The Alliance 02

The Alliance 02 is collaboration at its most joyful - the kind that feels inevitable the moment it’s suggested. The story began with the Alliance 01, a collaboration between Christopher Ward and Fears that sold out in just 2 minutes and 13 seconds and quadrupled Alliance membership in early 2023. That success revealed a strong appetite for limited-edition pieces celebrating British watchmaking, and planted the seed for a second collaboration.

 

One year later, Richard Benc, founder of Studio Underd0g, was asked by Mike France to partner on the next Alliance watch. Soon after, he floated the idea of a pocket watch - and Mike agreed instantly. After all, what better way to shake up a centuries-old format than by pairing it with a movement built for the modern era… and perhaps even wearing it with sneakers? The result is a pocket watch for people who didn’t think they needed a pocket watch. (They do now.)

 

Throughout the collaborative design and development process, technical files were shared openly, design discussions were iterative, and marketing strategies were developed jointly. Even certain manufacturing tasks were divided between the two brands. Studio Underd0g, now one of the UK’s largest independent assemblers, oversaw the final assembly in partnership with Horologium in Maidenhead, UK - coincidentally just five minutes from Christopher Ward’s headquarters.

 

Where the Alliance 01 revived the jump hour, the Alliance 02 reinvents another horological classic, using contemporary materials, layers, and light.

 

And this time, the dial does more than steal the show - it lights it. A brass base dial is coated with seven layers of custom Super-LumiNova®, creating a bed of light that charges quickly and shines intensely. Above floats a 1.4mm sapphire disc printed with Roman numerals, dual branding, and a minute track - both appearing to hover in mid-air during the day, and illuminated from below at night. The whole construction forms a miniature architectural light sculpture: playful, technical, and beautifully Studio Underd0g.

 

But beneath all this spectacle lies a serious engine. The hand-wound CW-001 (formerly known as Prince/SH21) has been continuously developed since its debut in 2014. It’s accurate, impressively robust, and reassuringly reliable. Its twin-barrel construction delivers a generous five-day power reserve, and through the exhibition caseback you can admire the bridges, barrels, and thoughtful finishing.

 

To complete the experience, the Alliance 02 arrives with a braided leather strap - a contemporary twist on the traditional pocket-watch chain - and a bamboo desk stand crafted by the same people responsible for CW’s bamboo-based packaging. Whether worn, displayed, or admired, the watch moves seamlessly between accessory, desk clock, and delightful conversation starter.

 

And the purpose is as compelling as the watch itself.

 

Founded in 2020 by Mike France, Roger Smith and Alistair Audsley, the Alliance of British Watch and Clock Makers champions the entire British watch and clockmaking ecosystem - from education to apprenticeships to global promotion. Membership has grown from a few hundred to nearly 2,000, and collaborations like this directly fund the trade body’s work. The Alliance 02 is designed not just to be collected, but to help support the industry that created it. In short: not just a pocket watch. A pocket-sized banner for British horological ingenuity - with lume.