In the early 2000s, I spent some time racing vintage Porsches. I loved the look of the cars, but I quickly realized that I don’t like old cars. Parts were hard to find, the wiring was decaying at an alarming rate, turning corroded and filthy bolts was a pain, and everything was just more difficult than it needed to be because no matter what parts you fixed, the rest was still old and wearing out.
Why I Started Making Watches
Fast forward to Covid, and after years of threatening, I decided to finally take up watchmaking. I had dreamed of it for…well longer than my adult children have been around. I began working on older watches and wouldn’t you know it, they were beautiful, and beautifully made, but like my race cars parts were at times impossible to find, often were outrageously expensive, and it started to grate on me once again.
Here is the problem; if you fix a damaged part, you now have an old watch with one new part. You can’t really trust it. Any of the other parts can go at any time. It is like reupholstering a sofa – it may look new, but it’s is still old under the skin. I could never really enjoy the classics in my collection out of fear that they would break or get damaged.
Crafting My Own Unique Timepieces
So just buy new watches you say! And that has its place, but my taste in watches tends to be quite specific, and the current endless parade of sameness just doesn’t appeal to me. This is when I decided to begin making my own watches.
With access to world-class movements, I could source some components, manufacture others myself, and have my pick of styles, materials, and features that appeal to me. Once I had this revelation, different ideas started to flow onto paper, and I knew what I had to do. I’m not afraid of a homage, so long as it has its own twist that makes it something worthy in and of itself.
It was only then that I realized that there had to be others who feel similarly to me, but didn’t have the time or inclination to build their own timepieces and would appreciate having an opportunity to get a unique and well-specced piece for their collection.
Presenting Kimball Time Co.
And that is what I present today: small batch, limited run, excellent quality, unique timepieces that are what I think of at night as I lay there figuring out what I want on my wrist, and how to make it a reality.
I think when you see what I have planned, you will be just as excited to own a Kimball Time Co. watch as I am.
