Watchmaker Velarde LLC
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"Tempus fugit, aeternitas manet"
Watchmaker Velarde is an Albuquerque based microbrand specializing in Southwest custom designed and assembled watches in all price ranges $-$$$.
I usually put chile on a watch dial. This time, I brought a pot of it to work—and took home Best Overall at our annual chile cook-off. 🌶️🏆
If you’ve seen the chile watches in my Field and Legacy collections, you know it has a place in what I make. It’s part of life here in New Mexico, from what we wear to what we bring to the table.
The watches you can order. The recipe? We’ll see. 😉
Visit our new online store at WATCHMAKERVELARDE.COM
10/02/2026
The mark has found a new home.
The Watchmaker Velarde website is now live—a place to explore the watches, meet John, and discover the family and New Mexico history carried by the Velarde name.
Come in. Take your time. Look around.
Explore Watchmaker Velarde online at
WATCHMAKERVELARDE.COM
10/01/2026
You can buy a watch anywhere. I want you to know who’s behind yours. For me, watchmaking is personal. It’s working with my hands, choosing the details, and carrying a little of New Mexico into something you’ll wear every day. Buying from an independent maker keeps that connection alive—and keeps more of our local stories in the things we choose to own.
The storefront pictured here is part of my family’s story. Tomorrow, I open the doors to the next chapter: a new Watchmaker Velarde shopping experience.
Come find a watch with roots. The all-new watchmakervelarde.com launches 10.01.26
09/30/2026
A new kind of Velarde storefront is coming soon.
Generations ago, Rudy and Maria Velarde built a storefront in Cuba, New Mexico, rooted in work, service and community. Today, Watchmaker Velarde carries that legacy into a new chapter.
This new storefront will share field watches shaped by ranch roads, handmade materials, family memory and the working traditions of Northern New Mexico.
Rooted in New Mexico. Built by hand. Made to give back.
A new watchmakervelarde.com is coming soon.
10.1.26
09/27/2026
Before there was Watchmaker Velarde, there were my grandparents, Rudy and Maria.
They built their life in Cuba, New Mexico, around family, hard work and the people who lived alongside them. Their storefront was more than a place to shop. It was part of the everyday life of a community shaped by ranching, faith, food and neighbors looking out for one another.
My grandfather, Rodolfo “Rudy” Velarde, was a cattle rancher, community leader and storyteller. My grandmother, Maria founded and ran the family grocery business—managing everything from inventory to finances. But their store was always more than just a business. When neighbors fell on hard times, Rudy and Maria quietly extended credit, food, and daily necessities. For them, the grocery store wasn’t just a way to make a living; it was a vital part of how their community looked after its own.
Their storefront still stands. Every time I think about it, I’m reminded that what we build can last beyond us when we put care into it and stay connected to where we come from.
That’s the story I carry into Watchmaker Velarde.
More soon.
Before it belonged to a watchmaker, this mark belonged to a ranch.
The V identified the cattle raised by John “Juan” Velarde-Brandt’s grandfather, Rodolfo Felipe “Rudy” Velarde, near Cuba, New Mexico.
Today, the same mark has found its way from the ranch to John’s watchmaking bench.
A new chapter of the Velarde story is coming soon.
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Albuquerque Nm, NM
87114
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