Portland, Oregon

Built at a bench
in Portland.

A small team in a Southeast Portland studio assembles, cases, regulates, tests and packs every Mr. Eatwell watch by hand. The cases, dials, hands, bracelets and movements come from suppliers, same as almost everyone at this scale. Below is the whole sequence, from the parts arriving to the box going out.

Watch parts laid out on a blue bench mat: dial blanks, bezel inserts, bracelets and a turquoise dial.

It starts as a color

Every model begins with a color and a shape we want to see on a wrist. We settle the case size, the dial finish, the hand set, the bezel and the bracelet before anything gets ordered.

Portland: the design and every specification decision. Sourced: nothing yet.

A workbench facing a wall of clear pouches labeled by watch model, with parts drawers and a timegrapher to the right.

The parts arrive in boxes

Cases, dials, hands, bezels, bracelets and movements come in from the suppliers we've settled on. Each one goes into a labeled pouch on the wall for the model it belongs to.

Portland: choosing the suppliers, specifying the parts and checking what turns up. Sourced: the cases, dials, hands, bezels, bracelets and movements.

The dial and hands go on, the movement is cased, and the crystal and bezel are pressed on. The clip has no sound.

Hands go on under a loupe

The movement comes out of its packing and gets a dial fitted, then the hour, minute and second hands go on one at a time. It happens at the bench with finger cots on, because a fingerprint on a dial is permanent.

Portland: the whole assembly. Sourced: the movement, the dial and the hands.

A watchmaker's hands working on a movement at the bench, seen from above.

This is ten seconds of the bench, looping, with no sound.

The movement goes into the case

The movement drops into the case, the crystal and bezel are pressed on, and the caseback is screwed down. The press does the work and the alignment gets checked by eye every time.

Portland: casing, pressing and sealing. Sourced: the case, the crystal, the bezel and the gaskets.

A multifunction timegrapher on the parts drawers with a watch clamped in its microphone holder.

Then it goes on the timegrapher

Every watch sits on the timegrapher before it goes anywhere, and we move the regulator until the rate is where we want it. A few seconds a day either way is normal and healthy for a mechanical watch.

Portland: every watch is timed and regulated here. Sourced: nothing at this stage.

Macro of an exhibition caseback with the automatic movement and rotor visible through the sapphire.

It gets looked at properly

The crystal and caseback get checked for dust and marks, the crown is screwed down and tested, and the date is run past midnight to make sure it trips cleanly. Anything that isn't right goes back on the bench.

Portland: the whole check. Sourced: nothing at this stage.

Hands opening a green Mr. Eatwell presentation case with an olive-dial diver inside.

It gets sized and boxed

If you've sent us your wrist size, the bracelet gets sized on the bench before anything is packed. Then the watch goes into its case with the warranty card, and the box is sealed for shipping.

Portland: sizing, packing and shipping. Sourced: the presentation case and the bracelet.

Macro of a bracelet clasp engraved Mr. Eatwell, Appreciate you.

It comes back here if it goes wrong

The two-year warranty is serviced from the same bench the watch was built on. You email us, we send a label, and it comes back running right.

Portland: every repair, service and warranty claim. Sourced: replacement parts.

Where the brand sits

What we don't do

We don't machine cases and we don't engineer movements. Those are bought in, from the same kinds of suppliers most brands at this size use, and the movements we build on are listed on the Inside the Movement page. What's ours is the design, the color, the combination and the build.

Inside the Movement

On the bench

A bench flat lay of pliers, a case puller, a bracelet and a watch on a tan strap showing its caseback.

Two hands presenting a salmon-dial watch over the bench mat.

Caseback macro of a watch on a green and tan strap, with the movement visible through the back.

Where it happens

The bench is at 959 SE Division St STE 140, Portland, OR 97214. Every watch we ship is built in that room, and every email you send lands with someone who works in it.

A Mr. Eatwell diver worn on a wrist in sunlight, with the bezel numerals and bracelet links sharp.

Then it turns up on a wrist

Every watch is built after you order it. Right now the wait is about 10 to 14 business days.

See the Watches Read the FAQs