For the love of watches
My name is Steven and I've had a lifelong love affair with the poeticism, timelessness and inspirational beauty of mechanical watches. From the moment of my first watch purchase as a youngster (around 8), to being gifted by my mother my grandfather's old Wyler mechanical watch, I knew that watches were going to be one of the most central themes in my life.
As a longtime member of the Austin, Texas community, I wanted to capture my love of this adopted city and its wholly unique spirit and vibe. Those designs became the catalyst and foundation that would launch DuFrane Watches in 2016. DuFrane is my mother's maiden name, and I named the brand this to pay homage to her early influence on my love of watches.
Named after Austin landmarks and historical figures, the first series of DuFrane Watches feature the hand wound Bergstrom, which symbolizes the innovation and fearlessness of early pilots who strapped their pocket watches around their wrists during flight (I too am a pilot, it was my first career). At minimum, one new model is released each year.
Built by me
Did you know that I personally assemble each DuFrane? From my shop at the edge of the Texas hill country in the SW part of Austin, I take the time to actually make all of the watches.
It's part of what I want to bring to my customers: thoughtful designs, extremely high quality movements, exceptional customer service, and knowledge that my hands have been on every watch. This way, if something happens to go wrong, there is no finger pointing.
History remembers those who are a little bit different.
There are 86,400 seconds each day. How will you spend yours? Adventure awaits.