, and at the age of six his family moved to Bolton, a large town in northern England, and, by his own admission, wasn’t the most academic of children. By the age of sixteen, it was clear to him and his family, that progressing further in his studies wasn’t to be his path.