Latest Review
June 19, 2024 
Written by Matt Smith-Johnson
I like things that are fun, just for the sake of it.
As a watch designer, there are plenty of technical or functionality-based considerations that shape my work. Don’t get me wrong—I love solving puzzles. But at some point, I need to focus solely on making smiles.
Late last year I was contacted by Zach and Blake from Worn & Wound with a simple task: Make an internal team gift that brings joy to people. It had to be watch-related and translate into something wearable, but otherwise, it was up to me.
Normally, the lack of specific direction in the form of a brief is an impossible challenge—You like to know the target you’re aiming for, y’know? However, in this case, I was in a playful mood when this request came to me, so I felt up for it.
Typically, I’d research a subject to help advance ideas, but this time, I decided to wait for the idea to strike me. This could be seen as reckless, but I thought this was the best way to find joy, almost as if by accident. And that is how it happened.
All shirts are made of high-quality heavyweight, 6.5oz, 100% combed cotton
After looking over some old comics (just for funsies), I was laying in bed sort of drifting off when it hit me: the image of a strutting watch-a-la Robert Crumb’s “Keep On Truckin’”. The anthropomorphized caricature could take that posture but be rendered more in a sort of “Pim & Francie” or “Cuphead” style. It’s that look of retro American cartoons that I was going for: simplistic and full of energy. I hopped out of bed and grabbed one of my many sketchbooks to scribble it out.
Come morning, I still liked the idea, so I redrew it and sent a picture over to Zach and Blake. They loved the idea, so I built it out as a screen print and embroidery.
When the merch was delivered to some lucky team members, I posted about it on IG. I was definitely surprised by the amount of interest and attention it got. It made me happy that people who got a hat or a shirt said it brightened their day. Success! I was happy about this, and so was Worn & Wound because they reached out again looking to expand upon the original idea.
The process for developing the next two characters was almost the same, except this time, I tried to think of phrases that would be fun to play with. Some were no good or trying too hard to be witty… The ones that won my attention were simple.
All hats are 100% cotton 6-panel “dad” hats with embroidered graphics
“I’m Square, Don’t Care” just felt like a confident proclamation of my own watch-nerdiness, so I made a cool guy character to contrast that. “Stay Golden” made me think of a joyous dandy, and I figured a dandy would probably pair suitably with a golden pocket watch. “Good Times” just matched the mood of the original illustration so well that I decided to make it the accompanying text for the full-scale release.
Really, all these horological characters just kind of appeared inside my head when they were ready. The trick was to have a pencil and pad nearby at all times to greet them. As mentioned, these things are kinda just fun for the sake of it. It is a celebration of watch geeks everywhere, and I hope their existence puts a smile in your mind.
