Our story Northgate Watches

Time,
Refined

A watch should feel right the moment you put it on — and never disappoint after.

Northgate Watches was founded on that simple belief. Behind it stands Dutch designer Willem Kamerman — a man who has spent decades understanding not just how watches are made, but how they are experienced.

Willem Kamerman at his watchmaker's bench
Founder & Designer
Willem Kamerman Voorschoten · The Netherlands
Chapter one

A Lifetime in Watchmaking

Willem Kamerman's journey through horology is anything but ordinary. For over twenty years, he designed watches that challenged convention and told stories beyond timekeeping — work that has always lived at the intersection of innovation and craftsmanship.

His designs helped build successful brands, some of which went on to international recognition and acquisition. But success, for Willem, was never about scale.

  • 2004

    Developed some of the first fully configurable mechanical watches available online.

  • Craft

    Created sustainable dials from recycled materials — innovation at the intersection of conscience and craft.

  • Meaning

    Designed timepieces for veterans returning from missions — watches that carried meaning, not just mechanics.

  • Material

    Shaped wood from whisky casks into something wearable and deeply personal.

Northgate watchmaking detail Whisky-cask wood dial
Northgate watchmaking detail Watchmaking detail
Northgate watchmaking detail Considered, end to end
Northgate watchmaking detail Hand-finished chronograph

Success was never about scale. It was about getting things right.

Willem Kamerman signature Founder, Northgate Watches
Chapter two

Shaping a New Generation

The challenge2019

A new audience for an old art

Willem took on a different challenge: the future of watch collecting. By acquiring and transforming one of the world's largest vintage watch fairs, he introduced mechanical watches to younger collectors, first-time enthusiasts, and people discovering the beauty of timepieces for the very first time.

Mission complete2025

A new generation had arrived

By 2025, the mission was complete. A new generation of collectors had arrived — and Willem moved on, carrying everything he had learned toward something entirely his own.

Chapter three

The Birth of Northgate

Established 2020 Amsterdam · The Netherlands

Northgate Watches began as a culmination of everything Willem had learned. No experiments. No excess. No compromise — just a clear vision.

"Every decision serves the same purpose: to create a watch you can rely on, every day."

No experiments · No excess · No compromise
01

Slim, comfortable case

Designed to sit close and disappear on the wrist — built to be worn, not just admired.

02

Reliable Swiss movement

A proven Swiss heart, chosen for accuracy and longevity over novelty.

03

Sapphire crystal

Scratch-resistant clarity that stays sharp through years of daily life.

04

BGW9 Super-LumiNova

High-grade luminescence for clean, legible glow when the light goes.

05

Screw-down crown

A sealed, durable crown engineered to hold up to the everyday.

06

Finishing beyond expectation

Details and finishing far past the price point — the part you feel before you see.

The philosophy

Quality is not a feature. It is the foundation.

At Northgate, the philosophy is simple: a watch should never need to be returned. And that philosophy works.

"Customers don't send their watches back they come back for another."
Designed to stay

Made to stay
with you

Through daily wear Through years of use Through moments that matter

Because the best watch is not the one you notice most — but the one you trust completely.