For Luxury Brand William Henry, Attention is in Details
One of America’s top designers of men’s luxury accessory items despises the term most often used to describe the company’s core business.
“I hate the word ‘accessories,’” said Matt Conable, co-founder and lead creative designer for William Henry. “It sounds like an afterthought, or something frivolous. Today’s most discerning men treasure the personal items they choose to wear, keep and carry. Creating legacy pieces that are as fascinating and interesting as the men who covet them is core to our design philosophy.”
It’s also what has led William Henry to design and craft exquisite and unique pieces for men that are destined to become instant classics, including jewelry, award-winning pocket knives, writing instruments and money clips.
Unlike luxury watches, William Henry collections are about much more than form and function; each piece tells a story as interesting and complex as the man who owns them. The hallmark of William Henry is master craftsmanship down to the last hand-polished detail, and designs that feature the seamless integration of exotic materials, precious metals and gemstones.
“We search the globe for unique, unusual materials and techniques that are unmatched not only for their classic beauty and style, but for the story they convey” said Conable. “We don’t just design products, we create timeless and highly personal keepsakes.”
With that philosophy always in mind, it’s not unusual for a William Henry knife, for example, to incorporate materials and ancient techniques that originate from a dozen different countries. Exquisite organic materials, including 100-million-year-old wooly mammoth tooth, fossil dinosaur bone, rare meteorite scale and ancient coral combine with precious metals and gemstones, making each William Henry piece a work-of art, destined to be treasured and handed down to the next generation. More than material, the company also works with some of the best engravers in the world, giving them the creative license to express their style and skill.
With that kind of extreme attention to detail, there’s nothing remotely mass produced about William Henry collections. Limited William Henry pieces are the norm, not the exception. A knife to take 12 to 15 months from pencil sketch to finished product. That’s because Conable believes no machine can replicate time-honored details, such as the hand forged and finish work necessary to create a superb knife blade using 500-year-old techniques that were originated in Japan by master samurai sword makers. It’s also why William Henry knives can cost upwards of tens of thousands of dollars.
“We believe there are men today who value timeless, exceptional quality. They appreciate fine craft, the artwork, and the rich story behind the possessions they choose,” said Conable. “We design exclusively for them.”
For more information, visit WilliamHenry.com
Timeless, rugged and flexible, the rich history behind this bracelet is as captivating. Elegantly simple, the Zenith is made from 10,000 year-old fossil Woolly Mammoth tooth beads, offset by sterling silver spacers in a rich satin gunmetal finish. This luxurious but casual bracelet features a durable paracord and a fully adjustable spring-loaded clasp.
Sweet, simple, timeless; the Chieftain features a centerpiece made from fossil dinosaur bone, the last legacy of an Apatosaurus that walked the deserts of the western USA over 80 million years ago. It is flanked by ornate beads crafted from solid 18K yellow gold, and finished with black onyx wrapping to our custom sterling silver clasp.
The ‘Ponderosa' is the beautiful balance between elegance, function, modern and exotic materials. It features a beautiful frame in hand-forged 'twist' mokume gane, inlaid with stabilized blue spruce pinecone. The blade is hand-forged 'hornets nest' damascus steel; the one-hand button lock and thumb stud are set with blazing red topaz gemstones.
The Kestrel 'Zephyr' features a beautiful frame in 24K gold koftgari, inlaid with a mesmerizing scale in 100,000 year-old fossil coral from the Florida Keys. The blade is 'wave' damascus with an extra-strong core in ZDP189 steel; the one-hand button lock and the thumb stud are set with spinel gemstones. The Kestrel is a compact but versatile folder that works and presents beautifully in any situation.
The Spearpoint ‘Jerome’ features a frame in hand carved sterling silver, inlaid with 'zinc matrix' Kingman turquoise. The blade is 'wave' damascus with an extra strong core in ZDP-189 steel; the one-hand button lock and the thumb stud are set with white topaz gemstones. The ‘Jerome’ epitomizes William Henry’s core philosophy – that superlative function deserves to be elevated to superlative art.
Inlaid with Tahitian black lip pearl, this small statement knife is the perfect balance of precious natural materials and timeless hand-crafted techniques. The handle features 24K gold koftgari, an ancient Indian technique done entirely by hand that involves creating a very fine cross-hatch grid in parkerized steel and burnishing a gold or silver wire into a pattern bound by the cross hatching.
