Hello everyone,

After a lot of consideration, I’ve decided to begin implementing a more normal work/life balance here at Kensington Timepieces.

For the last year, I’ve essentially worked nonstop. Late nights, weekends, holidays, vacations, etc. Kensington grew very quickly, and I felt a strong responsibility to always be available and always be producing. While I’m incredibly grateful for the support that allowed the company to grow the way it has, I also recognize that burning myself into the ground is not sustainable long term, and has contributed to my communication skills lacking. That is NOT a good look, so I’m changing it.

The bench will now officially be closed on Saturdays and Sundays moving forward, with normal working hours generally being Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM.

That said, this primarily applies to bench work itself. I will still generally be around to chat, answer questions, and discuss builds. Sundays however, I will be fully logged out and taking the day to myself so I can properly recharge and maintain a healthier work/life balance long term.

I’ve worked very hard this past year, and honestly I feel like I’ve earned weekends. More importantly, I want to make sure I can continue growing Kensington in a healthy and sustainable way without burning out.

Thank you all again for the overwhelming support over this last year. It genuinely means the world to me.

— Emerson

Found this in the depths of my storage a few months ago, and was heartbroken by the state of it. I decided to breathe new life into it by working on it slowly on weekends.

It received: new case, new Hyaline crystal, serviced movement. I also re-brushed and polished the bracelet.

I think it turned out amazingly!

Recently completed. This watch is SO much fun.

Re-upload of last night’s sale post with better photos.

Direct from the internal vault of Kensington Timepieces, these 4 KTF builds are now being offered for sale.

Watch 1: Real Sodalite dial, real sapphires, white gold wrapped. Was $4500, now $3999

Watch 2: $2500, Lapis Lazuli dial, lab diamonds, white gold wrapped

Watch 3: 212G YG wrapped custom case/bracelet, gorgeous turquoise dial, DD4131, $2500

Watch 4: KTF AP 15500 with DD4302, custom KTF prototype CNC case/bracelet, KTF dial with improved sunburst. $1999

In light of Kensington recently celebrating its first birthday, I’ve decided to free up some liquidity to invest into new ideas, tooling, equipment, and future expansion for the company in the spirit of continued innovation.

If you’re interested, please reach out to me directly through this account
u/kitcheninteraction12

Thanks for looking.

— Emerson

Direct from the internal vault of Kensington Timepieces, these 8 KTF builds are now being offered for sale.

In light of Kensington recently celebrating its first birthday, I’ve decided to free up some liquidity to invest into new ideas, tooling, equipment, and future expansion for the company in the spirit of continued innovation.

Some of these are personal pieces from my own collection, while others are fully completed prototypes and proof-of-concept builds used to test new dials, case architectures, bracelet configurations, and finishing techniques. All are fully functional, complete, flaw-free, and built to the same standard as any commissioned KTF piece.

This is also a rare opportunity to acquire a real KTF build without going through the full custom commission process or paying the full KTF commission cost.

To keep this post concise, full specifications and detailed breakdowns for each piece are available upon request. If you’re interested, please reach out to me directly through this account.

Thanks for looking.

— Emerson

Note: long read.

Kensington Timepieces officially turns 1 today.

One year ago, I stopped posting watches on BSTs and organized everything into what Kensington Timepieces is today. It ended up being one of the biggest shifts of my life, and without question one of the best things that has ever happened to me.

Before this, I was a first responder. I loved the job. Then one night, while responding to an emergency at 82 MPH, the transmission in my truck catastrophically exploded. Shrapnel tore through the cab, fuel lines, and floorboard, and the truck burst into flames with me still inside it.

Apart from losing most of my hair and sustaining burns that thankfully healed, I survived. But being on fire is something I still struggle to even describe. It was horrifying.

Then things somehow got worse.

Because I had previously been vocal about safety concerns within the fleet, the State accused me of sabotaging the truck myself. I was eventually cleared, but not before months of humiliation, isolation, and being sidelined from a career I genuinely loved.

Eventually, I hit a wall. The PTSD was overwhelming, and the way the situation was handled broke whatever trust I had left. I was labeled unstable, dishonest, dramatic, all while being completely innocent. I’m autistic, so I already struggled with interpersonal relationships, but even the few people I truly trusted and cared about there turned their backs on me.

So I quit.

And honestly I was relieved. For the first time in a long time, I felt free. I promised myself I would never work for someone else again. I didn’t fully know what came next, but I knew I had other skills, one of them being watchmaking.

I had formal training already, and had been working on my own watches for years. I started selling pieces from my personal collection, doing builds quietly on the side, and gradually gaining repeat customers.

Then people started noticing the work.

One of my clients told me I should do this full time. So I did. I chose a name, built an ethos, and Kensington Timepieces was born. I wanted to bring a higher standard to the rep community, both technically and professionally.

It definitely hasn’t been smooth sailing. Early on, I got targeted by a toxic BST moderator who made it his personal mission to try and destroy my reputation after I stood up to him. Fake reviews, fake scenarios, fake accounts, the whole thing. The only reason I survived it was because I had screenshots of him admitting to everything.

Since then, there’s been more drama. False claims, scammers, chargeback attempts, sabotage attempts, you name it. I’m definitely a controversial name in this industry. However, the rep community often treats newer sellers like me as guilty until proven innocent. Most recently, I had a supplier steal an enormous amount of money, parts, and pending builds from me. I’m still recovering from that right now, and rebuilding affected orders out of my own pocket because I refuse to let clients suffer for someone else’s actions.

But despite all of that, Kensington has become something I’m incredibly proud of. It’s mine. And while I absolutely have people who quietly hate-watch, talk behind my back and downvote everything I post, they can’t take this away from me or the happiness it’s brought into my life. 🖕🏻👁️👁️🫵🏻 Looking right at you, nay-sayers. This last year has genuinely been one of the happiest years I’ve ever had, and you hate to see it. 🤣 And strangely enough, all the hardship makes me appreciate this even more. Literally every time someone tries to tarnish my name, I only come back bigger and better, and more motivated to expand and innovate.

Sadly, I also learned today that APSF is gone. That hit me harder than expected, because the very first watch I ever sold after Kensington formed was a purple APSF 26240. That watch will always mean something special to me.

Rest in peace, APS.

Thank you all for the support, the trust, the opportunities, and for sticking around through the chaos.

Here’s to year two 🥂

— Emerson

Wanted to share this gorgeous personal piece of mine. Truly one of my favorites. Real sapphires, custom CNC WG wrapped, real sodalite dial.

It is for sale. I do not know what to price it at, but it would likely have to be somewhat absurd. As such, I am leaning towards trades of similar magnitude, or multiple trades of lesser value to equate to the agreed upon value. If interested, please reach out to this account.

Wanted to show off the shine on my KTF 15500 prototype case. At the moment I’m testing different dial options, this one being the VSF dial.

It’s good, but one of the more important tests I perform during R&D is evaluating how a watch behaves in low-light environments. For that, I usually step out onto my balcony under the string lights and see how the watch carries itself visually. It sounds silly, but this actually emulates one of the exact environments these watches are often worn in: dinners, lounges, restaurants, networking events, social occasions, etc.

My KTF clients are all discerning professionals who all need a watch that looks exceptional in those settings, so that’s exactly what I try to engineer for them.

If a watch falls flat in that environment, the part in question doesn’t pass. In this case, the VS dial is out. The sunburst simply isn’t dynamic enough under low ambient lighting. A proper sunburst dial should remain active and visually engaging in virtually every environment, not just direct sunlight.

If you’re interested in pre-ordering one of these, feel free to reach out and I’ll walk you through the process. I will only be producing 3.

Direct from the personal vault of Kensington Timepieces, this Sea-Dweller 43mm 126600 is ready for a new home.

The SD43 has always occupied a unique place in the Rolex lineup. It carries the proportions and wrist presence many collectors wish the modern Submariner still had, while retaining the more technical, overbuilt character that historically defined the Sea-Dweller line. In my opinion, it is one of the best modern Rolex sports watches ever produced.

This build represents what I believe to be the best combination of components ever assembled for the SD43 platform.

The foundation is an extremely rare XF SD43 assembly, modified to accept modern architecture and internals. Among longtime collectors, XF’s SD43 is still widely regarded as the best Sea-Dweller replica ever produced from an aesthetic standpoint. Its only real weakness was the low-grade, unbranded movement it originally shipped with. XF was raided and dissolved after only a single batch was released, making actual XF SD43 donor parts effectively made of solid 24K unobtainium at this point.

To correct the shortcomings of the original platform, the watch was completely rebuilt around a Dandong 3235 movement, which in my opinion remains the best and most reliable out-of-the-box 3235 currently available. It also received a VS dial, hands, and crown stem, paired with an AR bracelet and a custom clasp commissioned specifically for this build featuring a proper 1:1 coronet.

Following assembly, the watch received the equivalent of my Ultimate Package, including full movement service, exterior refinishing and rebrushing, polishing, ceramic coating, waterproofing, regulation, and final QC.

Note, the last photo was taken with my iPhone camera to give a more accurate view of the watch without fancy camerawork which can sometimes make visualizing what it looks like in the real world difficult.

Also, stay tuned. Over the coming weeks I’ll be periodically releasing additional pieces from my personal collection.

Hey everyone, Emerson here, from Kensington Timepieces.

I’m thinning out a portion of my personal collection and offering a handful of pieces for sale. These are watches I either ordered or built for myself, and all were created or modified to the full Kensington standard without regard to cost.

Included in this group are:
• Real Meteorite Dial Baguette Daytona
• Real Sodalite Dial Daytona
• Weighted “Cookie Monster” Submariner
• Tiffany 5711

Please direct all inquiries to my account, u/kitcheninteraction12
More photos, build specs, pricing, and all additional relevant information is available in DM’s.

As always, I’m U.S.-based, and everything is assembled, serviced, regulated, and QC’d here before shipment.

If you’ve been curious about my work and wanted something immediately available without commissioning a full custom project, this is a great opportunity to pick up one of my personal pieces.

— Emerson

Hey everyone, Emerson here, founder of Kensington Timepieces.

The response to the Turquoise Dial Daytona has been incredible. I’ve had dozens of inquiries, and unfortunately there was only one available.

Because of that, I’ll be producing an extremely limited number to keep on hand. This configuration is also available to commission by anyone at any time, until my available slots are sold out. I can only produce 2-3 per month.

Basic specs:
Custom CNC gen-weight case and clasp on Oysterflex, wrapped in 18K gold
Solid 18K CNC architecture available upon request
Genuine Rolex crystal
Custom turquoise dial produced for KTF to achieve accurate color
Choice of movement (DD4131 or QF4131)

$2,985

For those new here, I’m based in the U.S. and operate Kensington Timepieces. KTF is my in-house bespoke program, where each watch is developed from the ground up using the best available components for the model being commissioned. When the right parts don’t exist, they’re made specifically for the build, as was the case with the dial here. Customization is effectively unlimited.

Please DM me here, at the account posting this, to reserve yours.

For sale is this KTF Turquoise Dial Daytona from my personal collection.

It features a custom CNC gen-weight case with an 18k yellow gold wrap, a fully serviced and immaculate 1:1 4131 movement, and a genuine crystal (verified flaw-free). It is finished with a custom order turquoise dial, specifically made for this build to achieve a more accurate and consistent color, which is notoriously difficult to get right.

This is a true 1:1 piece and one of my stronger builds. Not an easy one to let go of, but I’m gradually clearing out my personal collection.

$2,985

This Bruce Wayne’s owner opted to have it brought up to KTF standard, and I was happy to take it on. It received my Ultimate Package, including full exterior re-brushing, polishing, ceramic coating, waterproofing, and a complete movement service.

Another beautifully sorted piece, ready for years of life on the owner’s wrist.

All watches are from VSF or comparable factories.

Happy to answer any questions

Hello!

I’ve been working hard on some projects recently, and I wanted to share this gorgeous Panda I did.

I also wanted to give an update to the shipping situation and movement shortages in China. Given that Dandong is a primary supplier of movements for my builds, there is some interruption for specific models. Primarily, the non-chronograph No-Date Rolex movements. I was just informed of this today, but the disruption is only temporary. FedEx is also having some issues on certain routes from China, so there may be delays in receiving parts on that front.

Thanks again for all the support and generosity I’ve received in the last few weeks from you all, it’s been greatly appreciated.

-Emerson