There are commissions, and then there are the ones that change you. When James McAvoy reached out at the end of January about his directorial debut, I had no idea what the next few weeks would demand of me, or what they would teach me.
In late January, I received a DM on Instagram from James. He told me he had finished his directorial debut movie California Schemin'; a true story about two Scottish lads from Dundee who conned the music industry by pretending to be American rappers from California. He wanted a custom themed watch he could wear to the premiere in Glasgow on 8th March and in what felt like a surreal moment, asked if I would be free to come to the premiere.
I took James's ideas and added them to my moodboard along with my own inspiration from 90's Californian rap looking at imagery, album artwork, fonts and vibes. I sent across my initial design the next day (eager right?!) and after a few iterations, we landed on the final design. James then asked if it would be possible to make an additional 10 for cast and crew; I of course said yes.
When the clock is already ticking
This is where the first challenge came in. Usually, from design to a finished watch, the lead time is a minimum of 60 days working with my manufacturer. I had little over 30 days and it quickly became clear our normal manufacturing route was not possible.
So I made a decision: source every component individually and build the watch myself. Cases, movements, crystals, crowns, straps, dials; each part researched and ordered. 2 weeks into the project, I received a message from my dial maker: they couldn’t create the dial in time. Not only had 2 weeks been wasted, it was a difficult task to find a new manufacturer who could create the quality dials we pride ourselves on. I scrambled and after a day managed to find a reputable manufacturer that guaranteed the dials would be completed in time.
Late February, all parts had arrived and I taught myself to build a watch. Eleven times over.
What the finished piece means to me
Every brand has a chapter or moment they feel defined them. This is mine.
I got to personally deliver the watches to James at his hotel the morning before the premiere, we chatted for about 20 minutes and it felt like just talking to one of my pals. James displayed his humility throughout the entire project; he constantly assured me if he was asking too much or it wasn't doable then it was absolutely fine, simply put he was a pleasure to work with.
When I started the brand I had plenty of dreams for where I thought it would go and what it would do. Not all of them have come true. It's the projects I thought would have been too absurd to even dream of that have come to fruition.
