There have been a couple of ah-ha moments in Aurora watch designer Derrick Holmes’ lifepoints at which he just knew what he had to do. It happened the first time during a drive home to Denver from Waterloo, Iowa, when he knew he had to make watches. The second time gave rise to his new company, Banneker Watches, the maker of chic, urban timepieces that feature exotic woods in their dials. The company is named for famed African-American scientist Benjamin Banneker, who is credited with building the first wooden clock, made entirely in America, in 1753. At the moment, Holmes, 44, has about 40 watches in his collection, all Banneker brand.Q: Are you going to spring all of those watches forward this morning?
A: I am, indeed. To set all of the watches and clocks in my home ahead, I’m probably gonna lose another hour.
Q: Have you always been a watch guy?
A: I used to have my own advertising company, and I sold cars part time at a John Elway dealership.
Q: Advertising?
A: I owned Hollyrock Advertising. I would go to a smaller business, write a jingle, sing it, develop a slogan, do voice-overs, shoot commercials and place the ads with a cable company. I would give a small company a big look.
Q: How’d you get from there to watches?
A: It’s crazy. I was driving home to Denver in 1998, when I had an epiphany: How great would it be to put an athlete’s likeness and signature on the dial of a watch? It was so compelling that I couldn’t do anything else. I took my savings, opened an office and started Marquee Watches.
Q: That’s a bit different concept than watches inlaid with exotic woods.
A: About, oh, 5 1/2 or 6 years ago, I was at a friend’s house, in the basement, looking at a poster that had a bunch of different African-Americans’ contributions on it. I read about Benjamin Banneker. I already knew that he helped survey Washington, D.C., but had no idea that he made the first clock. It was similar to the ephiphany on highway: Here I was, a black CEO of a watch company, didn’t know the story. Two years before that, I thought of the concept to inlay wood into the dial of watch, but never did anything with it.
Q: But you have since.
A: Banneker watches first hit the market in 2005. The movement is made in Switzerland, and they’re assembled in the Orient.
Q: Where can I buy one?
A: We’re in stores in Chicago, New York, Atlanta, Minneapolis and Miami, and they’re selling well. You can also buy them at banneker .
Q: Which one do you wear?
A: I wear the Baller, which isn’t actually available yet. And In The Game, with the burnt orange band.
– Dana Coffield, The Denver Post
