Campaign Highlights

• Swiss powered mechanical watches for every day. Hand assembled in the US with exclusive campaign pricing starting at $474 (normally $599).

• Unique in-house designs offering timeless cool with modern performance.

• *Or submit your personal designs for a chance to get them produced and earn you a royalty for every watch sold on the new McKinley Community Platform.

• McKinley Community Platform allows you to vote on what we make and sell.

• All watches are unisex and feature best-in-class materials.

At The McKinley Watch Company,

we believe in championing

great design.

We’re built on 2 key principles:

• To deliver best-in-class, purposefully designed, Swiss-powered mechanical watches for every day.

• To provide a platform that gives watch enthusiasts everywhere a voice: a voice to vote on what we make and an opportunity to submit their personal designs, to have those designs produced, and to pay them a royalty for every watch sold.

First things first, let’s start with our

In-House Designs

The Skylark is our first GMT watch. Its design harkens back to the pilot watches of the 1940’s and 1950’s. As a GMT watch, the Skylark can track two time zones simultaneously via the 4th hand and the 24-hour clock on the outer edge of the dial.

The Ogden is our slim-profile dress watch. Its design was influenced by the bold and “space age” designs of the mid-20th century – a style that is, unfortunately, rare in modern watches.

The Archer is our homage to the classic field watch. It features a high contrast dial and hour markers, as well as 24-hour reference markers. The name is a not-so-subtle reference to the broad arrows featured on WW2-era British military watches.

Additional specs and images of these watches below.

Please note: The Ogden and Archer models are stretch goals and will only be made available for preorder if our stretch goal targets are met.

Have a personal watch design you want to see come to life? Oh, and get paid for every one of your watches sold?

User Submitted Designs

Being obsessed with design means championing great design – regardless of where it comes from.

If you spend any time on the watch communities online, on the watch blogs, or talking to watch enthusiasts, you quickly realize that there is an ocean of untapped creative talent out there. So, we’ve made it part of our mission to provide a platform that gives watch enthusiasts everywhere that voice.

Vote for what we make. The most immediate way to make your voice heard is to vote on our website and social media for your favorite user-submitted designs. Anyone anywhere can submit a vote.

Submit your own design. Have a personal design you’ve been obsessing about? Is there a completely new style that you’d like to introduce to the world? Or a vintage style that you would love to see make a comeback? These are all reasons why we’re creating the MyMcKinley platform.

Here’s how it’s going to work:

Call for Design Submissions

We will periodically put out a call for new watch design submissions. This would be the perfect time to submit that personal watch design you’ve been obsessing about.

Submission review

Once the submission period is closed, the team will review all submissions and shortlist a select group of designs based on uniqueness, production feasibility and relevance to the brand’s design aesthetic. What does that mean? Odds are that a super-hero themed, 70mm, neon colored quartz watch won’t make the cut.

Design finalists revealed

Once selected, we will publicly post the design finalists for the first time on our website and across our social media and invite the public to vote for their favorite design. Again, everyone and anyone will be able to cast a vote, but only community members can submit designs.

A winner is chosen

The design with the most votes at the end of the voting period wins and will get produced and sold on our website. In exchange, the winning designer will earn a 5% royalty for every watch sold.

Small print.

• We have 0% interest in stealing anyone’s intellectual property. All designs remain property of its designer up to the point that a winner is selected. It then becomes property of The Mckinley Watch Company in exchange for royalties to the designer.

• Designs will remain confidential up to the point that they get shortlisted and posted for voting.

• There will be a weighted system applied to the voting. For example, a vote accompanied with a pre-order for that design will be weighed more heavily that a simple single vote.

• The goal is to bring these designs to life and maximize royalties for the designer.

And now, back to our in-house designs.

Skylark images and specs:

• 2893-2 movement from industry-leading Swiss watchmaker, ETA
• GMT complication (2nd time zone)
• 50-hour power reserve, 21 jewels
• 39mm case, polished 316L stainless steel
• Screw down case back with flat sapphire exhibition window and 316L stainless steel
• Screw down crown
• 10ATM (100 meters) water resistance
• Double-domed sapphire glass with anti-reflective coating
• 12.5mm thickness
• Thick printed hour indices with Super-Luminova lume
• 20mm lug width, 50mm lug to lug size

Ogden images and specs:

• SW300-1 movement from powerhouse Swiss watchmaker Sellita
• 56-hour power reserve, 25 jewels
• 39mm case, polished 316L stainless steel
• Screw down case back with flat sapphire exhibition window and 316L stainless steel
• 5ATM (50 meters) water resistance
• Sapphire glass with anti-reflective coating
• Slim 9.45mm thickness
• Applied hour indices
• 20mm lug width, 44.6mm lug to lug size

Archer images and specs:

• SW215-1 movement from powerhouse Swiss watchmaker, Sellita
• 45-hour power reserve, 19 jewels
• 39mm case, polished 316L stainless steel
• Screw down case back with flat sapphire exhibition window and 316L stainless steel
• Screw down crown
• 10ATM (100 meters) water resistance
• Double-domed sapphire glass with anti-reflective coating
• 12.5mm thickness
• Painted hands with Super-Luminova lume accents
• Thick printed hour indices with Super-Luminova lume
• 20mm lug width, 50mm lug to lug size

Please note: The Ogden and Archer models are stretch goals and will only be made available for preorder if our stretch goal targets are met.

Straps

There are three watch strap options available for your new watch. All are custom colors and feature an engraved buckle with lie-flat prong to help prevent it from catching on clothes and other fabrics.

• Tan Suede Strap – Made of genuine Suede in Pantone Color 7510 C.
• Brown Leather Strap – Made of genuine Leather in Pantone Color 723 C.
• Stone Suede Strap – Made of genuine Suede in Pantone Color 7527 C.

* Please note: Images are for illustration purposes only. Actual colors may appear different from above renderings.

Limited Edition Watches

To commemorate our launch, we’re rewarding our backers with limited edition versions of our in-house watches. Each watch will feature an “OP ’21” mark that commemorates the launch year and denotes that its owner is an Original Patron.

Only 300 hundred watches of each design will ever be produced with this mark, and you can only get these special edition watches here and now.

You will not see this mark an any future designs or launches.

Complimentary Limited-Edition Prints

Just as exclusive will be our complimentary limited edition commemorative prints. 

Every backer who pre-orders a watch will receive a free 11” x 17″ (279.4mm x 431.8mm) print that highlights their watch and the spirit of the brand. The prints, which were inspired by the vintage travel ads of the early 20th century, will be printed on archival matte paper and will be individually numbered.

And again, you can only get these special edition prints here and now.

The Skylark Print is a play on our belief that good design speaks for itself and naturally gets noticed – something that we hope speaks true of the Skylark and all of our designs.

The Ogden Print. The basic concept for this print came to me very early on. As a decades long rider of public transportation in my home city of Chicago IL, the subway car became my inspiration for this image of riders on the subway.

You first notice a sea of hands, all with smart watches except for one hand featuring the Ogden. The watches were aligned in a way to make the Ogden stand out. It’s meant to stand out, the watch was designed to look different than anything else.

If you look closely at the ads along the top of the train car, you’ll notice that they read: “They may be smart, but they don’t have heart”. This is a reference to that fact that while smart watches are trendy and can do a million things, there’s still value and beauty in an invention that has done one thing, so elegantly, for over 500 years. And especially in the escapement mechanism that is its beating heart. Just because something is new doesn’t mean that it’s better.

The Archer Print is meant to capture that feeling of getting away from the office on a beautiful Friday after work. The caption on the bottom emphasizes that there’s more to life than work – something that I know a lot of us often lose sight of.

Exclusive Campaign Pricing

Backers who preorder a watch will save up to $200 off of retail by taking advantage of our special campaign pricing.

Please note: The Ogden and Archer models are stretch goals and will only be made available for preorder if our stretch goal targets are met.

Perks

Backers who support our campaign can choose from a number of contribution options and perks.

Pre-order a watch

Backers who wish to pre-order a watch will receive a special edition, limited availability mechanical watch (only 300 “OP ‘21” watches of each design will ever be made) at a discount that is only available here and now.

Additionally, backers who preorder a watch will receive a complimentary, 11″ x 17″ (279.4mm x 431.8mm) print featuring custom artwork highlighting their new watch.

Please note: The Ogden and Archer models are stretch goals and will only be made available for preorder if our stretch goal targets are met.

Store Credits

Backers can also select a store credit as a perk. In return for your pledge, you’ll get a heavily discounted store credit that can be used on a future purchase*  from our online store.

There are 3 options available:

• A pledge of $25 will receive a $50 store credit
• A pledge of $55 will receive a $125 store credit
• A pledge of $75 will receive a $175 store credit

*One store credit per transaction of equal or greater value.

Pledge because you believe

Backers can also choose to support the campaign without the expectation of a perk, just to say that you believe in us and our new platform.

Packaging and Environmental Commitments

At the McKinley Watch Company, we believe companies should be conscious of their impact on the environment. Nowhere is this more critical than with product packaging.

Rather than ship our watches in cumbersome watch boxes (that often are never used again) and enclosed in layers of plastic, we’ll be shipping our watches in functional and sustainable packaging.

Waterproof Canvas Watch Roll

All watches will be shipped in a waterproof canvas watch roll that is perfect for storing your watches at home or while traveling. Made of high-quality waxed canvas with soft suede lining, our watch rolls can accommodate up to five 46mm watches and accessories.

Final watch roll design is still being finalized. We will update the campaign page with product photography once product samples are approved and photographed.

Product Packaging

Every effort will be made to only use recyclable and/or sustainable product packaging for everything from corrugated cardboard to packing paper and tape.

Warranty and Shipping

• All watches are professionally regulated (in 6 positions) after assembly.
• All watches come with 1-year warranty that covers defective parts and workmanship. It does not coveraccidental damage or water damage.
• Free shipping worldwide to most countries (please message us with any questions/concerns).
• For orders outside of the US, backers will be responsible for shipping and any applicable duty/VAT charges.

What will we use the funds for?

Production

Production and assembly costs for our watches account for the majority of the funds required for this campaign.

Product Development

Resources will be used for further product development on our watches (additional color options and styles), straps (additional colors, materials, and clasps), wallet rolls (additional materials and functionality) and packaging.

Legal

Any project that deals with intellectual property (IP) requires legal counsel and the drafting of specific, detailed contracts that protect both the designer and company.

Web Development

Resources will be needed to build our online store and community platform.

Sourcing

Resources will be needed to secure additional vendor and supplier partners in order to increase capacity and expand product offerings.

Creative

Additional creative resources will be required to drive the creation of new ads, designs, and digital content. Everything to this point has been created exclusively by Juan and his basic knowledge of the Adobe Creative Suite, so we will need to invest in the expertise of professional creatives!

Timeline

Risks and Challenges

Lead-times. Unfortunately, there is always a risk that suppliers will not fulfill orders on time or that there are other unforeseen delays with production and delivery. However, we’re only working with vendors with whom we have an established relationship and long history of past watch collaborations. These products are tried and true.

We will continue to work closely with these partners to try to anticipate and mitigate any potential delays in production and to make sure we communicate any risk to the timeline with our backers ASAP.

We are committed to being transparent with our backers and our community with regards to the timeline and will actively be communicating about the process every step of the way.

About Us

Juan has spent the last decade designing and launching millions of products for some of the biggest companies in the world. After earning an MBA from the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, he went on to become a strategic promotional and product partner with companies such as General Mills, Kellogg’s, and Danone. Most recently he has worked as a senior product manager for Stanley Black & Decker and Honeywell. Juan has spent the last 5 years obsessing about watches and EVERY detail of this project while continuing to research the watch industry, meet with trained watch makers, and traveling domestically and abroad to consult with watch manufacturers and vendors.

Founded in 2007, Wiegand Custom Watch, LLC is a family-run business based in the city of Mentor, Ohio USA. They build their watches using only the highest-grade parts from all over the globe including Switzerland, France, Japan, USA, and Germany. LÜM-TEC is their showcase brand featuring handcrafted watches built by professional watchmakers.

Thank you for visiting our campaign page. We are looking forward to hearing from you!

-The McKinley Watch Co.