While studying for a master’s degree in architecture at Delft University of Technology, Michiel Holthinrichs began to collect and repair vintage watches. He turned his passion into a business, founding Holthinrichs Watches in 2013.
Holthinrichs produced his first design iterations traditionally, developing them into hand-drawn technical drawings and taking into consideration that the parts would be produced using CNC machinery or on a manual lathe. However, he did not have the machinery or skills to produce them himself, so he needed to find a manufacturing partner. Additionally, the Netherlands does not have an established watchmaking industry.