Designing the Most Complicated Thing You’ll Ever Wear: A Renaissance in Watchmaking

In an age dominated by digital screens and AI-powered innovation, mechanical watches might seem like relics from a slower, more analog era. But as the session at SXSW London made clear, the opposite is true. Watchmaking is undergoing a creative renaissance and it’s anything but static.

Hosted by Christopher Ward’s COO Sarah Baumann, with panelists Will Brackfield (Senior Watch Designer, Christopher Ward) and James McVey (musician and watch enthusiast), the conversation explored why watches remain one of the most intricate and emotionally resonant objects we can wear and how their future lies at the intersection of engineering, design, community, and cultural relevance.

Mechanical watches are, quite literally, miniature marvels. As Sarah noted in her opening remarks, they are “the most complicated thing you can wear”, a claim even ChatGPT agreed with, she joked. Their complexity is not just mechanical; it’s also emotional and cultural. These are objects people connect with deeply, often across generations.

For Will Brackfield, who led the design of Christopher Ward’s most complicated model to date, the “Lōcō”, the process is a balancing act between creativity and constraint. It took three years, 180 parts, and relentless iteration to bring the watch from a sketch on a bored engineer’s notepad to a wearable work of art. The design itself had to harmonize aesthetic symmetry with technical feasibility, often pushing the boundaries of traditional movement construction.

Why put so much effort into something we don’t “need” anymore to tell time?

For James McVey, the answer is simple: emotional resonance. “In a world where everything changes every day, a mechanical watch gives you something solid something that connects you to history, craft, and humanity,” he shared. This sense of permanence and connection is what draws collectors and creatives alike to horology.

It’s a sentiment echoed by many in the watch community: these are not just functional tools but personal artifacts wearable expressions of identity, taste, and memory.

Both Will and James spoke about the elusive process of creative judgment. Whether it’s a micro-decided color for a dial or the chorus of a song, the decision-making often comes down to feel. “You rarely know it’s right,” Will admitted. “You just know what feels best at the time.”

That sensibility is sharpened through collaboration. James compared watch design to music production, where early ideas often need fresh eyes (or ears) to refine. “I always share early drafts with people outside the process,” he said, highlighting the value of external perspective in avoiding creative blind spots.

If traditional luxury was defined by exclusivity, high price points, and brand mystique, the new generation of watch designers are flipping that script. Community, transparency, and craftsmanship now sit at the heart of what buyers value.

As James pointed out, young collectors are no longer seduced by marketing hype. “You can’t just stick a label on a T-shirt and call it luxury,” he said. “People are looking under the hood.” That demand for substance is giving rise to brands like Christopher Ward, which deliver high-level horology without the inflated price tags.

The result? A redefinition of luxury itself not as a price point, but as an experience: one where buyers feel informed, included, and inspired.

The rise of social media has been a game-changer for the industry. Once cloistered behind closed doors, designers are now visible figures. Will noted the shift in expectations: “You’re not just making something beautiful you’re expected to talk about it, defend it, even explain the movement.”

But that visibility also fosters deeper engagement. YouTube creators, collectors, and influencers are demystifying the process and creating vibrant new entry points for first-time buyers.

Both panelists agreed: the most meaningful innovation doesn’t come from limitless budgets, it comes from boundaries. Materials science is driving advances like longer power reserves and improved durability, but what’s equally exciting is how smaller brands are using everyday tools in extraordinary ways. Christopher Ward’s first in-house movement was prototyped using medical-grade parts and a CNC machine in a garage.

This hacker mindset—precision meets pragmatism might be the real future of watchmaking.

Independently Created. Not affiliated with SXSW.

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