Designer Stories: B Sharp Watches

This month, we’re excited to feature B Sharp Watches, a designer whose work has captured the attention of 425k followers around the world. B Sharp is all about mechanical watch realism, crafting faces that feel like they’ve been plucked straight from a luxury timepiece and brought to life on your smartwatch screen.

In this interview, we talk about how he got started and how watch face design fits naturally alongside his other passions, like playing jazz guitar and spending time on the tennis court.

Tell us about yourself!

I am a professional jazz guitar player and avid tennis player based in North Carolina, USA. Both of these activities actually share a lot of similarities with watch face design. I’ll speak more to that at the end.

As a musician, I play 150–200 gigs per year in a variety of jazz settings and venues. I’ve been fortunate to perform in many places around the world, but the majority of the time I stay closer to home.

My latest recording is with a jazz organ trio and can be found on all the streaming services. It is called Face 2 Face 2 Face by The Dan Davis Group, and was released earlier this year.

What got you interested in watch face design?

In 2018, I was given a Samsung Frontier watch as a gift. Prior to that, I had not worn a watch for years. But I’ve always enjoyed gadgets, so I was happy to have this cool new smartwatch. It wasn’t long before I started searching for interesting watch faces and discovered an app that allowed anyone to make their own faces (it was not Facer).

I had dabbled with Photoshop for years, so I had plenty of experience with creating graphics already. One thing led to another, and I found myself deep into a hobby of making my own watch faces.

How did you find Facer?

I saw an ad somewhere online for a watch face design contest sponsored by Facer and Montblanc. I submitted a design and was one of the winners chosen. From that point forward, I switched over to Facer from the app I had been using, with the goal of becoming a partner, which I finally did after about a year and a half.

Which of your watch face designs are you most proud of and why?

It’s very hard to single out only one, out of more than 1,000 I’ve made. Though I started out with a concept of aiming for mechanical watch realism, in terms of both graphics and function, I’ve ventured into quite a range of design styles at this point.

I can’t choose one face, but if I had to choose one style out of these that I am most proud of, it’s probably the realistic style. I feel that, in this style, B# graphics really distinguish themselves from anything else available, so I’m proud of that.

What is your watch face design process like? Do you sketch first, start in photoshop, illustrator?

Always everything in Photoshop, from start to finish. My workflow has evolved over the years, becoming more efficient, and I’ve created a few templates that can be used as starters for several different styles of watches. But also, now AI has kind of changed everything. It’s allowed me to venture into a whole new range of ideas.

Of course, it’s never as simple as just having AI provide an image and it’s done. I use AI to create elements, or the start of something, that still goes into Photoshop for heavy editing and manipulation, but it has allowed me to conceive and follow the path of all kinds of ideas that are otherwise beyond my artistic skills.

What inspires your watch face designs?

At this point anything and everything :)

There is not a topic, thought, or scene that can’t somehow become the basis of a watch face.

Any recurring themes or influences?

I often return to mechanical watch realism–styled designs, and I also enjoy making seasonal and holiday-themed faces. But, in general, if I have an idea for one face, it will usually spawn a series in the same theme. The Mod Squad, or the various paper art–styled series I have, are good examples of that.

How do you stay inspired when you hit a creative block?

Maybe I’m lucky, because I don’t think I’ve ever sat down and not been able to come up with something to get a face started. Once I get something started on the Photoshop canvas, the rest of the design begins to reveal itself.

Anything else you would like to add?

I mentioned before about similarities between jazz music, tennis, and watch face design. The important parallel is that each has a defined form, boundaries, and set of rules, whether that be a musical structure and set of chord changes, the lines of a court, or the circular form of a watch that, at minimum, must display the time. Within those boundaries, there is absolute freedom, and there is reward for creativity.

I think I find the process similar for each pursuit, in that they all engage the problem-solving part of my brain in the same way. As I see a point, performance, or design gradually unfold before me, and as I take in the information available to me, the next move comes into focus.

Because of this overlap, I find that all three are very compatible with each other and, in a way, support each other, in that one creative endeavor can help charge the batteries for the other.

Engaging in one kind of creative activity fuels inspiration and sharpens my senses for the others. So, for this, and other reasons, I’m very happy that I found my way into watch face design, and very grateful to have this platform and partnership with Facer!

A huge thank you to B Sharp for taking the time to share his journey, insights, and passion for design with us. It’s always inspiring to hear from creators who bring both artistry and precision to their craft.

And of course, thank you, our readers, for joining us on this deep dive into the world of watch design. We hope this conversation sparked your curiosity and gave you a glimpse behind the scenes of what goes into making timepieces that are as meaningful as they are beautiful.

Stay tuned for more Designer Stories as we continue exploring the minds and visions of incredible designers shaping the world around us.