Every step in this process is performed by hand. It is impossible to automate or industrialize our casemaking process because we work exclusively with small pieces of steel still in their original form rather than the bulk steel rods used by most luxury watchmakers.
At Sopwith, we take particular pride in our motto, “The watch that was there.” Our mission is to create more than just watches; we craft heirlooms that carry with them the legacies of the world’s most iconic aircraft and the fearless individuals who piloted them. Every single watch case produced at our foundry was an integral part of aviation’s golden age — it was truly “there.”
Sopwith Watch Company derives its name from the the Royal Flying Corps’ legendary producer of World War 1 aircraft, the Sopwith Aviation Company, Kingston-on-Thames. Sopwith won the Schneider Trophy air race in 1914. The Sopwith Camel fighter plane was introduced in 1917. By September 1920, less than two years after the war’s end, the original Sopwith company was taxed out of existence by the very government that its airplanes helped save. Rather than permit this iconic name to fade into obscurity, the company founder trademarked the name and established the Sopwith Motorsports racing team in 1991 followed by the Sopwith Watch Company in 2022 and the Sopwith Foundry in 2024.
Stephen Cox is an American racing driver, author, television host and mountaineer with a deep historical knowledge of aviation in the First World War. He has traveled to fifteen countries on four continents while competing on many of the world’s great race courses. He has appeared as a motorsports host and announcer on almost every major American sports network. Cox’s lifelong passion for timepieces led him to create a luxury watch that would withstand the heat and g-forces of the racetrack, the frigid temperatures of mountain climbing and the rigors of world travel while using exclusive materials that make every Sopwith watch unique.
@2025 - All rights reserved Sopwith Watch Company.
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