About

       My name is Elliott Kim and I’m currently 17. I’ve been obsessed with watches and clocks for as long as I can remember. The earliest horological memory I have is seeing the repair of a chronograph pocket watch at the age of 8. Something about the complicated movement really fascinated me and I think that’s where my passion started. Over time, I developed a strong appreciation for the purity in mechanical objects- things that worked without wires or electronics. And this appreciation naturally led me to watchmaking.

       I wasn't able to enroll in a formal watchmaking course because of my age so I began by deconstructing watches in an effort to learn. I spent my summers at the local library reading through all the watchmaking literature I could find. By fifteen, I'd acquired some experience conducting repairs and restorations mainly on vintage watches and a few marine chronometers that came by. I especially loved marine chronometers. Repairing them was like opening a time capsule; I always cherished those moments. During this time, I also completed several unique pieces. Creating these taught me the necessary technicalities of design and manufacturing in a setting outside of a traditional watchmaking classroom. 

       2019 was the year I first had the idea to design and develop a timepiece on my own. I wasn’t able to finance the creation back then so I took on 2 part-time jobs on the side. During this time, I was always reworking and revising my designs until I was able to put the first components into production in late 2021. The first prototype of the Theory One was completed in the autumn of 2023 and marked the beginning of my journey as a watchmaker. I’m always grateful to the other independent watchmakers whose work serves as an inspiration for mine; they represent the pinnacle of watchmaking- a point I hope to reach one day.