15 Stylish Ways to Wear Black Watch Plaid, Menswear’s Favorite Scottish Tartan
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Among the crisscrossed patterns that make up Scottish tartans (or plaids, if you’re a Yank), few are more recognizable than Black Watch. Loosely defined as a green check overlaid against a dark navy check, it regularly appears on bedspreads, blankets, and yes, clothing.
Rather ironically, its origins can be traced to an English attempt at keeping the Scots in line. In the aftermath of the Jacobite rebellion of 1715, British monarch George I founded six companies to patrol the Scottish Highlands. These watchmen, who were issued dark tartan uniforms, were soon known to the locals as the “Black Watch.” The name stuck, both for the pattern and the military formation, which would go on to serve in both World Wars and exists today as the Scottish 3rd Battalion.
Thanks to its status as a “government tartan”, Black Watch is not associated with any particular clan—meaning that you won’t be called out for sporting it without the proper pedigree. With that license in mind, we’ve organized a roster of contemporary Blackwatch standouts below, running the gamut from suspenders to overcoats and even baseball caps.
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