Latest news with #RogerSmith
BBC News
3 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Lincoln residents call for 'eyesore' bridge to be reopened
The owner of a bridge described as an "eyesore" has been urged to repair and reopen Bridge in Lincoln, which connects Stamp End and Waterside South, has been closed for safety reasons since March last Smith and Melanie Bliss, who live near the bridge, said it was a lifeline for many people, connecting the residential areas to the north with businesses to the BBC has contacted owner London & Scottish Property Investment Management for comment. According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the closure has left residents facing a 20-minute detour on foot, with not all the roads suitable for Smith said: "It isn't a big deal for motorists, but having it reopened would be really crucial for pedestrians and cyclists."Ms Bliss said many pedestrians used it to get to work or to go shopping."There is another pedestrian bridge, but the steps are very steep and it's definitely not suitable for many people," she said."Sadly, the Titanic Bridge is a bit of an eyesore at the moment, and would look really lovely if it was repainted and reopened."They say they had tried to contact the owner for an update and added: "There's a lot of mystery surrounding it."Temporary fencing was placed across the bridge last year, which Mr Smith said was frequently ignored, and permanent gates were added later.A new sign warning of a "health and safety risk" has appeared recently.A public meeting is being held to discuss the bridge's future on Monday at 18:00 BST at the Monks Road Methodist Church.A bridge was first built over the River Witham there in 1912, and was replaced with the current bridge in the 1990s. Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
Daily Maverick
25-05-2025
- Daily Maverick
East London attorney wins back ownership of farm after protracted court battle
Roger Smith sold his land under the threat of expropriation. Nearly two decades later, he won it back — and a scathing court judgment against the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality. An East London attorney has, after a long legal battle, won back ownership of a farm in Buffalo City (East London) that he was forced to sell to the municipality under the threat of expropriation. The attorney, Roger Smith, bought Wembley Farm in 1985. In 1999, facing the threat of the property being expropriated for use as a municipal cemetery, he reluctantly agreed to sell it to the municipality for R670,000. He was also paid a consolation fee of R35,100, removal costs of R5,000 and transfer duty of R43,700. But the cemetery was never built. The farm, left abandoned, fell into disrepair. 'The house, outbuildings, reservoirs and other infrastructure … have been vandalised and destroyed,' noted Judge Mbulelo Jolwana in his judgment. Smith first approached the court in 2008, arguing he had been coerced into the sale under a false pretext — that the land had been designated for use as a cemetery. When it was later found unsuitable for that use, he claimed the original agreement had no legal standing. That case was dismissed on the basis that his claim had prescribed, but he was granted leave to appeal. The parties then tried to settle the case. The agreed terms of the settlement included that the ownership of the property would be restored to Smith if he paid the municipality R3.6-million — the sale price plus interest. 'It was further agreed that Smith would pay an additional amount of R4.3-million as a contribution to the costs incurred by the municipality in the litigation before it was settled.' The municipality also made it a condition of settlement that one hectare of the land would be used to build a fire station. This was ratified by the Buffalo City council only in 2021, mostly due to delays brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic. Smith then went to court to have the settlement made an order of court. On 6 June 2023, his attorney wrote a letter to the municipality's attorney, attaching the revised settlement agreement and requesting that it be signed and returned to him to facilitate its implementation. Smith's attorney further confirmed that he was holding in trust an amount of R7.4-million to be paid to the municipality in settlement. However, the municipal manager would not sign the settlement agreement. Smith went back to court, complaining that he had been prejudiced by ongoing delays and the municipality's failure to comply with the terms of the revised settlement agreement. 'Invalid' Buffalo City's municipal manager, Mxolisi Yawa, stated in papers before the court that the municipality was obliged to oppose the application to make the settlement an order of court. He said the council resolution confirming the settlement was 'invalid' because it did not comply with the Municipal Finance Management Act. Yawa argued that the only way Smith could get his farm back was to successfully sue the municipality. He said the council had to consider the fair market value of the property before arriving at a decision. 'It is important to point out that at no stage during the protracted settlement negotiations did [Yawa] communicate to Smith or his attorney that he questioned the validity of the settlement agreement or that he doubted its lawfulness,' said Judge Jolwana. 'It does not appear that he communicated his discomfort about the alleged non-compliance even with the municipality's own attorney. Instead, there was an unexplained failure to sign the settlement agreement, notwithstanding its formal endorsement thereof through a council resolution that to date is still extant. 'It was only when these proceedings were instituted that, in the answering affidavit, Yawa raised, for the very first time, his concerns about non-compliance with the Municipal Finance [Management] Act.' The judge said that in the documented history of the case, it had been pointed out that the property could not be used for the purpose for which it was acquired — the construction of a cemetery. He said the municipality has not made a case that it needed the property, apart from the portion for the establishment of a fire station. He said this was a restitution of the property and not a transfer as specified in the Municipal Finance Management Act. 'That any property may be expropriated for a legitimate public purpose is not controversial, at least if regard is had to the Constitution,' said Judge Jolwana. 'That legitimate public purpose was the establishment of a municipal cemetery in this case. It is common cause that it later transpired that the property was not suitable for that purpose after the registration of the transfer of the ownership of the property to the municipality had been finalised. 'The property was acquired by the municipality to alleviate its need for land that is suitable for the establishment of a municipal cemetery. Put differently, Smith was deprived of his right to ownership of the property through expropriation or threat thereof for that legitimate public purpose. The legitimate public purpose for which the applicant's right to have, to use and to keep the property was therefore infringed for a justifiable and legitimate public purpose and in the public interest. 'That was the understanding at the time Smith's property rights were infringed. Once that public purpose became unattainable, the consequent unlawfulness of Smith's deprivation of his property rights and the unconstitutionality of that entire process became fatally indefensible, leading to the entire edifice and rationale for the expropriation collapsing.' Judge Jolwana ordered that the settlement be made an order of court. He also made a punitive costs order against the municipality, reasoning that, '[Yawa] lamentably chose opaqueness when transparency was required. [He] decided to attempt to renege from the settlement agreement only when he received papers for this application, which it was agreed should be instituted. This he seems to have done without even presenting his views to the Buffalo City council. This, in circumstances in which the municipality's legal department had no difficulties with the lawfulness of the agreement.'
Bloomberg
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Bloomberg
Bill Ackman Talks Owning Bremont, and Buying a $4.9 Million Grail Watch
Welcome to the latest edition of the Watch Club newsletter. I'm Chris Rovzar, the editor of Bloomberg Pursuits, and I'm glad to see you again, because I've got a bit of gossip. One of the most famous anecdotes of horological history, known to many nerds, is the story of Roger Smith's Pocket Watch No. 2. It's a long tale, but I'll do my best to tell it quickly. Smith, a legend in watchmaking, has an eponymous brand, Roger W Smith, that specializes in handmade timepieces that are so sought-after they can gavel for hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars at auction.
Forbes
16-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
How To Succeed In Watches Without Being Rolex: British Watchmakers Edition
'Ready to start your watchmaking journey?" the flyer read. "Use the code below for a 10% discount on your first kit.' I stared at it incredulously, the flyer taunting my 20+ years of watch industry experience while challenging my expectations of British watchmakers. During a March business trip to London, I made a detour to Lindley Hall for British Watchmakers' Day, expecting to discover the British equivalent of Watches & Wonders—that grand Swiss spectacle which recently ended with Rolex causing a stir by finally introducing its first new collection in decades. Instead, I found very early-stage startups, DIY watchmaking kits, and an energy more Coachella than the classical symphonies of the Palexpo Genève's exhibiting watchmakers. I'll admit, my initial reaction came from a particular brand of snobbery that develops after spending too much time with watchmaking traditionalists. When I shared my disenchantment with master watchmaker Roger Smith, a co-founder of the Alliance of British Watch & Clock Makers and a future candidate for this series (his ingenuity is on par with Louis Moinet), he made me realize I was looking at things the wrong way. I wasn't here to find the next Jaeger-LeCoultre or Vacheron Constantin – although Smith's own work offered me exactly what I was looking for. Instead, I was bearing witness to the birth of an entirely new watchmaking culture—one that eschews the traditional Swiss mold for something uniquely and irreverently British. British watchmakers are succeeding without being Rolex, and here was my opportunity to discover how. 'I'm from marketing, not watchmaking,' Alistair Audsley, co-founder and CEO of the Alliance of British Watch & Clock Makers, told me when I asked how he became the unlikely architect of the British watchmaker renaissance. After producing The Watchmaker's Apprentice, a documentary on the late master watchmaker George Daniels and his apprentice, Roger Smith, Audsley became corporate affairs and marketing consultant for Smith. When Britain's premiere luxury watch event SalonQP ceased operations in 2018, Audsley, Smith and Christopher Ward co-founder, Mike France, recognized there were still signs of life in a British horology industry that hadn't quite found its modern-day footing. They commissioned a study, which confirmed a quiet renaissance was indeed brewing, but one that needed a guiding hand. A unifying trade body was necessary to help nurture the fledgling industry back into its glorious heyday, where British watchmakers created 60-70% of fundamental innovations found in today's mechanical watches. During Britain's 17th and 18th century 'Golden Age' of watchmaking, pioneers like Robert Hooke (who developed the balance spring in 1657), Thomas Mudge (inventor of the lever escapement in 1754), and John Harrison (creator of the marine chronometer) revolutionized timekeeping with inventions still essential to current day mechanical watches. By 1800, Britain dominated global production, manufacturing approximately 200,000 watches annually—about half the world's output—before gradually losing ground to Swiss and American mass-production techniques in the 19th century. Enter Smith, France, Nicholas Bowman-Scargill of Fears, Bob Ray of Sinclair Harding, and Crispin Jones of Mr. Jones Watches, the founding fathers, along with Audsley, of what was becoming a British watchmakers' movement. 'To our astonishment, we thought there might be about 15 brands out there,' Audsley shared. 'Within about a month of launching [the Alliance of British Watch & Clock Makers] in November 2020, we had 30 members already on board.' Five years later, the Alliance counts 110 brands in its diverse membership of catalog producers and upper echelon independents across 24 countries. To demonstrate the existence and vibrancy of the British watch sector, Audsley proposed one day per year where British watchmakers would release a special edition watch available exclusively on that date and at a special venue. The first British Watchmakers' Day was launched in 2024 with 21 brands, each introducing a special limited edition. The sequel event this year included 44 British watchmakers, 26 of which produced special limited editions only purchasable that day. The second time around proved to be the charm, with consumer attendance well exceeding the initial event. 'By about 5 in the morning, our security guy texted me and sent a picture with about five or six people waiting outside the door,' Audsley marveled. 'By 9 AM, it was literally around the block.' While the first year was an inaugural triumph, the challenge for the second year was keeping the momentum going. So for the following event, the team pursued a longer promotional lead time, with activations occurring well before the event to build anticipation and excitement across a wider audience. There was an early announcement in late January revealing 'The List' – the 26 brands offering special limited edition watches exclusively for the event. This strategic pre-event reveal, complete with detailed photographs and descriptions, gave media outlets and influencers substantial content to generate buzz months before the event itself and delivered far more media presence, both in social media and traditional outlets, than the previous year. General admission tickets sold out in 15 hours. When Audsley and Smith went to welcome those first in line, they discovered just how far the British watchmaking message had spurred the passionate pursuits of watch enthusiasts worldwide. 'I met a guy from New York. There was a couple from Korea. There was a guy who'd flown over from Singapore.' Many came to secure one of the limited-edition timepieces that could only be acquired on that one day; and others, to celebrate the stirrings of the British watch industry. The Alliance cultivates this enthusiastic global community of approximately 1,200 members by ensuring each event maintains an intimate, accessible atmosphere that distinguishes British watchmaking from its Swiss counterparts. 'We're all fans of watchmaking,' Audsley emphasized, capturing the essence of what made the event feel less like a commercial exhibition and more like a family reunion, where founders, collectors, and media all shared equal footing in their passion for British horology. 'I've had a few comments from people in the media saying it's kind of not as slick as, you know, pressing your nose up at a glass fish tank at Watches & Wonders,' Audsley noted. 'For me, that's a huge compliment. That's exactly what we're trying to achieve.' At British Watchmakers' Day, the boundaries between brand founder, collector, and media blur into irrelevance. 'When you're there, there are times when you can't tell who the brand founder is from the collector, from the media people. Everyone's an enthusiast.' Erasing traditional industry hierarchies represents the most profound difference between the British and Swiss approach. Where Swiss brands often maintain a reverential distance between creator and consumer, the Brits actively collapse this space. 'The accessibility is a massive draw for our collectors,' Audsley explained. 'It's the founders who are standing behind those tables. It's not a sales executive.' Guests can chat directly with Jonny Garrett of William Wood, Richard Benc of Studio Underd0g, or Simon Mottram of Bremont. This direct connection forges a sense of acceptance and emotional bonds transcending the products themselves. The community extends even to brands that should logically be fierce competitors. Audsley cited an example of Sidereus Watches and Schofield Watch Company, two brands at similar price points with similar product offerings. Rather than rivalry, there exists genuine warmth and mutual support. For the event, their stands were placed side by side in a physical representation of what Audsley terms 'coopetition,' competing but cooperating simultaneously. In another act of coopetition, Audsley saw staff from one company aiding another to set up their stand the night before. 'There is a natural friendliness and a natural willingness to share information,' he added. This understanding, that they're stronger together, is a defining principle in the resurgence of British watchmakers and is actively encouraged by the Alliance to create a stronger, more resilient watchmaking ecosystem. While Swiss watchmaking excels at marketing heritage and precision, modern-day British watchmaking is still defining itself. What's emerging, according to Audsley, is a blend of technical skill and a quintessentially British sauciness. 'There is a design ethos that's starting to coalesce around our brands. There is a slightly irreverent wit that is very British.' Swiss formality is replaced with fun, personality, and occasionally outright subversion of horology's conservative world. 'What influenced brands like Mr. Jones and Studio Underd0g was this kind of boldness,' he continued. 'It's Monty Python, it's David Bowie, it's the art school tradition we've always brought to music.' How could I sustain my usual highbrow demand to know what's under the movement hood in the face of such artistic audacity? I stood down from my search for haute horology to embrace a British perspective of design and creativity, finding three brands in the process who are launching entirely new conversations around watchmaking. Mr. Jones Watches offered a collection that immediately transferred me back to my first watch acquisition at age 8 – a Swatch watch. A Christmas/birthday present that didn't stir my usual ire from getting a combination gift (the curse of every late December baby), I loved that watch and stored it in its original case to this day. Mr. Jones Watches successfully capture that same Swatch playful essence while elevating it for the adult collector and sophisticated wit – making my childhood nostalgia simultaneously obsolete. Founded in 2007 by Crispin Jones, the brand specializes in 'affordable art pieces that are fun to wear.' Their bestseller, 'Perfectly Useless Afternoon,' features a man lazing in a pool, with his foot indicating hours and a rubber duck floating around to mark minutes. 'The Accurate' has an hour hand that reads 'remember' and a minute hand that warns 'you will die' – a memento mori designed to help you carpe diem. Another design, the blue dialed 'Blueberry Late!' and pink version 'Berry Late Again!,' show a jumble of letters – until the hour and minute hands align to spell out a decidedly adult message of exactly what time is (and also what time it is). 'The world of watches is weirdly quite easy to stand out in because it's such a conservative industry,' Jones told me at British Watchmakers' Day. 'A lot of people are happy making versions of the Swiss archetype designs. We absolutely don't go down that road.' Richard Benc's delightfully colorful brand embodies that irreverent British attitude Audsley described. With models like 'Go0fy Panda,' 'Watermel0n' and 'Mint Ch0c Chip' featuring dials reflecting their namesakes, Studio Underd0g refuses to take itself too seriously while still appealing to the aficionados who do. 'Most of our customers are collectors of high-end pieces and your Rolexes, but they also come to Studio Underd0g,' Benc told me. 'We'll often get sent photos of someone's watch box where they have these well-known Swiss houses, of high-end independents. But then they [the customers] Benc recently secured what may be the ultimate validation of Studio Underd0g's approach – a collaboration with Swiss manufacturer H. Moser & Cie for the H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour Perpetual Calendar Passion Fruit and the Studio Underd0g 03SERIES Passi0n Fruit timepiece pair, produced in a limited quantity of 100 and priced at 59,000 Swiss Francs or about $72,000 USD. The watch duo's multihued design dramatically diverge from H. Moser's usual color palate. The set makes for an insider's wink and a cheeky IYKYK nod for the collectors who made the London pilgramage to become one of 100 worldwide able to give that nod back. Now completely stripped of all preconception, I was delighted to discover BVOR, a brand young in many ways than one. Friends Oliver Smith and Henry Johnston began their horological journey as teenagers in collaboration with their engineering professor, Nurul Alom, to become 'the World's Youngest Watch Designers.' The founders' approach matches their engineering foundations with a youthful entrepreneurial mettle: 'We all have immense power; we just have to find it' reads the second line on the brand's home page. With a vivid understanding of brand building in today's market, the founders have bypassed chasing retail distribution to focus on social media engagement, event participation and strategic partnerships. BVOR is collaborating with the Austin Healey Club to produce limited edition watches that complement club members' cars. 'Being a small brand, it's all about ourselves, really getting hands-on with the watches and actually promoting it ourselves through our social media platforms,' Johnston told me. 'We're selling them on the basis of the story that goes with the brand. The uniqueness and limited quantity that is available is what people really seem to like.' With their manufacturing limitations, modest ambitions (they plan to launch a Kickstarter campaign soon), and technical basics, BVOR would never have previously entered my radar. Yet I found myself appreciating them as the necessary seedlings from which greater things will grow, putting a distinctively fine point on the opportunity before me: BVOR represents the first rung on Britain's watchmaking ladder. Where Roger Smith might occupy the pinnacle of technical mastery, these young entrepreneurs embody the industry's future and may very well reshape the industry with distinctly British innovations we can't yet imagine. The passionate pursuit of luxury is first and foremost about connection—to craftsmanship, to creators, to a communal sharing of appreciation. Fostered by direct access to a brand's creative directors, the British watchmakers' scene shows emotional investment can sometimes matter more than extensive R&D. 'These are people who, around the world, have discovered these brands, discovered the founders, learned their stories,' Audsley summed. 'Those stories have inspired them in some way. I think they've made bonds that go way beyond the product.' And also: British watchmaking is stepping out of Switzerland's shadow, carving a new identity rooted in creativity, collaboration, and a touch of irreverence. The journey from the first rung of BVOR to the pinnacle of Roger Smith is just beginning. And for British watchmakers, the passionate pursuit of watchmaking is less a commercial enterprise and more a shared adventure into what the industry can become without the heritage and resources of Rolex.
