Ted Brown creates his own brand — one watch at a time
“The devil finds work for idle hands to do.” Finally, my high school study of Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales makes some sense.
Ted Brown’s hands haven’t been idle in almost three years. He’s too busy building watches.
The former home builder and father of five may be a bit obsessive-compulsive, but in that dedicated, mad-scientist kind of way. He also sports a lab coat, which only furthers his geeky but supremely cool persona.
Brown spent summers of his youth on the Great Plains of South Dakota. His grandfather owned a hardware store — and he sold everything a rancher could need.
“It had these great wooden floors and a tin ceiling,” he said.
It’s his Great Plains heritage and memories of his grandfather that serve as the inspiration for his two-year project and subsequent new company Berkbinder & Brown.
His business started when he couldn’t find a watch appropriate for his outdoor pursuits.
“I am a watch guy. I like watches, but I couldn’t find one that worked as my everyday watch,” Brown said.
Brown had a friend who traveled to China on business and would bring him watches from street markets. But the quality wasn’t great, so Brown ultimately had to admit to his friend that his gifts weren’t worth his shopping efforts.
“For a guy who wears a Timex, my watch is expensive,” Brown said. “But for the guy who wears a Panarei or IWC, the Tool Watch is a durable, classic alternative.”
Almost three years ago Brown set to work to create a watch built to his own exacting specifications. He started by disecting watches to learn how they worked.
“I really wanted to create a watch that has a rugged, functional beauty,” he said.
The first order of business was to scout the movements — and Switzerland was the place to start. He’s a fan of Swiss timepieces so it made sense to buy ETA mechanical movements (featured in everything from high-end timepieces to Swatches) for his watch. From there, Brown sat at his computer to design the face, using a trick of the graphic design trade — Adobe Illustrator.
“I designed it — I chose the font,” he said. “When I made my first prototype, I just printed it on laser paper.”
To fashion the case, he found a machinist in Zion, and a place in Ohio to create the dials. And he enlisted the help of a local watchmaker in Lake Bluff to serve as his mentor. It took two years, but Brown finally pulled it off — and thus was born his innovative Tool Watch.
The T46 (46mm x 13mm for watch enthusiasts) has a very distinct design. The lugs (pieces that hold the strap) are internal. This allows the watch size to be larger without the added bulk to the wrist.
“It’s extremely comfortable, and doesn’t overpower my wrist,” Brown said.
After sporting his own arm candy, the watchmaker started receiving compliments and ultimately requests for his design. “But it just takes so much time,” he said. “In the end it would’ve been cheaper for me to just buy an expensive watch.” Brown needed to secure capital to create watches for clients. So he filmed a video and pitch for Kickstarter.com — a website devoted to funding creative projects using crowdsourcing.
“For a guy who wears a Timex, my watch is expensive,” Brown said. “But for the guy who wears a Panarei or IWC, the Tool Watch is a durable, classic alternative.”
By September 2011, Brown raised about $52,000 to produce 82 watches for investors from all over the world. By November, he started shipping his first batch — to Thailand, Sweden, Switzerland and points beyond. He even counts a Navy SEAL as a client.
“One of my customers said this is the first watch he’s had he doesn’t have to put on his reading glasses,” he said.
It’s a surprising turn of events for the former home builder — except to those who know him best.
“My friends think I’m eccentric, so this fits right in with my personality.”
By Meg Moore
Originally published February 9, 2012 in Pioneer Press Newspapers.
Reposted with permission.