The Hockey Hall of Fame celebrated the late Börje Salming and the launch of his thoughtfully crafted Salming 1148 timepiece with family stories and more.
As Sir Winston Churchill is said to have observed, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” Börje Salming’s life of giving left an indelible impact, not just as “The King” in the world of hockey but also on every single life he touched.
“Legacy lives on,” says Mats Kullenberg, CEO of Salming Watches, who was Salming’s close friend. And legacy was exactly what the Hockey Hall of Fame honoured at the exclusive launch of the Salming 1148 event: an incredible evening celebrating Salming’s enduring impact on Swedish hockey and 16 years in the National Hockey League (NHL).
The Salming 1148 isn’t just a watch — it’s an extension of a man’s legacy and a tribute to the hockey legend. This fine mechanical watch was designed and put together in Sweden. The Scandinavian Watch Company in Stockholm, with more than 40 years of watchmaking experience, handcrafted and modified this chronograph, while Superlab, a Swedish design studio that has won numerous awards, handled and finalized the design.
The project started with Salming and Kullenberg’s common love for watches; however, they didn’t know anything about making them. This led to a series of meetings and discussions to find the right partners to bring their ideas to fruition. The biggest challenge came with Salming’s tragic death from ALS in 2022 at the age of 71. The project was halted, and Kullenberg had no intention of restarting it without his friend.
Kullenberg believes that without the support of Salming’s children it might not have come to fruition at all. The project, nine years in the making, still faced a series of challenges.
“This is so much Dad,” was the first response of Salming’s children when they saw the watch for the first time. “I was emotional and happy, too, because it validated how starting the project again was the right thing to do,” shares Kullenberg.
The watch, with its many thoughtful details, reflects Salming’s vision. For instance, the second hand in the form of the CN Tower, as well as the freely interpreted King logo on the crown, was Salming’s idea.
He was personally involved in the design process and gave input on functions, the bracelet, the black dial and the crown. The chronograph function is a fond nod to the era when he trained and timed his daughter, Bianca, who also became a professional athlete.
There’s so much of Salming in every element. The watch is manufactured with a maximum of 1,148 pieces, which is the same number of NHL games that Salming played.
For Kullenberg, the most special part about the watch was the process of working on it with his friend as well as the fact that there’s only one number on the watch’s main face — 21 — which was Salming’s iconic hockey jersey number.
The evening at the Hockey Hall of Fame saw a range of emotions, with immense pride being felt for a legacy that will surpass time and generations. The Salming kids with Kullenberg presented the first numbered watch to NHL Alumni Association President and Executive Director Glenn Healy, which was then donated to the Hockey Hall of Fame as the best place to preserve the iconic piece.
Salming Watches is also donating CAD$170 from the sale of each watch to charitable causes through the association and its network in support of the Alumni Association.
Kullenberg’s own idea of La Dolce Vita is rooted in the belief of being kind. “Take care of life, be good and good things come to you.”
“Timeless,” “high-quality” and “legacy-driven” is how Kullenberg defines the Salming 1148 timepiece. Most importantly, the watch is a tribute to the iconic hockey player whose legacy will continue to inspire generations around the world.
