watch parts motorcyles

Toronto man transforms vintage watch pieces into incredible works of art

Dan Tanenbaum is a technology entrepreneur in Toronto who makes intricate figurines using vintage watch pieces in his spare time. 

Tanenbaum's hobby started when he visited a watch dealer and noticed that he had a massive bucket of old watch pieces lying around, sparking an immediate interest. He couldn't bear to see them being thrown away, and asked if he could take them home.

"Watches interest me because the whole concept of this movement that can tell the exact time, the size of a loonie, is mind boggling to me," Tanenbaum told theGentries.

Tanenbaum has been a collector his entire life, but his mother's collection of old costume jewellery made him fascinated with the idea of starting a collection that one could wear and that could live outside of a drawer. 

He started by making cuff links, but soon found that it wasn't challenging enough even though they were selling well. When he started to make motorcycles however, posting the finished products on his Facebook page, Tanenbaum's art projects soon exploded in demand. 

Tanenbaum now has a massive collection of art pieces made from vintage watch pieces, and has designed custom pieces for celebrities like Chief Keef and Steve Aoki.

You can find and order his work on his Instagram page.

Want more stories like this? Make sure to subscribe to Side Hustle, theGentries's show about people in Toronto who have pursued their passion as a side project and found success that premieres weekly on Snapchat.

Lead photo by

Aaron Navarro


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