Flag of a Nation
Hand Painted Dials
Designed by Scottish Horologists
Canny Craftsmanship
Expanding Horology Education in Scotland
The Saltire Collection
An ode to Scotland's clean air and starlit skies, the Saltire Night's custom-moulded blue aventurine dial breathes fresh air.
The dial features:
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Navy blue aventurine
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Hand-painted dotted Milky Way Saltire cross
For the love of Scotland
The Saltire Collection integrates elements of Scottish culture, into a beautifully crafted timepiece.
Named after the National Flag of Scotland
"The Saltire", is the name of the National Flag of Scotland
The Saltire consists of a white cross, also known as the St. Andrew’s Cross, on a blue background. Each watch in the Saltire Collection has subtle representations of the cross hand-painted on the dial.
Hand-painted Aventurine
and Enamel
Dials
Ethereal St. Andrew's Cross effect
We use artisinal manufacturing techniques that you will not see anywhere else. The R&D team spent over a year experimenting with different inks and techniques to achieve the desired effect for the dials. The Saltire cross is subtle, only revealing itself upon close inspection. On the Northern Lights variation, we go one step further and paint a veiled effect of the Arora Borealis over the St. Andrew’s Cross.
Thistle-shaped Zero Hour Marker
Oh Flower of Scotland: The inspiration for the Saltire's Zero Hour Marker and Logo
Thistles are found growing all over Scotland. It's unique purple and green colours pepper the hills high and low. We have designed our "zero hour marker", or "twelve hour marker", on the sapphire bezel insert in the shape of a thistle. All markings on the bezel insert will be filled with Swiss made Super-Luminova luminescence.
Practice Chanter
Shaped
Second Hand
The starting blocks for all aspiring bagpipers was the inspiration for our second hand
A wind instrument used to practise the bagpipes.
The first mention of Scottish bagpipes being played was in 1314 at the Battle of Bannockburn against the invading English army.
Practice Chanter:
HIGHLIGHTS
Sapphire Crystal Bezel Insert
Sapphire is a compelling choice for both durability and aesthetics
Hand-painted Dials
Dark-blue aventurine and light-blue enamel dials, with a subtle hand-painted Saltire cross, and in this case, a hand-painted Aurora Borealis.
Chanter-shaped Seconds Hand
Inspired by the practice chanter, used by pipers to fine tune their skills
Swiss Super-Luminova
Highest grade luminescence on hands, dial numbers and bezel markers
Automatic Seiko Movement
Self-winding with analogue date and day display
Domed Sapphire Crystal
Scratch-proof double-domed with inner anti-reflective coating
Custom Made Straps
Straps made with Scottish tweed, purchased from tweed mills in the Scottish Borders
GALLERY
Furthering Horology Education in Scotland and the UK
5% of all profits are used to develop horology-education programmes.
By supporting the Saltire, you also support the future of watchmaking and horology in Scotland.
DESIGNED IN SCOTLAND
Classic Subtlety & Sophistication
QUALITY CRAFTSMANSHIP
With the Stubborn Durability of a Highland Coo
First time supporting a Crowdfunding project?
This is a very common model popularised by Kickstarter to support innovators and help fund their breakthrough ideas. This is how it works:
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Crowdfunding complete
Your watch is manufactured
Your watch arrives at your door, anywhere in the world
Frequently Asked Questions
If you are unclear about anything, please contact us at hello@scotlandwatchco.scot
1. Who is Scotland Watch Company?
Two years ago a "well-aged" Scottish horologist Tomek Borkowy decided to create a watch company. The combination of Tomek's love for Scotland and watches led to him fulfilling his dream to create quality watches dedicated to the history and culture of Scotland. SWC does not want to make tourist tat, but design and produce short runs of unique themed mechanical art. in order to help fulfil this dream, Tomek invited a young Scot, Robert Reid-Kay, to the team and they now run Scotland Watch Company together.
2. How does a Kickstarter Crowdfunder work?
SWC are raising funds directly from supporters like you to fund the manufacturing of The Saltire. For the pre-millennial generation this is still an unfamiliar way of raising money. It is similar to any crowdfunding campaign for a charitable cause, but this one is to finance the production of a unique short run watch collection. This is how it will work:
Please start by subscribing to our email list. This is where you will receive all the necessary information regarding the launch of the Kickstarter campaign. Then, email us to reserve the unique number and for what watch variations that you would like. Once we are confident that we will have enough supporters to reach our crowdfunding goal we will set a date to launch the crowdfunder. You will be informed by email when the crowdfunding campaign is going live. You will then be able to pledge your support to the Saltire using the Kickstarter platform. If we are successful in reaching our crowdfunding goal we will begin manufacturing. If we are unsuccessful, your money will be automatically deposited back into your account.
3. What if I change my mind? Can I get a refund?
You may withdraw your pledge on the Kickstarter platform at any point. All orders will be fully refundable up until the point where manufacturing starts, whereby you will be notified by email. Reach out to hello@scotlandwatchco.scot with any questions about refunds.
How I can be sure that my money is safe?
Your money will be held by kickstarter, a very well trusted crowdfunding website. If we are successsful in reaching our fundraising target then we will announce the start of production. Up to this point, if you change your mind, you can ask for your money back and complete the refund on the kickstarter platfrom. If you have any questions, please write to hello@scotlandwatchco.scot.
4. Will you be shipping internationally?
Yes, we’ll be shipping globally.
5. When will the watches be delivered after ordering?
We will begin the manufacturing process immediately after we reach our fundraising target. We believe production lead times will be 3-4 months and roughly another month or so for logistics and shipping.
We will prioritise delivery of the watches to our earliest supporters.
6. Why will it take so long? Why do I have to wait for delivery?
We will do our best to produce watches as fast as possible after we hit our fundraising target. However, the intricate details and unique design of the Saltire Collection means that each watch will take time to produce. We will be moulding the case, dial, hands, and indexes from scratch; elements of all dials will be hand painted and hand finished; the movements will be imported from the Seiko factory in Japan and the Super-Luminova will be imported from Switzerland. In order to ensure the highest-quality product, we cannot rush the process.
7. How can I check the progress of the fundraiser?
How do I know about progress of the fundraising, and process of production?
You will be able to keep up with the progress of the crowdfunder on our kickstarter page. We will also be informing supporters of the process by email, so it is receommended that you stay subscribed. You can also follow us on Instagram and Facebook for live updates. After reaching our fundraising target we will announce the start of production and inform you of progress. As always, you can contact us on hello@scotlandwatchco.scot
8. How can I access my Early-Early-Bird Discount?
Subscribe to the email-list and you will receive an email talking about this process. If something doesn’t look right, or you did not receive the email right away, write to hello@scotlandwatchco.scot and we will be happy to help.
Once piece of information that is quite important is that there will be a limited amount of watches offered at the Early-Early-Bird price. Supporters who send us emails privately will be notified first when the Kickstarter launches. The first 100 supporters will receive a massive 25% discount on their watches when they purchase 3 and 20% discount when purchasing 1. The next 60 “Early-Birds” will receive a 15% discount. All other supporters will receive a 10% discount. If you need any help, please write to hello@scotlandwatchco.scot.
9. How can I choose my individual number for my Saltire(s)?
All “Early-Early-Bird” and “Early-Bird” supporters will be able to personalise their watch by requesting the number of their choice (1-170) of each variation. This can be done at checkout. When you purchase the watch, you will be able to select from a list of remaining numbers for each of the variations. This selection process will be done on a “first come first serve” basis. If your number has already been selected, you will have to choose another number.
10. What’s included in the Saltire Watch Box?
Within each watch box, all “Early-Early-Bird” and “Early-Bird” supporters shall receive the Saltir(es) that were ordered and two additional straps. The straps will include a metal bracelet, a genuine tweed strap and a crocodile leather strap. We will also include a certificate of authenticity, and some other goodies for you.
All our supporters will receive their Saltire watch with our suggested accompanying strap for each of the variation; dark blue genuine crocodile leather for Saltire Day, a metal bracelet for Saltire Night and green genuine Scottish tweed for Saltire Northern Lights. Additionally, we will give you another two straps style from the Saltire Collection which differ from the one which come with your ordered watch. We will also include a certificate of authenticity.
11. Can I buy all three variations of the Saltire Collection?
Yes, and for this we will apply another 5% discount.
12. Can I buy more than one of a single variation?
Yes, you are free to purchase as many as you would like as long as we have enough in our quota of 170 per variation!
13. Where will the watches be manufactured?
We have a long-standing relationship with quality watch manufacturers in Shenzhen, China. Five years ago one of our co-founders produced special watchcases for marriage watches. Another co-founder is now permanently based in Shenzhen, and he is controlling production process and quality.
14. Why do you want to produce Scottish themed watches?
Through producing Scottish themed watches, we want to focus attention on the long history of clock and watchmaking in Scotland. Generally, there is limited awareness of Scottish horological achivements, but Scotland has a long history of innovative clock and watchmaking masters. The first famous one was David Ramsay born in 1585 who was clockmaker to the James VII of Scotland and I of England. In the 19th century James Muirhead was “Watchmaker to the Queen”. Edinburgh and Glasgow were centres for masters in the art, but they were equally present in every town in Scotland. However, Scottish clock and watch makers never patented their inventions and many were “adopted” by English and European horologists. In 1914 two Scottish submarine officers designed the first water resistant wristwatch which was produced by Edinburgh jewellers Brook & Son in 1915. Three years later high society London jeweller, Birch & Gaydon launched the same design of watch created by Zenith and renamed Land & Water
