The History of Coventry, English Watchmaking
Rotherham's Coventry Factory in 1924
Cities are often known for something in particular, recognized as a culinary capital, a financial center, or perhaps a student city. Coventry, the British city first founded from a Roman settlement, is still known for Lady Godiva’s unclothed horse ride through the town center and often associated with the British car industry. The question is, what are the origins of these associations, particularly those with the British car industry? What if I told you that Coventry’s car industry developed due to its failure in the watch industry? As mentioned in previous writings, England was one of the most prominent watchmaking destinations in the 19th century, more renowned than Switzerland or America, with Coventry at the industry’s center. So, what happened?
The watch industry in Coventry got its start in the 18th century but grew significantly over the years. So much so that by the mid-19th century, at the height of the industrial revolution, Coventry had more than 5,000 watchmakers registered in the city – with more than 50% of the watches made in Britain originating in Coventry. Chapelfields, in particular, was the area known for watch production in Coventry. Now populated largely by Warwick students, the neighbourhood was originally constructed in 1846 to house watchmakers, similar to Île de la Cité in Paris but purpose-built to combine houses with commercial space for the watchmakers who inhabited the area. Watchmakers would live in the main area of the house and work out of what were called ‘topshops’ – essentially second story workshops. Coventry, at the time, had a healthy mix of artisans, with dial painters, casemakers, engravers, and enamellers trading, collaborating, and operating as the commercial engine of the city. Even so, there were three particularly prominent names that stand out in Coventry’s horological history: Vale, Rotherham, and Bonniksen.
Prominent Watchmakers of Coventry
A Bonniksen watch on display at the Coventry Watch Museum / Credit: Warwick
Samuel Vale can be seen as the godfather of watchmaking in Coventry, having founded his firm in 1747 and hiring Richard Rotherham in 1790 as an apprentice. Vale was one of the first prominent watchmakers out of Coventry and set the course for the city’s industry for the next couple centuries. Richard Rotherham, on the other hand, went from apprentice to founder of his own firm when ‘Richard Kevitt Rotherham & Sons’ was officially established in 1842. Rotherham became one of the biggest watchmakers in England and by 1899 employed 700 people, producing 100 watches per day. Their contribution to the industry’s development in Coventry was probably the most significant. In fact, the Godiva Clock in Coventry was made by a Rotherham’s apprentice and Kevin Rotherham and John the Younger helped found the Coventry Technical Institute. However, the Rotherhams really rose to international prestige when they gifted Prince Leopold I of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfield a watch in 1819 to honour the passing of his young wife, Princess Charlotte. Princess Charlotte was born in 1796 and died during child birth at 19, causing grief throughout Britain. And as we’ve seen with many other brands like Breguet and Patek Philippe, there’s no better PR in the watch industry than from European aristocrats.
King Leopold I of Belgium, 16 December 1790-10 December 1865
Finally, there’s Bahne Bonniksen, arguably the most impactful watchmaker out of Coventry. Bonniksen was an immigrant to England, who was born in Denmark in 1859 and was known for working out of 16 Norfolk Street in Coventry. At 24, Bonniksen moved to London to pursue his watchmaking career and eventually became a British citizen in 1910. He is mostly recognized for being a very capable watchmaker, notably patenting the Carrousel in 1892 (which is meant to keep the watch movement stable, much like the tourbillon, despite its position). He has also conducted extensive trials to test the accuracy of these timepieces and spent a lot of time at the Kew Observatory watching chronometer and Tourbillon trials. His watches are recognized for their use on British torpedo boats in 1904 and in the Mediterranean theater during WWI. He was made a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society May 12th, 1905.
The British watch industry had its heyday in the 18th and 19th centuries, with figures like John Harrison producing his first ‘sea watch’, the H4, in 1759 and Greenwich winning the designation of prime meridian in 1884. These kinds of accomplishments kept the British watch industry alive in the latter part of the 19th century, but decline was already evident. By the early 20th century, the Americans and Swiss started to push English watchmakers out of the market with the mechanization of their production lines, something that the English simply could not keep up with. However, having had the expertise and infrastructure to continue in the broader precision engineering sector, Coventry turned to car manufacturing. Watch factories were converted to car factories and workers were retrained for their new roles. Even watchmakers like Bonniksen joined in the fun, patenting a speedometer for early motor bikes and diversifying his watch business. The Americans and Swiss completely overtook the English as the world’s most prominent watchmakers, and eventually it was only the Swiss who held the title. Thus, Coventry’s broad association with the British car manufacturing sector has its origins in the city’s formerly prominent watch industry.
The Coventry Cathedral, partially rebuilt after bombing during World War II
As the saying goes, the only constant is change. So, as our world continues down its usual path of radical shifts and social upheaval, it is important to keep in mind examples of entities (like cities) that stayed vigilant of business opportunities or change in general and were wise enough to take advantage of it. We need to embrace change, not only in watchmaking but also in sectors like manufacturing, agriculture, and healthcare. As a Canadian, I often think of the impact of proposed projects like Google’s Sidewalks Labs in Toronto, especially as Toronto seeks to establish itself as an artificial intelligence hub. The story of Coventry’s watchmaking industry could serve as a lesson to Torontonians, world citizens, and individuals and governments alike. Competition is healthy, but to stay healthy while competing means to look ahead, anticipate the problems to come, and take risks to overcome said problems. It’s not easy but it must be done.
By: Andres Ibarguen