About
Ardor & Forge
The idea for Ardor & Forge was hatched in early 2017 in our small but beautiful mountain town of Tyrone, Pennsylvania. Ardor & Forge, defined simply, means passion and creation. We are channeling that passion into creating watches that are for, and inspired by, watch enthusiasts with an adventurous spirit.
Ardor & Forge watches are rugged enough to endure your backwoods adventures, but stylish enough to wear to the office. We also believe every Ardor & Forge product should have meaning and purpose behind it. Every new project is driven by a specific inspiration that motivates us; that inspiration is used to guide every decision through the design process.
Our first project, “The Rothrock” is inspired by the outdoors; specifically, the twisting trails and beautiful scenic areas of Rothrock State Forest. This is our first entry into the microbrand landscape and is expected to be released in Summer 2018. I designed The Rothrock from scratch, approaching every detail with a discerning eye and a focus on materials and textures to deliver a unique product I’m proud of and hope you will love to take with you on your next adventure!
Our team
Zack Rackovan – Industrial Designer and founder. Designer of everything that bears the Ardor & Forge name. Also takes care of all other day-to-day operations to make sure things are running smoothly.
Chris Wiegand– Manufacturing and quality control. We’ve partnered with Chris Wiegand Custom Watch, one of the best in the business, to handle manufacturing of all Ardor & Forge watches. All watches are then hand-assembled and put through rigorous quality testing in Chris’s (Lüm-Tec) headquarters in Mentor, Ohio.
Matt Crowder – Hand-made leather straps.We’ve partnered with Matt Crowder at Jack Foster to provide us with some of the highest quality hand-made Horween leather watch straps available anywhere. Based in Greenville, South Carolina, we’re excited to have this true American craftsman as part of the team.
The Push (a brief history)
Watches have just always fascinated me. I was probably the only kid on the kickball field in 1st grade checking the time to see how much longer recess would last. The appeal of an eye-catching and quality crafted watch on my wrist never faded. How cool is it to have a miniature machine that fits on your wrist? When your wrist moves, the rotor pivots, which winds the mainspring, which powers the rest of the movement. Watching the escapement click, the gears turn, listening to the “ticking” sound, and ultimately seeing the second hand sweep around the dial of an automatic watch is so mesmerizing. Beyond that, I think watches provide such value for self-expression. Even if you’re at work in a suit and tie, scrubs, or coveralls, a watch can provide a little glimpse into who you are as a person.
During my time pursuing an Industrial Design degree at Auburn University, designing watches (and maybe other accessories) appealed to me more than anything else. With 10+ years of design experience under my belt, I’ve had the opportunity to work with well-known brands such as GNC, Hershey Co., Hunter Fan, Miracle Recreation, Penn State University, Ridgid, Ryobi, and Urban Outfitters, among others. I never got a gig designing a watch though, so I decided to do it on my own.
I spent several months praying, thinking, sketching, talking and researching. Taking every bit of knowledge I’ve gleaned over my design career and sprinkling in my love of the outdoors and adventure, Ardor & Forge was born.
“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” – 1 Peter 4:10
God blessed me with a drive to create and a motivation to figure out how things work. I have used those skills to give back as much as I could figure out how, but have always felt like I should be doing something more. Throughout 2017 and into early 2018 after making the decision to pursue starting this business, I pursued every opportunity that God provided: business instruction and mentorship, interviews and conversations with other watch enthusiasts, potential investor partnerships, new skill development and everything in between.
This brand is my passion; I’ve poured hundreds of hours and a small life savings into creating it. My hope and expectation is that Ardor & Forge, and everything we create bearing the Ardor & Forge logo, will be around for a long time, and through various partnerships, we can help a lot of people do a lot of great things in God’s name.
Thanks for checking us out!