History teacher designs pocket watch named after Shoreham

A history teacher turned watch entrepreneur has named one of his air force inspired pocket watches after Shoreham.
Stuart King has designed a collection of pocket watchesStuart King has designed a collection of pocket watches
Stuart King has designed a collection of pocket watches

Stuart King, from Godalming, Surrey, named the pocket watch, which is called the Lufbery Shoreham, after the former Royal Flying Corps airfield at Shoreham set up during the First World War.

“The history of the Shoreham airfield is very interesting,” said the First World War enthusiast, who teaches at St Andrews school in Leatherhead.

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“It was one of the main flying corps, well located on the coast.”

Lufbery Shoreham - a watch named after the townLufbery Shoreham - a watch named after the town
Lufbery Shoreham - a watch named after the town

The Royal Flying Corps was the air arm of the British Army before and after the First World War, before it merged with the Royal Naval Air Service to form the Royal Air Force.

The 33-year-old said he knows the town quite well from visiting a friend who lives in the area and really likes Shoreham.

He was inspired to launch his own watch collection after an unsuccessful search to find an elegant pocket watch to wear at his wedding in the summer of 2014.

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“I like the design and style of them,” he said. “So I decided to make some based on the early flying watches.”

Lufbery Shoreham - a watch named after the townLufbery Shoreham - a watch named after the town
Lufbery Shoreham - a watch named after the town

He launched his collection, called Lufbery, on Kickstarter mid February.

“It’s been successful so far,” he said of the launch, will lasts until March 17.

The Lufbery Shoreham watch was the first Mr King designed.

With a white steel face and gold surrounds, it is the most authentic watch of the collection, he said, replicating the iconic Mark IV and Mark V cockpit watches.

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Mr King believes pocket watches are ‘the next big thing in fashion.’

“Tom Hardy wears one,” he said.

“They’re definitely coming back into fashion.

“They’re for young men looking for something different and wanting to add to their style.”

All of the watches are named after Royal Flying Corps airfields, such as Doncaster, Uxbridge, Andover and Montrose.
The watches are selling for £105 each. and customers will receive their order in July.

Mr King is hoping to release further batches of pocket watches in the future, in different styles.

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