Have you ever loved something so much that you collected 1,500 versions of it? Dan Henry did, which is how the Brazilian watch collector-turned-creator ended up with a stellar collection of timepieces.
Henry’s collecting roots began with more humble backgrounds – starting instead with shells, rocks, magnets and “anything that glows”.
“What drew me to these objects was the fact they worked on their own, each offering something distinctively unique and intriguing,” the founder of Dan Henry watches wrote on his site. “When I got a Roskopf pocket watch on my 10th birthday, many nights were spent analysing, polishing and admiring its mechanical engineering. I could not reconcile its perpetual motion; how could it work without batteries, fuel or electricity?”
This is where his passion for watches began, and from there he set out to find watches that “thrilled” him the most, focusing on three key categories: the beauty of the watch, the dedication of its makers, and any historical meaning.
After 30 years spent acquiring watches from flea markets and auctions, Henry decided to set up an Instagram account to catalogue his collection for other enthusiasts and began the website Timeline Watch – an encyclopedia of each piece in his collection in chronological order, starting from 1900 to 1995.
In order to make the collection even more accessible to other enthusiasts, Henry decided to make a watch collection of his very own – recreating some of his favourite pieces from his collection but at a fraction of the price, to make the watches accessible to the masses.
“The watches I chose to make were inspired by the most striking pieces of my collection. Those are not only beautiful, one way or another they also changed what a wristwatch can be. More often than not, they were daring for their time but left a mark in watchmaking, and remain admired today,” he wrote.
Each watch model name was inspired by a characteristic of its time, such as the 1937 Dress Chronograph, or the 1972 Maverick Watch, and the 1900 Ladies Watch.
Read on for our favourite timepieces from the Dan Henry collection and discover more watch brands you’ve probably never heard of here.
Dan Henry 1939 Military Chronograph
A limited run with only 1,939 pieces available in either chocolate or silver, this watch is described as the ‘smartwatch of its era’, with three measurement scales that were used to calculate distance, speed, and heart rate.
Buy now £219.00, Dan Henry
Dan Henry 1963 Pilot Chronograph
Get that ‘blue steel’ look with this tan and blue timepiece with sleek steel accents. This watch is limited edition with only 1,963 available, and the brand says it was inspired by the amateur pilots of the 1960s.
Buy now £227.00, Dan Henry
Dan Henry 1972 Maverick Watch
Before you ask, yes this watch looks exactly like something Tom Cruise’s character would have worn in both Top Gun films. Dan Henry’s Maverick Watch comes in black or silver, and is described as the ‘ultimate pilot watch’.
Buy now £279.00, Dan Henry
