Boosting local talent is one of the best investments Canadians can make, whether through fashion, auto, or timepiece manufacturers. That’s why this Canada Day, we’re highlighting the following septet of Canadian watch brands who are shaking up the industry.
Bradley Taylor, Heron Watches, Marathon, Momentum, Solios, Vieren, and Wilks Watch make luxurious timepieces for every taste — from high fashion to exceptional mechanisms.
Below, you can find our Hinterland’s Who’s Who of Canadian horology:
Bradley Taylor
They say finishing is just as important as the mechanism itself. The decoration
on Bradley Taylor’s dials is as elegant as anything produced by the holy trinity of watchmaking (Vacheron Constantin, Patek Phillipe, and Audemars Piguet).
The Vancouver-based brand’s signature timepiece is the Paragon — a collaboration with famed dial makers Comblémine and Canadian typographer Ian Brignell. But we’re most excited by the ocean turquoise guilloché dial and handcrafted purple steel hands of the limited edition Lutria.
($33,048 CAD).
Héron
Héron is a start-up based in Montréal. Its first timepiece, the Gladiateur MMLXV is a
modern travel watch, defined by its distinctive 12-hour Roman numeral bezel that can be used to track a second-time zone and powered by a mechanical movement.
Sporty and design-driven, the Gladiateur MMLXV is not just for globetrotters; it comes in a wide variety of dial colours and
bezel finishes that makes for the perfect weekender. Héron’s Gladiateur MMLXV is available for pre-order now.
($524 CAD)
Marathon
Not all Canadian watch brands are upstarts. Marathon was founded in Montreal in 1939 by Morris Wein. Its luxury tool watches are designed in Canada, manufactured in Switzerland, and sold to Canadian, British, and American militaries.
Members of the Wein family are still involved in the business, further lending authenticity to military watch enthusiasts. Marathon’s signature is the Arctic Edition Large Diver’s Automatic. The watch is cased in a robust 316L stainless steel case, has a sapphire crystal, and is powered by a mechanical movement.
($1,755 CAD)
Momentum
Based in Vancouver, Momentum’s timepieces are built by hand, surrounded by the ocean and the mountains. Founder Simon Pennell built his business by selling dive stores and outdoor outfitters, making the brand best known for straightforward, waterproof watches.
Today, these affordable and reliable (they are powered by Japanese Miyota quartz movements for precision and to keep pricing accessible) watches are sought after by fans who have never even set foot on a surf or paddle board. Our personal favourite: the 39mm, rally-style Square 2 Chronograph in Blue.
($394 CAD)
Solios
Amongst the most innovative of the watchmakers on this list, Solios is the first watch company to get the B-Corp certification for social and environmental performance. Founders Samuel Leroux and Alexandre Desabrais are also at the cutting edge of solar-powered mechanisms (a technology that Cartier recently adopted for the Tank Must SolarBeat), making it the first full-on luxury watch powered by light.
With the new Solar Curve, the Montreal-based brand has also elevated the look of their collection with gracefully arched lugs, a curved crystal and a 40mm case which comes in a variety of dial colours and case finishes.
($390 CAD).
Vieren
Fans of a more modernist aesthetic will fall hard for the classic, streamlined shape of Toronto brand Vieren’s rectangular unisex timepieces.
Founded by entrepreneur Jessica Chow and designer Sunny Fong, Chow brings a family history in horology (she comes from a family of watchmakers) and Fong’s while Fong offers fashion sense (he was a contestant on Project Runway All Stars) to the table. The result is a premium minimalist watch powered with bespoke movements made in La-Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. The most recent addition to Vieren’s minimalist automatic minimalist collection is the luxe Black Croc.
($2500 CAD).
Wilks Watchworks
Great watches always come with a great story. Toronto’s Scott Wilks in a one-man operation, not only assembling each watch by hand but also serving customers directly. Wilks has been making customized watches for over 10 years.
While he offers a wide range of affordable quartz watches, he is the only watchmaker on this list offering high complications like the Numeric Classic GMT Skeleton Tourbillon Limited Edition. This handsome 41mm is made-to-order only.
($1950 CAD).
