Two Unique Scottish Field Watches
Some new brands are putting Scottish heritage, culture and design into watches recently, and these two field watches are simply mouthwatering.
Scrambling up The Cobbler, Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, in fog and rain
Scotland’s national parks, rolling with harsh weather up craggy Munros is, as opposed to the generally flat south of England, the sort of place which necessitates a good dependable watch. And despite being a Swiss-dominated industry, some younger companies are making truly unique and truly Scottish watches worth praise. There’s a distinct culture of watches in Scotland, so here I’d like to catalog a few field watches which blaze the trail.
AnOrdain Model 2
Anordain Model 2 in White - monochrome-watches.com
AnOrdain is a Glasgow-based brand founded by the typographer Imogen Ayres. The main attraction to the brand, other than the £1000-2000 price point, is their handmade enamel dials. Their latest line, the Model 2, is designed as an everyday field watch; sturdy steel case with thick lugs and crown guards frame a legible time-only layout. The Model 2 comes in 4 colours, each distinctly Scottish. ‘Racing Green’ evokes rolling Highland hills. The ‘Flax’ variant is an earthy tone which reminds me of the barley used in whisky making. ‘Grey Harr’ accurately captures the sea-mist I’ve seen in St Andrews where it gets its name. And finally, the ‘White’ model is a classic white enamel with blued hands and numerals, which insistently evokes a saltire (Scottish flag).
Kartel Munro 282
Kartel Munro 282 in dundonian black and green - kartel.co.uk
Kartel is a Dundee-based brand offering affordable everyday watches with dark pithy design cues from where the brand originates. The Munro 282 is, I believe, their best watch yet. They mix pilot-style numerals and flieger hands, with a day complication at 12 o’clock, with a depth-rating of 100 meters. It’s all the tool watches in one - oh, and it’s only £255. And it’s still a mechanical watch, featuring an automatic citizen movement to boot. The watch is 41mm and is all dial, meaning legibility in harsh conditions, and that handy trick to find true north using your watch, is easy. It also has a crown small enough to avoid being knocked on rocks, but with knurled edges for good usability with gloves or in cold weather. The watch comes in several colours, including the classic tool watch look of steel case and black dial. But the most notable colourway for me is the black PVD-style case with a deep green dial. I can’t pinpoint why exactly, but this combo has a very Dundonian aesthetic.
It’s been said that Scotland is one of the smallest countries to give so much to the rest of the world; from the television, to mammal cloning, to Irn-Bru. To reinvigorate mechanical watchmaking with its own Scottish twist is a cherry on top. Ultimately, I think these two field watches capture Scottishness perfectly, and I can’t wait to see more.