Ketelaars Watches brand was founded in 2017 by Stefan Ketelaars. After starting his own brand, things moved quickly. Only two years in as a watchmaker with his own brand, and just one year full-time, he is developing his own complications, designing, manufacturing and finishing his own movement parts and doing the final assembly. What’s important to note is that Stefan is mostly a self-taught watchmaker.

Stefan’s inspiration comes from time itself. In his eyes, time is unfathomable, it cannot be grasped, contained or controlled. It can be measured, yes, and worn on the wrist, but the progression of time is influenced by none of us. It is that notion that drives Stefan Ketelaars.

His atelier, situated in an office building, is clean and neatly maintained. A set of CNC machines, a few old but pristine lathes, a microscope, a watchmaker’s bench, electroplating machines, parts cleaning installation. Pretty much everything you need to manufacture a watch yourself is there. Whether it is 3D designs, or hand painting a miniature globe under a microscope, Stefan does it all by himself.