Maria Reintjes is the Co-owner / Marketing Director at Christiaan van der Klaauw Astronomical Watches
1. Describe briefly your childhood.
I was born in the summer of 1975 in Utrecht in the Netherlands, the oldest of 5 children with two sisters and two brothers. My parents wanted to have children at a very young age and were loving hippies from the 60s as you would say. Everyone is equal, be nice to people and animals, never give up and always do your best at the things you do - my parents said. I had no average upbringing at all, it was a creative but organized household in which everybody was stimulated to be whomever they wanted to be. We were definitely not rich but my parents always seem to find creative ways to make things still very special. As a child, the lack of money was not an issue for me, but I know my parents struggled at many times to make ends meet with 5 children. It was a very happy and loving childhood with working hard being the oldest one. Doing school and a helping at home with so many brothers and sisters and afterwards often making homework in the evening hours every day was quite tough, but it gave me tremendous perseverance and really shaped me at that time.
2. As a child did you have any driving ambition?
As a small child, I wanted to be a writer for children’s books. Then it changed into wanting to be a children’s books artist, to draw the images with the story. I was always drawing, cutting, glueing, painting or making things. You could sit me down in a corner for hours as long as I had pencils, paper and scissors my parents always told me, I was apparently an easy child. And with my brothers and sisters, we would always do the same and play together, make or draw things or tell or listen to fairytale stories. I always knew I wanted to create since I was little.
3. What is your first significant memory as a child?
It is hard to recall the first one, one memory that stands out was being with my father in the woods of Amelisweerd. In the middle of the woods, there are sloping grass fields with 2 sloping holes in the field. My father always told me - when we sat down in the field – that a friendly giant has sat here and made the two holes with his buttocks. It was such a fun story.
4. Have you ever had another profession?
Yes and no at the same time. I did have a full career before stepping into the watch industry as a designer, it was just in another field: advertising. I finished two studies, Graphic Designer in Utrecht and the Academy of Art Direction & Design in Amsterdam. During my second study I was asked to work at Wubbe Creative, an advertising and design agency in Delft. I was asked by Daniël Reintjes who was a guest teacher for 3 years at my Art Direction Academy. He thought I stood out as a student and asked me to come and work and design at Wubbe - where he was the CEO and Creative Director. My style of designing fitted his own style exactly (which is quite unusual as everybody has their own style) and we had the same way of looking at things. I was quite hesitant at the beginning and a bit scared if I could pull it off since it was quite a known agency at that time. But I took the challenge and did it resulted in working there for 17 years as a graphic designer and art director. I had a marvellous time here. Halfway, the bureau developed also an online interactive agency named Fox on the Run, which I also worked for at the same time for 7 years as a visual designer. So designing traditional media was extended with designing online and interactive media which is really a different field of playing. I was really keen in learning and growing in both fields - so I could use and apply my design skills into our CVDK company later on. But the most important thing besides the amazing time at Wubbe is that Daniël and I found out in the beginning years that we had so much more in common besides our work and views on design. In him, I found my creative soulmate, my best friend and in the end my husband.
5. What made you decide to go in the direction you are currently in?
I have been a creative team with Daniël for 20 years and it is always in our nature to look at things - to create or design it ourselves for fun. To give it our personal touch or make something unique. We had created the opportunity to design our own house, but also pieces of furniture, our stairs and art inside our house. We love to design and adjust things but it can also be something small - it doesn’t have to be big or expensive, it is just a lot of fun if you can make something your own. So watches fit perfectly in this idea, it is also a clear expression of yourself I think. It says something about your personality and that’s how it all started. Daniel and I both accidentally love the color black (since we were small children) and decided to start and create a black lifestyle brand named Dark Rush while still having the two advertising agencies. Just for fun, we wanted to explore this creative new area. Everything was designed in black featuring a black leather line (agenda, wallet, bag etc) and a black chronograph watch line. A black case was very hard to find at that time and we thought this would give us the uniqueness we were looking for. We turned to Mr. Christiaan van der Klaauw in early 2000, who already made a custom made CVDK watch designed by Daniël in 1999. We showed Christiaan our Dark Rush designs and concepts and he loved it. And here the journey began. He helped us with our Dark Rush watches and we began to help him with his CVDK watches, in designs and marketing. If you look closely back in time you can already see Daniel’s signature in the Ariadne, Astrolabium and Venus. After years of a great working relationship and friendship with Christiaan he decided to retire in 2009 turning 65 years old. He looked for a successor and turned to us – with Daniël as the main watch designer and me for the marketing/designing of the brand. We were super honoured but also a bit in doubt having already three businesses running. But we did it. It was so unique in our eyes. In 2009 we took over the company and started anew. Christiaan had made amazing astronomical watches and normal watches that just showed you the time. We decided to make a new strategy and define our DNA and go back to the origin. To focus exclusively on astronomical watches, and the phrase ‘astronomical watches’ was added to the brand name and models with new, beautiful astronomical complications were invented and added. We created a new niche, the only atelier in the world that is completely devoted to the design and the production of exclusive, hand-made astronomical watches.
6. What’s the worst job you’ve had to do?
Working as a student at a big laundry factory. It was such a physically hard job to do, and it was done all by women.
7. What’s been the hardest moment in your life so far, and how did you overcome it?
Fortunately, I am spared a bit by tragedies, but my saddest moment is when I lost my father in 2013. He just turned 60 a month before so he was just so young and it felt so unfair. I miss and love him dearly. Fortunately, I am blessed with my second (step)father who raised me also since I was 3 years old, which I cannot be thankful enough for.
8. Who has had the strongest influence on you?
If I look outside my family I would say music, movies, art and magical creators like Steve Jobs and writer J.R.R. Tolkien. Inspirators close to me are my mother and fathers, my time at the Kees Boeke school (which had a big influence), but the most important person I have to say is Daniël who is a never-ending inspiration, such a creative genius and above all loving spirit. There is no one like him. I am grateful to have him in my life with all the adventures we have had together during these last 20 years.
9. What are you most proud of?
Creating together with Daniël an international watch brand – for us from scratch basically – and turning it into a unique astronomical watch atelier in the world with the recognition of becoming Haute Horlogerie by the FHH and winning the Grand Prix in our amazing collaboration with Van Cleef & Arpels. I couldn’t have dreamt it 11 years ago.
10. What advice would you give to a 20 something someone thinking of taking a similar path as you?
It sounds cheesy but it is just true. Don’t give up and do your best at the things you do and like. Create and design, be passionate about what you do. And yes you have to work hard, make long hours and take risks. And find somebody in your life that understands and supports your dream.
11. Name three things on your bucket list.
Really I don’t have a bucket list. I try to live as much in the moment. My absolute 100% wish is to grow healthy old together with Daniël. I would give up anything for it.
12. Where do you think the watch industry is going to be in 10 year’s time?
It will definitely change. A watch as a time devices is not enough in my opinion. It has to tell you more, a story, a technique or anything functional (like something with your health). If you want to know the time you look - like everybody else - at your phone. And secondly, I think it is all about customizing. Having your personal wishes shown on your wrist, reflecting your personality. That is also what we try to do as all our watches are made to order. A watch for us is an extension of yourself. If it were up to us we would only make special high-end one-off pieces in the future.
With my love and gratitude to my parents, Nicky & Henkie (Gerard), Peter & Britt, my siblings Layla, Moesje (Maurice), Juanita, Jimmy and my husband Daniël.