The Backstory

Origins:

My name is Nick. When I was a teenager I inherited a family heirloom from my great grandfather; a 1955 Omega Constellation. A gorgeous watch that ran, but was missing its crown and stem.

It was a small treasure that remained hidden away for many years. One day, stumbling upon it again, I decided I needed a new hobby and charged myself with repairing it.

Hours upon hours of research, poring over schematics, repair guides, and vintage Omega parts I consumed all I could about how to repair my family heirloom. As I read and learned more about the practice of horology, I realized one thing . . . this was going to be a bit harder than I thought. Next steps: I bought some broken Seiko movements and watches to practice on.

Orion & Watchmaking School:

Orion Watches began as more than a watch line, part of its intention was to help fund the expenses of watchmaking school, which is a full time commitment. It was the first step in my personal mission to bring more horology back into the United States. Throwing myself full-force into the art and science of mechanical watchmaking, I attended the Seattle Watch Technology Institute, one of three schools worldwide to offer the Swiss-American Watch Training Alliance (SAWTA) Certificate. 

Since graduation I have devoted myself to learning as much as I can while being part of a new generation of American watchmakers bringing back a seemingly clandestine art form. Each watch represents a collaboration of designers, artists, and manufacturing. Orion watches aren't just watches for the sake of watches, they are watches that invest in the future of horology.

Modifying Seiko:

The process repeated itself, learning as much as I could by looking over technical plans and techniques for Seiko movements. Somewhere along the way I found a cool little online community of people who modified Seiko watches. Their widespread use of standardized parts allowed third parties to manufacture parts that could reliably fit in literally hundreds of different Seiko watches.

This was the genesis of my newly found hobby. After sharing some of my creations on a few watch websites they received lots of praise. Strangers asked to buy them, others encouraged me to build more.

And build I did. It got to the point where I quit my day job and was modifying watches all day. I began making some of my own parts as well as getting the help of others. This became Watches by Nick.

It was just the beginning  –  there were a couple next steps, to have my own watches and parts manufactured and to learn more about horology.