n a new adventure, everything often starts with an original name. In this respect, Typsim has hit the nail on the head. The name is derived from abbreviations from the fields of architecture and engineering. “Typ” for “typical” and “sim” for “similar”. As its creator Matthew Zinski explains, this name is “meant to invoke non-branded, quality goods – in this case watches.”

The brand takes great care with its design concepts - perhaps inspired by its surroundings, the Pacific Northwest of the USA, its rugged ocean beaches, volcanic mountain ranges and towering forests. Typsim essentially brings you on a different journey.

Craftsmanship, quality and precision are the cardinal values proclaimed by the brand. Plain and simple? Yes, but keeping it simple is usually the most complicated thing... Our interview with Matthew Zinski, designer and architect, self-taught watchmaker who launched Typsim in 2019.

Matthew Zinski, founder of Typsim

“I believe we have an imperative as designers to create clarity of function and clarity of concept.”

Europa Star: How did the Typsim brand come about and what were your motivations for creating it?

Matthew Zinski: First and foremost, I am a designer. I am a licensed architect with almost 25 years of experience, which is my day job, but I also have experience in UX design, furniture, graphic, and interior design. Designing is a passion for me. If I had to describe the philosophy behind my designs, it’s about clarity and beauty. I believe we have an imperative as designers to create clarity of function and clarity of concept. Clarity requires rigorous editing and honest evaluation. Beauty, while subjective, should be evaluated for simplicity, delight, and longevity.

I am also a self-taught watchmaker and horological enthusiast. I founded Typsim in 2019, about four years into my journey as a self-taught watchmaker. This aligned to an inflection point in my watchmaking career. At the time, I was working on more vintage, high-end timepieces and was increasingly connecting with them. Especially because I was becoming aware of how these pieces came together – the design, the details, the materials.

Armed with my experience as a designer and watchmaker, I decided to express my design philosophy through watches. I started Typsim to create the watches I would choose for myself as an enthusiast / collector, pieces that are carefully detailed, high-quality, and wear remarkably well. I am inspired by classic design elements and materials – the things that make vintage watches so wonderful. I use true gilt dials, a custom luminous material that will age with time, and acrylic crystals. I design chamfered details, thin bracelets, and drilled lugs. I am inspired to create watches that people will wear – figuratively and literally. I love that people connect with my watches and these become parts of their lives, indexical of their story.

Typsim 200M-C watches are chronometers bearing the Tête de Vipère, tested and certified in the historical watchmaking capital of France, Besançon, at the Observatoire de Besançon. Prior to that, Each complete watch is rigorously tested and adjusted in the brand’s Seattle workshop. Negative-relief, galvanically-coated, gilt dial. Domed, optical acrylic crystal. Sellita SW300-1 calibre. $1,799.

What were the challenges you faced at the start?

Starting a watch company a few months before the world was shut down by COVID-19, what challenges didn’t I face? (laughs) Manufacturing partners going out of business, shipping and logistic delays, and retracted agreements to name a few. What I look back on as the two most engaging challenges were learning to do business around the world and becoming adept at manufacturing watches.

I will admit, I was not fully prepared for the very real differences in how people conduct business in different countries. Opting to source various components from businesses around the world, five different countries from the onset, I had to learn to communicate, negotiate, and transact in five very different ways. One business partner might start every discussion with, “no”, while another might threaten to give up the project – all of which I took very personally in the beginning. Since then, I’ve learned how to communicate with and more productively work through issues that arise with each partner. And having fostered trust with my partners, I find I’m excited and inspired by them. I know I can rely on them to develop my vision and support Typsim moving forward.

As an architect, I have been well equipped to coordinate design, engineering, and manufacturing challenges. Good watches, like good buildings, require someone who can orchestrate and coordinate between design concept, engineering requirements, and manufacturing limitations. At first, and much to my frustration, my design concepts would get altered as I coordinated with my engineer. I would be told things like, “It is impossible to change the case back, the water resistance requires that thickness.” At face value, maybe that’s true. But the way I work, I need to understand why that’s true and how other solutions could also be true. So I would ask for the engineering calculations and details so I could in turn work through them myself, devising alternative solutions. It’s through this process that I arrived at a case back that was almost 50% thinner than initially engineered. So, yes, it’s a challenge, but it’s the kind of challenge I embrace and thrive on.

“I would be told things like, “It is impossible to change the case back, the water resistance requires that thickness.” At face value, maybe that’s true. But the way I work, I need to understand why that’s true and how other solutions could also be true.”

The Typsim TimeTraveler is a dual-time, travel watch with a proprietary mechanism that modifies a Sellita calibre SW330-2, designed in collaboration with American watchmaker, Zach Smith, of Hours Precision. This watch provides two times zones read on two separate, 12-hour hands. $2,100.

How do you operate in terms of new products and what are your main markets?

While I am constantly designing and exploring new ideas, presently, I am targeting a minimum of one watch release per year to complete the core collection of Typsim watches. To date, this includes diving, casual-dress, field, and dual-time watches. Each model is produced in limited quantities, generally 100 watches. Typsim is intentionally small-batch to allow design and development of the core models over time. Typsim watches sell around the world but our biggest market is the United States.

The 200M X seconde/seconde is special collaboration with Romaric André | seconde/seconde/, featuring a hand painted dial by Philippe Jacquin-Ravot (Manufacto).

What are your plans for the future?

The Typsim TimeTraveler has been my first venture into designing a new and custom complication around a specific use case: a person desiring to track two time zones when they travel. It’s not an easy thing to do but having achieved it I’m looking ahead at what’s the next special watch that someone needs and what associated complication does it require?

I live by the water with my wife and kids. We love to explore the beach – I can imagine a moon phase / tidal phase complication that would fit this use case. I’m also in the early phases of developing a perpetual calendar module – something from the ground up, designed, engineered, and manufactured here in the United States.

These days I’m being inspired to develop new watches that respond to interesting, unusual, or even forgotten uses that I can personally relate to. These ideas will continue to fill out the core Typsim collection over the next few years.

“The Typsim TimeTraveler has been my first venture into designing a new and custom complication around a specific use case: a person desiring to track two time zones when they travel.”