A Scottish developer of a ‘repairable’ watch is challenging tech giants such as Apple and Garmin after securing more than £300,000 to fund his plans.

Lewis Allison has drawn the investment from London-based SFC Capital to develop his UNA watch that tackles the issue of electronic waste.

He also won the £100,000 top prize from Scottish Edge last year after judges were impressed with his device that allows users to repair, replace and upgrade components instead of discarding entire devices. Every year 62 million tonnes of consumer electronics are discarded.

Mr Allison, an electronics engineer and former chief technology officer of wearable golf tech brand Shot Scope, said that getting the watch design into the hands of potential investors had been critical.

He said: “We knew getting funding for a consumer hardware start-up was incredibly difficult, but when we placed our modular watch in front of SFC Capital, everything clicked. They assembled the components like Lego, instantly realising the potential. By the end of the meeting, we had our investment interest.”

The Edinburgh-based venture has already generated revenue through early industry contracts, including a six-figure deal with IHF Digital Limited for fatigue monitoring. The pre-seed investment now accelerates the consumer launch of UNA Watch’s GPS-enabled smartwatch, designed to compete with the biggest names in fitness tech.

Mr Allison said wearables across the industry were largely engineered for disposability. The turning point came when his wife scratched her Apple Watch just two days after buying it. The official repair cost was so high that replacing the watch seemed like the only viable option.

“Most smartwatches are designed to be replaced, not repaired,” added Allison. “If your screen cracks or the battery wears down, you’re left with an expensive paperweight. UNA Watch is built differently – it’s a watch that lasts, grows with you, and helps reduce e-waste.”

Already more than 7,000 people have registered interest, with almost 1,000 already putting down deposits.