Two Years in the Hopper, One Year on the Road: The Journey of Artefkt

I still remember the day I first sketched the Versa XC. I was 46, and for the first time in nearly 30 years, I had only my time to manage. Most incredibly, for the first time in my career, I was the client.

I found myself in my basement design studio - part lab, part sanctuary - with a nagging question circling in my head:

“What would you create for yourself?”

• Focus – Watches: Precision, Performance Titanium Timekeeping
• Forward looking. Led by The Rule of Thirds: Engineering | Design | Experience
• Customizable - like a moto helmet. A platform for expression through hand skills.

And finally, that long-lingering fixation: a Leica lens hood I’d seen in New York years ago, quietly tucked in my mind, was about to get its moment—now or never.

What followed was a blur of iterations, countless tweaks, 3D prints, debates over every 0.30mm detail. The ultimate gut check came from my two toughest, most honest critics: my 11-year-old sons. With unfiltered eyes, they pointed and simply said: “That’s it. That one.”

That sketch has gone on to grace hundreds of wrists across the U.S. and soon the world. What began as “let’s do everything everyone told me not to do” became a brutalist, function-driven statement of modern watchmaking - part tool, part instrument, and 100% an expression of priorities.

As we approach the one-year anniversary of the Versa XC - and two years since that first sketch went into the hopper, I’ve been reflecting on what it truly means to make.

While this journey began as a solo act (and still largely is), it has never been a solo effort. It’s the community of enthusiasts, watchmakers, friends, and family - that makes it all possible. From honest gut checks to technical studies, from integrity in hand to precision on wrist, and through the endless scrutiny of every edge and angle.

Ultimately, it’s about the transfer of care from the maker to the wearer. That connection is what unites us in a shared appreciation for the analog, tactile world of watchmaking.

Looking Ahead

Deliver on the promise and the vision —while feeding the creative engine that launched us:

• Trove: Our upcoming collectors’ community: a living design portal where limited editions, field reports, and battle-scar selfies come together. Trove will be the heartbeat of Artefkt, with virtual workshops and in-person meet-ups at Intersect and Wind Up, connecting members for collaboration and showcasing why Versa XC is so versatile.
• House of Artekft: A dedicated HQ: a showroom, design studio, and gathering space for makers, designers, and fabricators obsessed with tactile precision. It will serve as Artefkt’s home base and gallery, showcasing crafted icons and category-defining goods that embody our promise of precision and purpose.
• Kova: The next Artefkt platform, built on our commitment to Grade 5 titanium and function-first design. With dual time zones, a date complication, and a bold new case profile, Kova isn’t just another GMT—it’s a purpose-built instrument ready to travel the world.

Together, Trove and the House of Artefkt will evolve Artefkt from a product company into a living ecosystem - where your adventures and our design expertise converge to shape the next generation of precision titanium timepieces and more.

A Note of Gratitude

At the end of the day, I’m not just building a watch company. We are building a community and a symbol of ingenuity, passion, and the willingness to fight for every 0.30mm. A place where we
connect, share, and celebrate the gifts that make us deeply human.

Thank you for every conversation, every handshake, every story.
Here’s to making the unknown known—together.

— Brandon Little
Founder, Artefkt Watches

Read on Substack "Two Years in the Hopper, One Year on the Road"
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