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After more than a decade in the watch industry, Cara Barrett knows a thing or two about timepieces. Launching her new children’s watch brand, Parchie, was a no-brainer. Named after Barrett’s childhood imaginary friend (seriously!), Parchie is a collection of fun, bright, sleek dive watches designed for kids and adults alike.
“Parchie became a part of my life at the age of three,” Barrett says. “He was first an imaginary friend I created on a family trip to Italy. His origin is unknown, but I think his purpose was to keep a curious, independent child occupied, and he did, for longer than I’d like to admit!”
After a stint in the Sotheby’s watch department and over five years as an early employee at editorial and e-commerce site Hodinkee, Barrett made a name for herself as one of the leading voices in the watch world. “I noticed a gap in the market for a cool kid’s watch that would appeal to both a six year old and their parents—I had to make it,” Barrett says. “I knew there was only one name that would work for my new brand, a name that meant so much to me as a child and one I knew would bring a lot of joy to thousands more.” And so Parchie was born.
“After a year and a half of development, Parchie manifested itself into a 32mm aluminum timepiece with design cues taken from vintage dive watches from the 1960s,” Barrett says. “It has brightly colored hands to make telling time easy and an adjustable strap that fits most children and adults.”
Barrett hopes for Parchie to be more than just a fun face for her brand; she hopes it will be an inspiration. “Parchie is all about having fun and being exactly who you are,” she says. “Whether you’re an introvert, an extrovert, a creative, or an athlete, Parchie wants you to live your life to the fullest and take advantage of the one thing we all can’t get enough of—time.”
Looking ahead, Barrett sees more for Parchie, whether that’s a website with articles teaching tips and tricks on telling time, or writing a book or making clocks down the line. Whatever the future endeavors may be, Parchie will be one to watch.
The collection is available now on parchiepal.com.