Sharing a love of watches with the people that you love

Give a watch that means something.

A JONNIEO is designed around one person: their school colors, their city's team, the river they fish every chance they get. Add a toast, and it says what you'd say with a glass raised.

Design a gift How it works

Divers $479 · GMTs $659 · Up to 60 days from sketch to wrist, so plan ahead · Ships within the USA only.

A JONNIEO stainless steel watch with a smooth bezel, a white dial with a date, rose-gold hands and markers, a blue seconds hand and a steel three-link bracelet
The toast

“Four years of 8 a.m. classes and Saturdays in the student section. Wear your colors every day. So proud of you.”

Love, Mom
  • Diver · $479Three hands and a dive bezel
  • GMT · $659Adds a second time zone shown in 24-hour time and a two colored bezel insert for more personalization
  • Four dialsBlack, blue, green or white
  • Seven hand colorsRed, blue, black, green, gold, rose gold or silver, all with white lume
  • Innumerable bezelsDesign with JONNIEO to customize with 2 concept plans and 1 rendering
  • 60 daysFrom first sketch to their wrist

What's a tribute?

Made for one person.

Most tributes honor something they love. Some honor who they are. All of them use colors or original art*, never logos. A gift from a partner, a sibling, a proud parent, a grandparent, a best friend: anyone who loves them.

  • Their school

    The colors they wore for four years. A natural graduation gift.

  • Their city & teams

    The team they've stuck with through every bad season, in the colors they'd know anywhere.

  • Their passion

    One friend lives for fly fishing, so his watch wears a rainbow trout's colors. Golf, guitars, the lake: if they love it, it has colors.

  • Their character

    Or simply who they are to you: steady, bold, the one who always shows up. The toast says the rest.

*Original art is artwork we draw for them, never a copy of a logo, mascot or trademark.

A toast

“Four years of 8 a.m. classes and Saturdays in the student section. Wear your colors every day. So proud of you.”

Raise a toast

The part they'll remember.

If you want, write a few lines about why this watch, and why them. It's optional, and it's often the best part of the gift. A few places to start:

  • What do they love that most people don't know about?
  • What would you say if you were giving a toast at their party?
  • What should they think of every time they check the time?

Decide how the toast reaches them: a card you write by hand (we include JONNIEO stationery) or a tribute video (add your Instagram handle). SPECIAL OFFER: Share a short tribute for posting and we credit 10% back to you after your video is delivered.

Ready to wear

Named designs, as shown.

Order one exactly as you see it and save $60 on most designs: $419 for a Diver. It's sized to their wrist, with no design deposit and nothing to approve.

    Two styles, one price each

    Diver or GMT.

    Same steel case, sapphire crystal and 20mm lugs, same name on the dial. The Diver runs on an HK PT5000 automatic, the GMT on a Seiko NH34 automatic GMT.

    Diver

    $479

    • Three hands: hours, minutes, seconds
    • 60-minute dive bezel in their main color
    • Reads DIVER 100M on the dial
    Design a Diver

    GMT

    $659

    • Four hands: the arrow tracks a second time zone
    • 24-hour bezel split into two of their colors
    • Reads GMT 100M on the dial
    Design a GMT

    Every dial carries the same JONNIEO name and pulse logo. See every option

    For the graduate

    Their school colors. Your words.

    Graduation is when a good watch makes the most sense: the first real job, the first big meeting, the first time they want to look the part. Pick their school's colors, write the toast, and we'll design it around them.

    For spring graduations, start by March 16.

    Design a graduation gift

    For the wedding party

    One look for the party. A toast for each.

    Groomsmen gifts they will actually wear. Choose the wedding colors, then add a short toast for the groom, the best man and every guy standing next to them. We can design one watch for the whole party or a variation for each person, and tell us how many you need.

    Weddings run on a calendar, so start early: it is up to 60 days from sketch to wrist.

    Design a groomsmen gift

    How it works

    Designed with you, built for them.

    1. 01

      Tell us about them

      Who it's for, what the tribute is, the style, dial and colors, and your toast if you have one. We reply within 48 hours.

    2. 02

      Two concepts, one rendering

      A $50 design deposit gets us started. We draw two concepts around their story, then turn the one you choose into a photo-realistic rendering.

    3. 03

      You sign off

      Nothing is sourced or built until you approve the rendering. Then you pay the balance. Additional renderings are available for an additional charge.

    4. 04

      We build and deliver

      We source the parts, assemble the watch and ship it by USPS, $19 per watch, boxed and ready to give. We ship within the USA only.

    A JONNIEO watch in its open black display box beside the closed lid with the JONNIEO logo, the round-sealed black card and the cream instruction card
    The display box, the card and the instructions.

    In the box

    Everything they need, nothing to add.

    • The watch, sized to their wrist, in a JONNIEO display box with our logo on the cover
    • A watch tag with its model number and an original signature
    • An instruction card for setting the date and everyday care
    • A cleaning cloth
    • Extra links for adjusting the fit
    • JONNIEO stationery for your toast: a folded card the length of the box, with two halves to write on

    Up to 60 days to design, source, assemble and deliver each gift. Plan ahead.

    See the process and dates
    The Rainbow Trout: a JONNIEO dive watch with a black dial and an olive-green bezel with rose-gold numerals
    The Rainbow Trout.

    Our story

    It started with a rainbow trout.

    JONNIEO began as watches for friends. One of them spends every free weekend fly fishing, so his watch took on a rainbow trout's colors: an olive-green bezel with rose-gold numerals over a black dial with a pink seconds hand. He wears it to the office as a reminder of where he'd rather be.

    That's the idea behind every JONNIEO: a well-made automatic watch that's about the person wearing it. Our mission is simple:

    Sharing a love of watches with the people that you love.

    Look for the pulse. The heartbeat line under our name is on every JONNIEO dial. Why? Because watches have heartbeats too: an internal rhythm that keeps the time. A JONNIEO Diver beats at 4 Hz and a GMT at 3 Hz, and like a heart, it needs no battery. It runs on the motion of the person wearing it.

    Jonnie Busch-Vogel, founder of JONNIEO
    V1 on Jonnie's wrist: black dial, rose 12-hour bezel in a gold coin edge, steel three-link bracelet
    V1, the watch I wear. Order it as shown
    Jonnie wearing a head-mounted magnifier and working on a watch at a desk
    Me, working on a watch.

    Why I started JONNIEO

    I'm crazy about mechanical watches. We don't need them anymore, but over centuries of refinement people figured out how to make these little engineering marvels accurate to within seconds a day, with no battery at all.

    Only recently has it been possible to customize one with a good movement at an affordable price. The time felt right to start a bespoke mechanical watch company, and so many young people I meet seem eager to wear one.

    It's a great gift and a fun statement. Maybe it's one less reason to look at your phone, a way to stay in the moment a little longer. I don't know. But mechanical watches are cool, and giving one feels amazing.

    Take a risk. Give a toast with a heartfelt custom timepiece.

    Life is short. Make it count.

    — Jonnie Busch-Vogel, founder

    Questions

    Good to know

    Can you put their school or team logo on it?

    No, and that's on purpose. JONNIEO watches carry their colors, never anyone else's logo or name. The colors say it, and your toast says the rest.

    What's the difference between a Diver and a GMT?

    A Diver ($479) has three hands and a 60-minute dive bezel. A GMT ($659) adds a fourth hand that tracks a second time zone on a two-color 24-hour bezel. Both come with a black, blue, green or white dial. Compare them.

    How long does it take?

    Up to 60 days from our first conversation to delivery: design, sourcing, assembly and shipping. If you have a date in mind, check the plan-ahead dates and put it in your request.

    What do I get to approve?

    Two concept designs, then a photo-realistic rendering of the one you choose. Nothing is sourced or built until you sign off on it. Additional renderings are available for an additional charge.

    When do I pay?

    Twice. A $50 design deposit starts your design (waived until January 1, 2027). The balance is due when you sign off on a rendering: the watch price less your deposit, plus $19 shipping. For a $479 Diver, that's $349 + $19.

    Ordering a ready-to-wear design as shown? There's no deposit. You pay in full, plus shipping, once we've confirmed their wrist size.

    Payment runs on Stripe: card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. Your card details go straight to Stripe and never touch this site.

    Is a JONNIEO a replica?

    No. JONNIEO watches are original designs that pay tribute to classic dive and GMT styles. They carry the JONNIEO name only.

    What movement is inside?

    The Diver runs on an HK PT5000 automatic: 25 jewels, 4 Hz (28,800 beats an hour), about 38 to 42 hours of power reserve, with hacking seconds and hand winding. The GMT runs on a Seiko NH34 automatic GMT: 24 jewels, 3 Hz (21,600 beats an hour), about 41 hours of power reserve, with an independently set 24-hour hand.

    Every JONNIEO has a sapphire crystal, a stainless steel case and 100M water resistance. Cases are 40mm with a dive bezel and 39mm with a smooth bezel. Lugs are always 20mm.

    What if it doesn't fit?

    Tell us their wrist size in your request (our sizing guide shows how to measure, even for a surprise) and we'll size it before it ships. Every watch comes with extra links and instructions for adjusting the fit. If it still isn't right, you have 30 days to return it.

    Is there a warranty?

    Yes. Every JONNIEO has a one-year total warranty. After the first year, repairs cost only a small charge for parts. Please don't open the watch during the first year. If it ever stops, contact us and we'll send you a shipping label.

    How is it shipped?

    We ship within the USA only, and we do not ship outside the United States. It goes by USPS Priority Mail in a padded flat rate envelope, $19 per watch. Inside:

    • The watch, sized to their wrist, in a JONNIEO display box with our logo on the cover
    • A watch tag with its model number and an original signature
    • An instruction card for setting the date and everyday care
    • A cleaning cloth
    • Extra links for adjusting the fit
    • JONNIEO stationery for your toast: a folded card the length of the box, with two halves to write on
    Do you make women's watches?

    Not yet. We're working on a 31mm mechanical watch, but right now it's a little chunky, so we're still refining it. Coming soon!

    Can I order several?

    Yes. Groomsmen, a team, a graduating class or a company gift: pick "Groomsmen or wedding party" or "Corporate or team gift" as the occasion and tell us how many. We'll design one look for the group, or a variation for each person, and start early, since each watch is still made by hand.

    Plan ahead

    Know someone who deserves a toast?

    Start a design today. Or leave your email and we'll remind you 60 days before graduations and Father's Day.

    Start a gift