Masters of Time is a collection of timepieces from boutique London watchmaker Mr Jones Watches. They’re designed in collaboration with famous figures from different fields – notably, in our case, Graeme Obree, the Flying Scotsman.
It sounds a bit strange, granted, but actually the idea’s intriguing: take different people with an interesting and singular relationship to time (the others are writer and London historian Iain Sinclair, artist Brian Catling, comedian William Andrews and DJ Tom Middleton), and get them to collaborate artistically on a watch.
Graeme, if you remember, twice held the Hour record in the mid-90s, coming seemingly from nowhere with radical, self-designed bikes to snatch the title from the establishment. His innovations hardly endeared him to the progressive, transparent and trustworthy UCI, and the cycling positions he pioneered – the tuck and the superman – were banned in 1996. A 2006 film, The Flying Scotsman, chronicled his riding and struggles with depression.
I’m reliably informed that Mr Obree will be there at the launch on November 3, giving a short talk and mixing with the crowds. I had the pleasure of interviewing him once, and he’s a lovely and inspirational man. It’s free to go if you RSVP (see above) – so what are you waiting for?
Graeme, by the way, is working on a book about training and psychology. He recently relaunched his website and is now on Twitter.
