Our Story

Origin is the begining of something, the first stage of existence, the root.  Origin Watch Company originated in 2014 with the goal of building historical, high quality fully mechanical timepieces.  

We believe that everything old is new again.  The designs of our timepieces originate from watches that are considered original, timeless, classic, and vintage.  The inspiration for designs comes from pocket watches and watches built by US and Swiss manufacturers from the late 1800s and into the middle of the 20th century.  We conduct extensive research on timepieces of the past to create new wrist instruments that have a long life of service.

In the age of digital wearable tech, silicon batteries and computer run assembly lines, we go back to the origins of watchmaking - gears, springs, wheels, screws, jewels, crystals and leather - all assembled, finished, and tested one by one, by hand in our workshop.  While many of our components maybe sourced from around the World, all of our watches are assemble in our workshop in the US.

In the late 1800s the United States was a leader in mechanical watchmaking as US companies developed new manufacturing methods to meet high consumer demand.  By the middle of the 20th century, the Swiss adopted US machinery and many manufacturing techniques.  When the quartz revolution shifted consumer demand from mechanical watches to the disposable battery-powered and electronic timepieces, the Swiss adopted its watchmaking industry to that of manufacturing luxury timepieces.  The art of watchmaking quickly vanished in the United States when companies like Waltham, Elgin, Hamilton either went out of business and were sold to foreign investors.  

Today, it is extremely difficult to source US made components and economically build mechanical timepieces on US soil.  Chinese companies produce the largest percentage of watches and watch components for Swiss and other brands to meet global demand.  Boutique manufacturing of watches in US (with foreign made movements) is taking place and we want to support this trend.  Our long-term goal is to bring back the manufacturing of our watches to the US.  While that remains our goal, we will source parts and components from around the World.  We will strive to continuesly increase the percentage of US made components.  We will search for and expirement with the US suppliers in producing cases, crystals, dials, and straps.  We do now and will always assemble our watches in Tennessee.  We use high quality components to build our watches.  We only use movements directly from two of the most reputable companies in the industry, ETA and Sea-Gull.  Our leather straps are of highest quality, sourced from a USA manufacturer or custom made by hand in our workshop from vintage military or sports equipment leather.

Origin Watch Co. (OWC) is the brain child of Dennis Shirokov who started Origin Leather to design and hand craft custom leather watch straps from vintage military and sports equpiment leather.  His passion for mechanical watches led him to tinkering with his own collection of mechanical watches and eventually to building his own timepieces.  Our first edition release is the Vintage Field Watch.  OWC has a goal of expanding our line of watches to include historical trench, railroad, pilot and marine themed watches.

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