Commemorative watch

Time erases trends, but it etches milestones. Great victories, influential figures, daring explorations: these are the landmarks that continue to guide our lives long after they have occurred. A commemorative watch is born from this conviction: to inscribe history in an object worn every day.

At Col&McArthur, this idea takes on its full meaning. Each commemorative watch is conceived as a tangible memory: an authentic fragment, a symbolic design, a numbering system that both defines and connects to the narrative. Wearing one of these unique pieces,
It is assuming a role as guardian — of values, memory, and heritage.

Discover our range of commemorative watches

Space watch

Since time immemorial, man has looked to the sky. The stars once guided sailors on unknown seas; in the 20th century, they became the milestones of an unprecedented technological conquest.

Explorer's Watch

In the 16th century, navigators looked up at the night sky to keep their course: the stars traced the invisible routes that led to the unpredictable. Five centuries later, humanity...

Historical watch

Historical watches: three ways to connect with the past What is a historical watch? A historical watch is first and foremost a piece linked to a specific era, event, or...

World War II Watch

The Second World War was an immense fracture, one of the darkest hours in human history. But it was also in this darkness that some of the most luminous acts...

Tribute watch

When a figure becomes a landmark thanks to a horological tribute History is not just a series of battles and dates. It is told primarily through faces: those who, through...

Aviator's watch

In the collective imagination, the aviator symbolizes pure audacity: the one who soars into an uncertain sky, ready to defy the unknown to protect his loved ones. A Col&McArthur pilot's...

A tribute watch, historical and authentic: three facets of the commemorative watch

A commemorative watch is first and foremost a timepiece created to recall something worthy of transcending generations: an event, a figure, or a value embodied by history. It is not limited to simply telling time: it becomes unique and precious, far beyond its design or function, because it preserves within it a tangible element of the past and a meaning that transcends time.

Under this banner, three complementary characteristics can be distinguished:

The tribute watch
Dedicated to a personality whose influence continues to inspire generations: an inventor, a head of state, an artist.

It translates into symbols and design what this figure still represents for everyone today.
The historic watch
The watch that is fixed in steel and the
It marks a significant page in our collective memory. It recalls heroic acts or decisive turning points of the past, both as lessons not to be forgotten and as inspirations for building a better future.
The collector's watch
The timepiece that incorporates a rare authentic fragment — a verified shard of the Berlin Wall, real Martian dust, authenticated lunar regolith — a raw material that has traversed the ages, witness to a pivot, to a memory.

At Col&McArthur, these distinctions are not mutually exclusive: a commemorative watch is always an authentic tribute to history.

Aviator commemorative watch: the spirit of height and courage

In the turbulent skies of the Second World War, the Spitfire became more than just a fighter plane: a symbol of resilience and hope. Every mission was a challenge, every flight an act of courage. But these aerial victories of the Battle of Britain would never have been possible without the tireless work of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF). More than 180,000 women contributed to the effort: radar operators, mechanics, radio operators—they observed, analyzed, guided, and provided pilots with the clarity upon which their survival depended. Their unseen but crucial efforts shaped the victory—and made history.

Battle of Britain Commemorative Watch

Spitfire 1940

The Spitfire 1940 pilot's watch not only celebrates the audacity of the pilots who dared to defy the Luftwaffe, but also honors the quiet selflessness of the ground crews, whose precision and discipline were as vital as their aerial courage.

This commemorative watch embodies that rare alliance where visible bravery and a discreet sense of duty come together to write one of the most iconic chapters of aviation and the Second World War.

Discover the Spitfire 1940 pilot's watch

World War II Commemorative Watches: Memory and Resilience

In addition to the exploits of the British air force and its logistics, the Second World War revealed many other faces of bravery: on the beaches, in the countryside, and in the cities at the very heart of Europe as it sought liberation. These moments of resistance, solidarity, and the struggle for freedom also deserve to be recorded in history.
the metal and glass of a commemorative watch .

Victory commemorative watch

Berlin 1989

The fall of the Wall was a shining symbol of regained freedom.

The model incorporates an authenticated fragment of concrete, embedded in the dial. The word Freiheit (freedom) is discreetly inscribed there, like a vow. Every glance serves as a reminder that freedom is earned, preserved, and passed on.

Discover the watch with the fragment of the Wall

Commemorative watch of collective courage

Dunkirk 1940

Operation Dynamo, which enabled the evacuation of more than 338,000 soldiers under enemy fire, remains an example of collective courage.

The model bears the coordinates of the beach engraved on the back, a tangible reminder of a desperate rescue that changed the course of the war.

Discover Dunkirk in 1940

Through these commemorative watches , Col&McArthur doesn't freeze the past: it makes it present. Each of these World War II watches reminds us that the darkest hours shaped acts of light, and that freedom always has a price—and that it is passed down from generation to generation.

Space-themed commemorative watches: Man facing infinity

In the aftermath of World War II, nations rebuilt themselves with resilience as the Cold War intensified. Against this tense backdrop, an unprecedented technological race erupted: each advancement became a matter of power and prestige. But from this rivalry emerged a symbol that transcended ideologies: the conquest of space. When humankind first left Earth and then set foot on the Moon, all of humanity witnessed that no limit is absolute.

Space conquest commemorative watch

Lunar 1969

On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong set foot on the Moon. Col&McArthur commemorates this achievement with a watch containing an authenticated fragment of lunar regolith, accompanied by a certificate.

Numbered in 1,969 copies, it embodies faith in progress and the audacity to transform the impossible into a new stage.

Discover the watch featuring the image of the Moon

Space Exploration Commemorative Watch

Red 3.721

Martian gravity (3.721 m/s²) gives its name to this watch commemorating the space achievements of modern robotics.

The oxidized red ring and the Martian dust inlay are reminders of the ingenuity and perseverance that allowed space robotics to push the boundaries of what was possible. It speaks to those who know that pioneering spirit is measured not only in steps, but also in the traces left by our creations.

Discover the watch featuring the image of Mars

These space watches are not merely a reminder of a technical feat; they extend humanity's immemorial drive to transcend its boundaries. Yesterday the sky, today space, tomorrow perhaps other horizons. And this drive is not new: it resonates with the first great sea voyages, when navigators dared to leave familiar shores to discover a still invisible world.

Explorer commemorative watch: the audacity to venture into the unknown

Long before humankind dreamed of reaching the stars, others had already dared to defy the unknown. In 1519, Ferdinand Magellan set sail with the ambition of reaching the East Indies by sailing west. America was known, but no one knew if there was a passage around it, nor what lay beyond.

Three years later, in 1522, his expedition completed the first circumnavigation of the globe, at the cost of mutinies, famines, and storms. Magellan himself would not live to see the return voyage: he perished in the Philippines in 1521. But his name remains forever associated with the audacity of crossing an ocean without landmarks, and with the conviction that no horizon is definitive.

Magellan 1521 Watch

The first circumnavigation of the globe, completed by Ferdinand Magellan's crew, remains one of the greatest maritime feats. Col&McArthur dedicates its explorer's watch to this achievement, featuring a compass rose engraved at the center of the dial and a design inspired by navigational instruments. Limited to 1,521 pieces, it embodies the spirit of daring.

Discover the Magellan explorer's watch

Magellan is not just a date in the annals of history: he is a face, a will, a human journey that continues to inspire. His courage and sacrifice remind us that history is written by those who dare to live it. And it is in this spirit that Col&McArthur commemorative watches are created: they do not simply evoke events, they also embody the men and women who breathed life into them.

Tribute watches: the imprint of figures and visionaries

Some personalities embody an era, a value, a creative force. A commemorative watch translates this legacy into a design rich in symbolism.

Johnny Hallyday watch
A French rock icon, a figure of passion and freedom.

The tribute watch dedicated to him features a stylized guitar cross and a recognizable silhouette.

More than an artist, Johnny remains a
a point of reference for energy and self-loyalty.
Leonardo 1519 Watch
Leonardo da Vinci, who died in 1519, continues to embody insatiable curiosity and inventiveness.

The Col&McArthur timepiece pays homage to him with hands that turn backwards, a nod to his mirror writings, and a dial evoking his notebooks.
Napoleon 1821 Watch
Strategist, reformer, visionary. The Napoleon commemorative watch reminds us that some figures, although ambiguous, leave a lasting mark on institutions and cultures.

The dial features his stylized imperial profile; the series is limited to 1,821 pieces, echoing the year of his passing.

Of all the figures whose memory we celebrate, none resonates with us as deeply as the Sarton 1748 commemorative watch . Hubert Sarton, an 18th-century watchmaker from Liège, gave the world the automatic rotor, a cornerstone of
Modern watchmaking. Without his invention, the automatic watch would never have experienced the golden age that makes our wrists tick today. Paying tribute to him in this way is to honor our own roots: Liège, city of watchmakers, and the beating heart of Col&McArthur.

These commemorative watches remind us that memory is not only attached to events, but also to the men and women who embody our ideals.

Discover the richness of our universes, and develop your own.

Discover our collections

Wear history with a commemorative watch and pass on the memory

A commemorative watch is not simply an object: it is a marker. It brings together fragments, symbols, and carefully chosen boundaries to evoke what must endure through time. But beyond the materials and certificates, it represents a commitment to its wearer.

Wearing a Col&McArthur commemorative watch means accepting to become the custodian of a memory, and remembering that history does not only reside in books: it continues to beat on our wrist, ready to be passed on to those who will come after.

Language