The Blog
Some stories belong on the wrist. Others need more room.
This is where John shares the work around the watches: the movements he is studying, the people and places behind each design, and the New Mexico memories that continue to find their way to the bench.
A New Dawn for the American Field Watch
Short On Time?
Watchmaker Velarde begins in New Mexico.
Inspired by the life and legacy of Rodolfo Velarde, a northern New Mexico rancher and community leader, each watch draws from the places, symbols, and stories that have shaped this region for generations.
From red and green chile set against adobe brown, to the Zia and Albuquerque’s unmistakable balloon-filled skies, the details are familiar by design.
These are watches made with a sense of place.
Built to be worn. Made to carry a story.
The Colors We Come From
The Colors We Come From
Anyone who has spent time in the Southwest knows how much color belongs to this place.
Adobe brown. Turquoise. Sun-washed yellow. Silver. Earthy reds and greens.
They are colors shaped by the land, the architecture, the food, and the enormous skies overhead. When we began developing the first Watchmaker Velarde watches, we did not have to look far for inspiration.
We looked home.
Those colors became the starting point for the first collection.
Look Up
There are certain moments when New Mexico asks you to stop what you are doing and look up.
A summer storm building over the mountains. The last light of the day turning the desert gold. A night sky crowded with stars.
And, for a few mornings each fall, hundreds of balloons lifting quietly into the Albuquerque sky.