Chrono24 GTG London event report

Last weekend we flew off to the capital of the United Kingdom to meet up with a small group of watch enthusiasts. We received an invite for this GTG, organised by Chrono24, in the center of London. Following up the first Chrono24 GTG in their headquarter in Karlsruhe, Germany. As you can expect from these kind of events, the location was kept a secret until the very last minute. Directions however led us to a historic location situated on the river Thames. It doesn’t get much more central London than this.

Upon our arrival at Shakespeare’s Globe we make our way up to the event location where we are welcomed by the hosts of the evening. Accompanied by a glass of bubbles we slowly see most of the guests arriving which allows for the start of the official program for the Chrono24 GTG in London.

Holger Felgner, co-CEO of Chrono24

After a word of welcome by our own Blaise and Holger Felgner, one of the Chrono 24 CEO’s, the evening kicks off. Something that has to be said, although Chrono24 is the host of the event, they want to make sure that it’s not about them this evening. Of course we do get some info and insights about them before it’s all about watch collectors and enthusiasts. Saying that they only want to be involved in bringing us together. Something that worked out perfectly this evening.

Not knowing what to expect we quickly learn that we have a special guest. Roger Smith will be the key speaker for the evening. With an impressive background in watchmaking he managed to capture 30 years of his work into a 30 minute presentation. Something he talks openly about with great pleasure.

Roger W Smith OBE. The Watchmaker.

Upon the hint of this presentation on their Instagram account a lot of attention was gained already. Just to give an impression, people asked for additional info and suggested to buy the notes alone. During the 30 minute presentation Roger definitely gave us some food for thought and not for the faint of heart. We quickly dive into the essentials of watchmaking and precision which goes into great detail. 

After his presentation it was time to hang out and enjoy the good company. As usual there were several familiar people as well as some new faces. Amongst the attendees there were well known collectors, media colleagues and even someone who was totally new to watches. All together it was an interesting group of people who brought anything from an old school Casio F-91W all the way to a Patek Philippe 3970, perpetual calendar with moon-phase.

Sweet treats

So it clearly doesn’t matter what’s in your watch collection as it was a another great get-together. One of the guests brought his vast collection of highly skilled watch drawings. All made by hand using only 1 rule only, they have to be done in 60 minutes. Make sure to check out his artwork on @onehourwatch and give him a follow if you like what you see.

Lee Yuen-Rapati showing his artwork

The evening lasted until midnight when the last guests left and we found our way back to the hotel before returning home the next day. Just like the first GTG we had a blast and we’re looking forward to the next edition being held who knows where. Big thanks to Chrono24 for the organising and making it another event to remember.