Philanthropist
Red ceramic and gold over an ice-blue skeleton dial, with the movement running in full view. A Japanese Miyota 8215 automatic under sapphire, handmade in Whitechapel.
Design your own
Choose the case, metal, movement, dial, hands and strap, or set your own photograph as the dial. Commission it for £750, then perfect every detail with us on a private design call.
- Handmade in Whitechapel
- 100 of each, never more
- Free UK delivery
- 14-day returns
- Lifetime guarantee
Edition One
One dial, three ways.
A dial cut with a fine web pattern under a black sixty-minute bezel. Red One in brushed steel on ivory or navy leather, and Black One in black on black. Each is limited to 100 pieces.
Brushed steel · Red web-cut dial · Ivory leather
- Case
- Brushed steel
- Dial
- Red, web-cut
- Strap
- Ivory leather, contrast stitching
Black PVD steel · Black web-cut dial · Black leather
- Case
- Black PVD steel
- Dial
- Black, web-cut
- Strap
- Black leather, contrast stitching
Brushed steel · Red web-cut dial · Navy leather
- Case
- Brushed steel
- Dial
- Red, web-cut
- Strap
- Navy leather, contrast stitching
Sourced worldwide.
Handmade in Whitechapel.
Most watches, at almost every price, are made this way: each part from a specialist maker, brought together by someone who cares how it all fits. Here is our flagship, taken apart, with the story behind each piece.
Sapphire crystal
Synthetic sapphire sits at nine on the Mohs scale of hardness. Only diamond is harder, so the keys and coins it meets every day won’t scratch it. Rolex moved the Submariner to sapphire at the end of the 1970s, and it has marked out a serious watch ever since.
Famously used by Rolex Submariner · Omega Seamaster
Red ceramic bezel
Ceramic is fired, not painted, so the colour runs all the way through. Sunlight won’t fade it and everyday wear won’t scratch it. Rolex made ceramic bezels famous with Cerachrom in 2005, and red proved one of the hardest colours to fire: it was 2014 before red ceramic reached the GMT-Master II. Ours sits in a coin-edged, gold-tone surround, for grip and a flash of warmth.
Famously used by Rolex GMT-Master II · Omega Seamaster Diver 300M
Open-worked steel dial
Most dials hide the machine. This one is cut back to a lattice of ice-blue steel, so the movement shows from edge to edge. Openworking is one of the oldest crafts in watchmaking, and it still turns up at the very top of the trade. The hands are skeletonised to match, so nothing solid stands between you and the mechanism.
Famously used by Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Openworked · Hublot Big Bang Unico
Miyota 8215 automatic
The heart is Japanese: the Miyota 8215, made by Citizen’s own movement maker and one of the most trusted automatic calibres in the world. It winds itself as you move, can be wound by hand at the crown, and runs for around 42 hours off the wrist, beating six times a second on 21 jewels. Through the open dial you can watch it work. The part that makes it tick, the lever escapement, is an English invention: Thomas Mudge devised it in London around 1755.
Made by Miyota, part of Citizen, Japan
Marine-grade steel case
Steel became a luxury material in 1972, when Gérald Genta’s Royal Oak launched in stainless steel at the price of a gold watch. Ours is marine-grade stainless steel, chosen because it resists salt water and sweat and wears well. The flanks are brushed, and the crown is knurled and gold-toned to answer the bezel.
Famously used by Audemars Piguet Royal Oak · Patek Philippe Nautilus
FKM rubber strap
FKM is the rubber that aerospace and motorsport rely on for seals that must not fail. It is dense and supple, and it stands up to sweat, salt water and sun cream without turning sticky, collecting dust or fading. Rubber first met fine watchmaking in 1980, when Hublot put a gold watch on a rubber strap. Today FKM is the standard for a good rubber strap.
A tradition begun by Hublot, 1980
Six parts. One bench.
Each part comes from a maker that specialises in it. The watch itself comes together by hand in our Whitechapel workshop.
- Movement · Japan
- Sapphire crystal
- Ceramic bezel
- Marine-grade steel
- FKM rubber
- Assembled · Whitechapel
Bought once. Looked after for life.
Handmade in Whitechapel
Every watch is assembled by hand by our watchmakers in Whitechapel, London, from premium parts ordered to our own specification. Nothing is outsourced.
100 of each. Never more.
Every watch is made in an edition of 100, at £300. When an edition sells out, it is not made again.
A lifetime guarantee
For as long as you own it, send it back and we will fix anything we can, free of charge. How it works
Free delivery, easy returns
UK delivery is included, and you have 14 days from delivery to change your mind. Returns
A British tradition, carried on.
For much of the eighteenth century, London was the capital of the watchmaking world. Ideas born in its workshops still run inside almost every mechanical watch made today, ours included.
Slaidburn watches are made by hand in Whitechapel, in the East End of London. We think that tradition is worth carrying on.
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Thomas Tompion
The father of English clockmaking. His Fleet Street workshop helped make London the centre of the trade.
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Thomas Mudge
Invents the lever escapement in London. Refined over two and a half centuries, it still beats inside nearly every mechanical watch, the Miyota 8215 included.
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John Harrison
His H4 sea watch keeps time across the Atlantic, solving the problem of longitude and changing navigation for good.
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George Daniels
Invents the co-axial escapement, widely seen as the most important new escapement since Mudge’s. Omega adopts it in 1999.
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Slaidburn
A new London watch brand, making its watches by hand in Whitechapel and keeping the tradition going.
Before you buy.
Anything else? Email [email protected] and we will reply within two working days.
How long will my watch take to arrive?
Every watch is made to order in our Whitechapel workshop, so please allow up to 8 weeks. Need it sooner for a birthday or anniversary? Tell us before you order and we will arrange something if we can.
Is it a good gift?
Add our gift box and a card with your own message at checkout for £20, and enter their name and address for delivery. If it isn’t quite right, you have 14 days from delivery to return it.
What if I change my mind?
You have 14 days from delivery to return any watch from the collection for a full refund, including delivery. Returns & refunds
What does the lifetime guarantee cover?
For as long as you own your Slaidburn, send it back and we will fix anything we can, parts and labour included, and return it to you free in the UK. The guarantee in full
Do you deliver outside the UK?
Yes, personally. Our Private International Service arranges your order on a Google Meet call at a time that suits you, including delivery to your door.
What happens when a watch sells out?
It is not made again. The counter under each watch shows how many of its 100 are left, straight from our orders.
Can I design my own?
Yes. Build it in our designer, commission it for £750, and we will perfect every detail with you on a private design call before it is made.
What’s inside?
Every watch in Edition One runs on the Miyota 8215, a Japanese automatic made by Citizen’s movement maker. It winds itself as you wear it, can be wound by hand, and runs for around 42 hours off the wrist.
How do I pay?
Through Stripe’s secure checkout, by card, Apple Pay and more. Your payment details never reach us.
Make it yours.
Choose a watch and pay securely by card, Apple Pay and more. £300 each with UK delivery included, or £320 with a gift box and card. Each is limited to 100 pieces.
Our Private International Service arranges your order one to one, on a Google Meet call at a time that suits you, with delivery to your door.