MadeWorn is a still pretty new company (founded in 2013) which is the latest project by the well-respected and successful Mr. Blaine Halvorson. Blaine also happens to be a watch guy and recently began an interesting journey that others just like him have taken in the past - to include timepieces in his lifestyle concept in a way that works for his particular tastes and aesthetic. How people like Mr. Halvorson do this really depends on the individual, their connections, and how insanely deep they want to go into the mire which is trying to produce products in the world of watches.
Blaine decided on an interesting angle that combines some unique elements as well as those greatly admired by many collectors in the watch industry - to take Rolex watches and use legendary American gun engravers to embellish the core look of a Rolex with incredible surface decoration. Blaine's challenge, in my opinion, is properly including these one-of-a-kind timepiece creations within his MadeWorn brand, and deciding how to create an image for his watches that consumers understand.
Meeting Halverson at his private, appointment-only retail and workshop space in Los Angeles, we sat down to talk watches, art, and brand building. Halvorson, like many of his contemporaries, is both a craftsman and an artist - who himself is a walking manifestation of his aesthetic, decorated with carefully curated clothing and tattoos. MadeWorn is really the dream project he wanted to do since the start, and was able to do after the sale of his successful business Junkfood Clothing in 2005. Today Halvorson collects stuff, build clothing and accessories, and hangs out in what I can easily describe is one of the most interesting retail spaces in all of Los Angeles.
The story of Halvorson runs a lot deeper than these watches and my brief description of him. Once I get to know him better, I can share his tale with you. I mention this because stepping into his world and seeing what means a lot to him is enough to have you asking questions, because not everyone likes - for example - taxidermy as much as him.
Part of the MadeWorn aesthetic can be understood by knowing that Blaine Halvorson grew up in Bozeman, Montana and enjoyed a very outdoorsy life from the time he was a small boy. His rustic, Americana sense of art is about discovering what was once lost, nature, and producing things by hand. Halvorson is very much a creative director, but he is also a craftsman who does things like cobble shoes, which he sells to clients for between about $900 and $3,000 per pair.
One thing Halvorson can't do is hand-engrave timepieces. Inspired by decoratively engraved guns, Halvorson found some of his favorite American gun engravers, and ask them to do some watch projects for him. Blaine isn't the first person to think of this, and in fact, watch making is something that still has a home nearby where he grew up. Bozeman has the Bozeman Watch Company, and nearby is also the Montana Watch Company that also has timepieces with engraved cases inspired by gun engravings. Several yeas ago, I reviewed the Montana Watch Company 1930 hand-engraved watch here.
MadeWorn's approach is more like that of Bamford Watch Department - a company who has some parallels to what MadeWorn is doing. Bamford is a Rolex watch modifier who takes new Rolex watches and changes their textures and colors. MadeWorn, with its still very new collection of watches, takes new or vintage Rolex watches and customizes them with engravings or special bracelets. In fact, Halvorson likes the term "carvings" more than engravings, as it implies more manual labor.
Speaking of manual labor, I had to ask Halvorson if the engravers ran into problems while decorating the cases and bracelets of these Rolex watches. Modern Rolex timepieces use a very hard form of steel which is an alloy called 904L. In addition to being very corrosion resistant 904L steel is very difficult to machine. Engravers typically like working with softer metals such as gold, silver, or brass. While I didn't have a chance to discuss it with the engravers, Blaine did respond that the engravers offered a lot of complaints about the difficulty of engraving each watch.
Well, despite complaints, the resulting engravings are gorgeous and done with extreme precision. These are world-class decorations that you'd find on the finest guns or blades. I am a big fan of engraved decorations on watches - and while I personally am not into tattoos, I don't mind them at all on a wrist watch. According to MadeWorn, each of their watches takes about a month to engrave, and no two timepieces will be made alike.
For that reason, each engraved Rolex that MadeWorn offers will be a piece unique. From a logistical standpoint, that makes things tough for Halvorson. If he wants to produce these watches with any type of volume, he is going to need to constantly get new watches as a base, and then work with the engravers to come up with interesting designs. It is entirely possible that in the future, MadeWorn will offer a limited edition version, or engraved timepieces that aren't Rolex - but for now, the MadeWorn watches will all be based on Rolex timepieces that they acquire.
In some instances, MadeWorn will black DLC-coat the engraved watch, which adds an additional interesting look. For example, I was able to compare two engraved Rolex Explorer watches, with one in steel and one in DLC black steel. While the black option is cool, in my opinion, it is best to go with steel models, because you can see the engravings much better. Moving forward, some MadeWorn watches in black might have inlay colors to bring out the engravings more. In many senses, producing unique pieces allows for a lot of creativity and experimentation.
My favorite of the several engraved Rolex watches I was able to see at MadeWorn was an all steel Datejust II. It was very interesting to see the world's "business watch" filled with meticulous and attractive decoration. I wouldn't say that it is for everyone, but for people like me who appreciate "artistic density," this is an amazing (and expensive) item that checks off a lot of "I want" boxes. If you are more into minimalist Scandinavian-style design, then you'll probably not be so into a classic watch that has its clean lines sullied with hours and hours of tiny hand-carved pictures. 
You don't need to be a fan of MadeWorn to enjoy their watches. In a sense, the timepieces are very much a different beast from the typical (if there is any) clothing items that MadeWorn is known for. At the same time, they all go together, if you so choose. I'm really happy that Blaine spends time assembling the right talent to produce these beautiful creations, and for many watch lovers, I think this is a great way to combine a few of their passions together into one timepiece. MadeWorn, of course, is open to special projects, because at the end of the day, what Halvorson is all about is bringing together people with a creative vision and making something cool out of it.
Prices for these one-of-a-kind customized Rolex watches vary, starting at about $10,000 and go up from there. Each of them takes the base value of a new or used Rolex watch and adds about a month of artistic labor. Seen in this article, the engraved Rolex Explorer on the leather strap is priced at $12,000. The engraved Rolex Datejust on the custom bracelet with turquoise stones is$16,000. This engraved Rolex Explorer on the bracelet is $22,000. The engraved Rolex Datejust II on the bracelet is $24,000. The DLC-coated black engraved Rolex Explorer on the bracelet is $26,000, and an already sold engraved DLC-coated Datejust II was $28,000. madeworn.com
SEE ALSO: When to buy your first Rolex
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