Paulin watches

Brand founder aims to manufacture a UK watch

The co-founder of a new Scottish watch brand has stated her ambitious long-term goal of one day producing a wholly British-made watch.

The debut collection from Glasgow-based Paulin Watches consists of affordable, UK designed and assembled quartz timepieces with three styles each presented in between three or four SKUs.

Charlotte Paulin has spent the last three years designing watches and sourcing components from suppliers around the globe but eventually plans to have every component manufactured in the UK, saying: “there’s an ecosystem of suppliers behind a watch, and those suppliers, and their expertise, disappeared from the UK decades ago, so with a project like this, we’re really starting from scratch, and the only way to build up UK suppliers is by generating a demand which they can supply.

“We believe the way to do that is by selling watches in volume, and this belief has really shaped our business model – affordable luxury, able to thrive in a global market.”

The design aesthetic of the debut collection is described by Paulin as an ‘understated, minimalist take on the classic dress watch’. The watches are powered by Japanese quartz Miyota movements and use 316L grade stainless steel cases and Italian leather straps. Each watch is even presented in packaging made in the UK.

Prices range from £120 for the 28mm C50 model to £180 for the 40mm chronograph. The watches retail direct from paulinwatches.com.

Paulin Watches’ second strategic phase of investment in training and equipment is already underway and the company aims to bring strap manufacturing in-house early this year.

The aims of Paulin Watches seem to mirror those of Detroit-based watch brand Shinola, which aims to move from US-assembled to US-made in gradual stages with the first two being strap manufacturing and dial making.

James Buttery

Editor of WatchPro, the WatchPro Hot 100 and The Luxury Report.

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