The C1 Sunburst: a british travel watch for every journey

There are places where time seems to slow without ever stopping.

Portugal is one of them.

As the morning sun rises over the Atlantic, surfers wait patiently between the waves. High above the cliffs, paragliders drift effortlessly on warm coastal currents. Inland, winding trails invite slower walks through pine forests and golden hillsides. 

The McQuaide C1 Sunburst was designed for exactly these moments, and is the perfect British travel watch.

What makes the C1 Sunburst a travel watch?

The Cosmopolitan Collection was never created simply to tell the time. It was designed to accompany life wherever it leads, embracing experiences both extraordinary and beautifully ordinary. Whether you're watching the sunrise from a quiet beach, exploring a new city, or pausing to appreciate the stillness of nature, the C1 Sunburst belongs naturally on your wrist as a travel watch.

A sunburst dial and a Damascus Steel case

Its radiant sunburst gradient dial reflects the changing light throughout the day, with the sunburst dial is brushed outward from the centre so light fans across it, mirroring how the Portuguese sun moves across the sky. Encased in uniquely patterned Damascus Steel, no two watches are ever identical, just as no two moments in nature are ever repeated, making it the perfect travel watch

Why a mechanical watch suits slower travel

Modern life often asks us to move faster. Yet the moments we remember most rarely happen when we're rushing. They're found in the silence between crashing waves, the calm before taking flight, or the quiet satisfaction of reaching a viewpoint after a long walk.

The C1 Sunburst is made for those moments as the perfect travel watch.

Powered by a Swiss automatic movement, this travel watch does not rely on batteries or notifications. Instead, every sweep of the seconds hand is a reminder that time is something to experience, not simply measure. It quietly encourages you to look up from your screen, breathe deeply, and reconnect with the world around you.

Travelling Portugal with the C1 Sunburst

Portugal offers endless opportunities to embrace this mindset. One day may begin with coffee overlooking the ocean, continue with an afternoon exploring hidden coastal roads, and end watching the sun disappear beneath the horizon. The destination matters, but so do the moments in between.

Those are often the moments that stay with us the longest.

Because true luxury isn't measured by how busy life becomes.

It's measured by how fully we experience it and choosing to pause, notice and move with nature's rhythm.

Photography credit to Neil Kates @ www.neilkatesphotography.co.uk

Do automatic watches need a battery?

No. An automatic watch is powered by a mainspring that winds itself as you move your wrist. The C1 uses a Swiss automatic movement, so as long as it’s worn regularly it keeps running without a battery or charging.

Is every Damascus Steel watch unique?

Genuinely forged Damascus Steel is. Layers of steel are folded and forge-welded, so the pattern forms differently in every billet, and no two C1 cases are ever the same. Etched or printed imitations, by contrast, repeat the same pattern.