A New York Based Independent Watch Brand
DESIGNED IN
NEW YORK
CRAFTED IN
SWITZERLAND
Stella Watch Company is a New York based independent brand founded in 2019 by co-owners Marcella and Stephen, two veterans in both the watch industry and business development. Stella watches are designed in New York and manufactured in Switzerland.
"There's something very charming about a watch, don't you think?"
-Marcella Dolan
Marcella – Left Brain
Marcella’s entire career has been in the watch industry. In 1995 she received a call from a friend who asked her to work with him at a small watch company. “I knew nothing about watches but the job had benefits so I said yes. I also had a strong desire to learn, a solid work ethic and I never turned down a good challenge”, she laughs. “I loved designing watches and I was immediately hooked. I also loved sourcing new materials, trying new finishing techniques and working with suppliers. I was constantly pushing myself to learn and I soon became engulfed in every aspect of the business.” This kind of drive eventually led to a vice president position for the watch division of a global fashion company. “I’m very lucky to have built a career doing something I love. It is true what they say – once you get into the watch industry, you never leave. Not only for the rewards of designing something so intricate and beautiful but also for the friendships you make. It’s a small but close community that not everyone understands. But when you get it, you get it”.
"To me what makes a great watch is all about how it makes you feel when you wear it."
-Stephen Rowley
Stephen – Right Brain
While Marcella was a fledgling watch designer Stephen was graduating from the University of Miami with a major in finance and then Columbia University with an MBA in management. Throughout his career in both retail and consumer products, Stephen has always had a passion for well-designed products. “I bought my first ‘real’ watch when I was 20, at a small antique shop in my hometown. It was a 10k Wittnauer skeleton manual wind. The intricacy, quality, and engineering of this tiny watch were just amazing to me. It’s still one of the most cherished pieces in my collection and I won’t even dare to say how many I own today! From that day on I had a real appreciation for how special a watch could be and how a quality watch could be handed down for generations”.
Two Halves Make a Whole
Marcella and Stephen’s career paths happen to coincide for a brief time and both recognized the talents of the other. “Working with Stephen was a real learning experience for me,” says Marcella. “He has a unique ability to not only think outside the box but to completely smash the box and look at things from angles you never dreamed of. He taught me to find what I couldn’t see, even though I didn’t know I was looking for it! When I design its mostly pure emotion but Stephen can look at a design and take it apart critically to find the flaws. It really opened my eyes to a new way of thinking”.
Stephen says that “Marcella and I made great business partners because we both had strong work ethics, a unique appreciation for great design and a mutual appreciation for each other’s strengths. Marcella is an incredibly creative individual who is very passionate about watches. She is also not satisfied with a project until she feels it is 100% perfect. And she will not stop until it is”.
Having mutual respect for each other’s talents is what makes the journey of Stella a collaborative partnership to develop exceptional products with passion and integrity.
The Future
Stella Watch Company is the culmination of two careers that led, in a way, directly to this point. “When Stephen and I started discussing this idea, I knew it made perfect sense. We’re both very fortunate to be at a place in our careers that allow us to step away from the commercialism and do something just for the pure passion of it”. “This is not something we are doing as a hobby” says Stephen. “We are doing this because we love watches and we want to connect with and give something back to the community. What we can offer is our experience and knowledge and a guarantee that Stella will be the highest quality timepiece with a well thought out, beautiful and just downright cool design”.
We are incredibly proud that our Co-Founder, Marcella, has been named to the WatchPro HOT 100 list.
Read the Q&A with