An Interview with Canuck Timepieces: Collaboration, Creativity, & Canadian Microbrands

For a few years now, I have had the privilege of meeting the owners of different brands, thanks to my job working for a Japanese microbrand. I have also had a hand in creating several different watches - whether it was a contribution to the design, the concept, the media push, or even the choice of strap. So, I have intimate knowledge of all the trials and tribulations that go into making even a single watch, but because I don't own the company, I am fortunate not to bear all the risk by myself. It takes a certain madness to be aware of all of this, and choose to start your own microbrand anyway. James Williams - the founder of Canadian microbrand Canuck Timepieces - may just be one of my favorite mad men in the industry.

A Collaborative Beginning

Canuck Timepieces, in case this is your first time reading about it, is quite different from other microbrands both in how it's gradually gained renown, as well as how it looks. The majority of microbrands get their start from a crowdfunding platform like Kickstarter, or if you are based in Japan, then Makuake or Campfire. For Canuck Timepieces, however, it started off with Ali Express. More specifically, it began with James simply assembling watches that fulfilled his own creative desires using parts from AliX. It was never supposed to be the start of a new brand until he shared a few photos online, and much to his surprise, gained quite a few followers, asking if he was willing to sell these watches.

James Williams assembling one of his earliest designs.

Even then, James didn't think that this would lead to his own brand. After all, this was just for fun. "No, it's just for fun [...] that was repeated for almost a full year! Until one day, I decided to create a custom watch business." While I would love to say that this led to him becoming an overnight success, it didn't. In two months, only 5 watches were sold. James confided in me during our interview that the reason was that 4 out of the 5 orders were from people asking him to make basic homages of other more popular watches. He realized then that if he actually wanted to do something fulfilling, he needed to take it one step further. He needed to create his own design.

Canuck x AndoAndoAndo: The Black Hole

"I decided to start a brand with my own design language [...] I bugged [Yu of AndoAndoAndo] and received a prototype of a millenium falcon type case. I built something for myself, and posted it on Instagram before going to bed. I woke up to over a hundred likes, comments, shares, and DM's, but one from Ando himself, asking if I wanted to sell it."

This was the moment that the chapter of James assembling parts from AliX closed, and the first official chapter of Canuck Timepieces opened.

Canuck Timepieces x Lima Watches Collaboration

After another successful collaboration with the Finnish-Japanese brand AndoAndoAndo (more on them in a future article), James continued to work on his official solo release for the brand, but at the same time, he still wanted to collaborate with other brands.

"[Lima/Herman] was a true Pinch Me moment. In February of this year, Lima had just released a new batch of the Kronosprinter. I had received one and said jokingly, 'If you ever want to collaborate, let me know.' The next morning, I had a message from Herman: 'Let's do it.'"

This release would sell out in less than 72 hours, proving to James once and for all that this was a real, viable pursuit.

Canuck is Canada, Canada is Canuck

James Williams wearing the Canuck Timepieces hockey jersey.

There isn't an abundance of watchmaking in Canada. There are brands like Marathon, which have strong roots in Canada, and even produce watches for the government, but Canada certainly doesn't have the same heritage as Switzerland, Germany, Japan, or even the United States. Despite that, there is a strong and thriving community of watch enthusiasts in Canada, and James is committed to making that known across the world. Not only that, the brand itself is meant to both honor Canada, and bolster its reputation for watches. While the reality was that it's currently not feasible to manufacture everything within Canada, James realized that wasn't the case for apparel. "And what is more Canadian than hockey?"

This led to him creating both hockey and football jerseys all entirely made in Canada. The hockey jerseys are customized and stitched in Toronto by Big Stick Hockey, while the football jerseys are all custom made in Quebec at V Nation. I know that if everything goes well, James will continue to find ways to do as much as possible within Canada.

Design and Logistics

Canuck is a design-centric brand, which is why when I interviewed James, I specifically asked him about the design philosophy of the brand.

"I want the watch to tell the story [...] not a made up marketing story. The watch should show the details of what influenced the design, and why some details are the way they are."

Even with names like the Black Hole and the 4th Dimension, the design of the watches are more innovative and unique. For the Black Hole, it features AndoAndoAndo's Millenium Falcon-inspired case, but the all-encompassing black dial and curved handset contrasted by a bright yellow seconds-hand make it into a watch that's completely unlike anything on the market.

But, even as our eyes and hearts are drawn to the design, there is an important component for everything: logistics. When I asked him if there was special consideration to the movement powering his watches aside from logistics and cost, James acknowledged that it was purely a logistical choice, and that his priority was to make his designs as accessible as possible.

Once again, I must draw from my own experience from working in a microbrand - the margins can be quite slim, especially when you're starting out. When you see a new Canuck, and it's significantly below a thousand dollars, that means you're essentially only paying for the cost of materials and shipping. This is a passion project from top to bottom.

Meeting the Collectors

Speaking of passion, no watch brand would exist without the collectors, and like Vario, Kuoe, AndoAndoAndo, and a few others, Canuck makes it a priority to stay connected to the community.

To do this, James attends as many watch shows as he possibly can, whether that's Spring Sprang Sprung in Singapore, or more recently, Aurochronos in Poland.

The Future of Canuck Timepieces

Over the course of the interview, James repeatedly stressed to me that Canuck has barely begun. Their next release will be later this year, and I have the privilege of being one of the few people to review it over a short loan period. He is still on the lookout for more collaborative partners, but his main focus remains creating watches that he - first and foremost - would wear. In the past, James was a sneakerhead, who would use bright and colorful and limited edition sneakers as conduits for his personality. While he still has an impressive collection, he can proudly wear his own watches to showcase his creativity.

As people like James of Canuck Timepieces and Ben of Slomo Watches continue to bring the spotlight on Canada for rising star microbrands, I feel no small amount of pride in being able to call James a good friend, and I look forward to see his brand's continued success. This is but the first of many articles, I'm sure, about Canuck Timepieces.

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