Meet the team
Thomas van straaten
Founder / Owner
VPC is Thomas’ brainchild. After working as a vintage watch dealer at Amsterdam Watch Company and a writer at Fratello, there was really only one possible outcome: he would try and build his own watch brand. If you know Thomas, you know this was inevitable.
Thomas ran a passion project like this before: “The vintage Rolex Datejust buyer’s & collector’s guide” is a book of his hand. It planted the seed that an even bigger project might just work out. And so, here we have VPC.
Thomas: “I use VPC as my own little horological playground. I really only make what I personally like, uncompromisingly, without ever considering “the market”. I feel this is the only way to do something truly original and truly worthwhile. Now I just have to find my 1.000 true fans, people who look at VPC and think: “Yes! I’m feeling that vibe!”. It is very much a watch geek’s brand. And I assume only geeks like me will appreciate the effort that we put into every tiny detail. So VPC is niche, but that is precisely how I love it!”
Max Resnick
Collaborator - Watch designer
Thomas: I had a clear concept in mind of what my debut watch should look like. I felt, however, that I needed a truly great designer to make it sing. The idea may be good, but the magic is in the execution. And so I was delighted to find Max Resnick willing to pick up the gauntlet.
Max is a specialist watch designer who has worked for some of the biggest names in the industry. To get him to draw our debut watch was a huge win, to put it mildly. I don’t think I am exaggerating when I say he is simply one of the very best designers in today’s watch world.
Max is a fantastic sparring partner and collaborator. I have rarely worked with more reliable and proactive professionals. He always has the required creative solutions, and he takes my Dutch directness in my feedback/input like a champ.
The VPC Type 37HW would not have been nearly as good without Max on the team. The fact that we managed to find a design language that is equal parts traditional and innovative, is all down to him.
You can see his other work and get in touch with Max via his website.
Samuel Baker
Collaborator - Typography designer
Thomas: As a vintage lover, I was well aware of the lost art of dial typography. Modern watches often just don’t look as charming. I actually stumbled upon Samuel in the comments section on Fratello. As it turns out, he was just the guy for the job!
Samuel is a broadly-skilled designer with a particular love of watch dial typography. Talk about specialization, right? Our paths coincidentally aligned perfectly, and so Samuel took on the challenge of designing completely custom typography for VPC.
You can read about his work in the “Design notes”. Trust me, it is fascinating.
Samuel is literally obsessed with his craft, which makes him endlessly fun to work with. He really goes a step beyond, sometimes revisiting things that were long approved already. “Hold on, I think I may have made it better still” is a text I received many times during this project. His level of perfectionism has lifted the watch and brand a level beyond what I could have done on my own.
You can get in touch with Samuel via his Instagram.
Morgan Saignes
Collaborator - Photographer
Thomas: I met Morgan at Fratello, where he is the resident photographer. It is easy to be impressed by his lively and fun character, but I hired him for his visual skills.
Morgan has a passion for watches that borders on obsession. He also has a true passion for photography. Put those two together and you have someone who is extremely eager and quick to learn. I have seen many watch photographers, most are either primarily watch enthusiasts or primarily photographers. In both cases, I tend to miss a certain engagement in the work. Not with Morgan. To me, his passion for both disciplines splashes off the screen when you see his work.
And so, it was an easy choice to ask Morgan to take care of the visual side of VPC. We had a blast doing the shoots and he will remain on board for future shoots too.
Explore more of Morgan’s work or get in touch via his Instagram.
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