University of the Free State (UFS) student Jabulani Mabuza has literally taken a step back in time and developed his own brand of traditional wrist watches called Honour Watches.
Mabuza is quoted by the university as saying his curiosity to understand how time is measured, also known as horological, pushed him to make his own time-piece.
“What I enjoy about horology is learning the deeper technicalities of the art, the whole process – from understanding basic astronomy and how planets move in our solar system to sort of emulating that in a watch mechanism,” said Mabuza, a final year BCom General Management student.
“The working of metals transformed into watch components that actually tell time is what I enjoy most and what I am investing in so that I can master it one day,” he added.
The QwaQwa campus student describes horology as the process of allowing yourself the time and patience required to master the art of building a watch from scratch.
In January 2020, according to the UFS, Mabuza acted on his curiosity about the process of assembling a watch and subsequently registered his watch business, Honour Watches, in January 2021.
Since then, he has steadily honed his craft, learning more about the art of watches.
He recently made it through to the central regional round of the Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education competition for studentpreneurs set for September 19-23.
The move can best be described as brave, as it has become fashionable to wear high-tech smartwatches and fitness gadgets compared to the classic watch.
Mabuza says his studies have largely influenced his business journey as it helps him understand the structure of his business professionally.
“It assists me with the business administration and management of Honour, and the rest is inspired by my creativity and passion for what time means to human beings,” he said.
“I enjoy the pursuit of creating a mechanical auto-magnetic watch for international travellers that will automatically adjust to different time zones as they travel.
“These horological pursuits are what I enjoy the most, believe in, and am passionate about.”
But the journey has not been smooth sailing because, according to Mabuza, South Africa does not have a watchmaking plant as yet, so all the components for his watches are currently imported from Japan and Switzerland.
He hopes to one day have his own production plant that will produce watches from scratch, in order to teach more people this skill and to create jobs, for which there is always a need. – Staff Reporter
