ABOUT US

When the three co-founders of MEC originally met, it was simply an exercise in socializing - in the only way possible during a pandemic lockdown - between three enthusiastic watch collectors. Their individual professional, personal, and cultural backgrounds could not have been more different from the others… a photographic fine-artist, creative director, and designer, originally from Hong Kong; a businessman, entrepreneur, and lawyer from Venezuela; and a biologist-turned watchmaker from South Carolina.

The soon-to-be team members quickly realized that they were obsessed with many of the same watch design and construction details, despite their widely different experience and focus in the world of watchmaking. The three made a singular commitment: that if they were going to move forward with making a watch, they would do it to the finest degree possible. The result of this entirely self-funded project is the MEC-1, designed from the ground up by the MEC Team, and a realization of our interpretation of “Horlogerie Americaine”; this is American Watchmaking, mixing traditional watchmaking techniques and skills with modern materials and design innovations.

Judd Wood is a watchmaker from Lexington, South Carolina. He worked his way from small-town watch shop apprentice to positions with some of the most prestigious and significant brands in traditional and modern watchmaking.

During seven years at Ulysse Nardin, he was able to appreciate, hands-on, the creative complications of Ludwig Oechslin and advanced materials and innovations the brand was known for; following that, he spent several years working for Vacheron Contstantin, steeped in tradition and requiring adherence to some of the most strict standards in the watchmaking industry.

For the past four years, Judd has worked for F. P. Journe, trusted with service and restoration of iconic pieces created by Francois-Paul Journe. Judd earned a BS in Biology from the University of South Carolina and an AAS in Watchmaking and Microtechnology from Oklahoma State University.

Eric Lau is a multi-disciplined creative director, fine artist, explorer and public speaker who moved from Hong Kong to NYC in his late teens. As a Madison Avenue advertising professional, he had served over 50 Fortune 500 companies and his work had consistently won top industrial awards.

After 2015, he switched gears into future forecasting, helping organizations understand explosive and immediate cultural shifts, as well as cultural tastes that develop over time with Sparks & Honey. As a fine artist, Eric is mostly known for his iPhone NYC subway series which was featured by the New York Times, Apple, TimeOut New York and PSFK. In 2018, his photo was exhibited at Sotheby’s NYC and named as the ‘Winning Artist’; Eric’s work was exhibited internationally in 30 shows in NYC, Hong Kong, Italy and Taipei.

Carlos Simon Ramirez is an entrepreneur originally from Caracas, Venezuela. He has reinvented himself many times in areas of Law, Marketing, Business Consultanting, and Finance. At 20 years old, Carlos launched the first online TV station in Latin America; later, he moved into business consulting, working with some of the most well established and prestigious watch brands to broaden their visibility and reach.

His current company, Bolivar Peak Capital, is a Private Equity Fund specializing in Alternatives such as Real Estate and Luxury investment-grade assets. At only six years old, Carlos found his love for watches; starting humbly with fossil, he has progressed to develop an understanding and admiration of fine watchmaking, with a particular fondness for Jaeger-LeCoultre and Vacheron Constantin. His fascination and appreciation of mechanical beauty and timeless design extends into cars, planes, yachts; he loves the coalition between form and function.