Our Story

Colton James was founded by a pair of engineering students, Vincenzo Colton Leo Marchesini and Christopher James Lowndes, in 2016. The two had a shared passion: elegant, stylish and minimal wristwatches. After becoming frustrated with what is available on the market within the constraints of quality, design, personalisation and affordability, they set out to build the perfect watch which raises the bar in these four fields. They pursued a design inspired by a theme and a meaning - essentially having a character yet being undeniably classic and timeless. This brought a new design language to the watch world. Not just a new look, but one drawn from history.

The history of the wrist watch dates back to 1810, however its popularity was solely among women. It only became popular among men during the Anglo Boer war due to its convenience. This era also marks the birth of the propeller aircraft. In World War One both the propeller aircraft and the wrist watch were officially issued to aid and implement new strategies.

The wrist watch used alongside aircraft in their early beginnings created the theme and character inspiration used to design our watches. Using premium materials, the watches succeed in defining elegance in simplicity drawn from the design of the trench watches and early propeller aircraft. 

The founders instilled a crucial philosophy for all of our products: aim to offer timepieces that are luxurious, affordable and customisable in a way that any individual can add their own unique touch of personality.