Today we’d like to introduce you to Danilo Villanueva Jr.

Hi Danilo, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?

For 15+ years, I’ve been in the creative advertising industry building campaigns in multinational agencies like BBDO, TBWA, Leo Burnett and Saatchi for brands like BMW, Mercedes, Emirates Airlines, VISA, General Motors and others. In 2017 I took a year long sabbatical to build my own brand called MAKINA. It is a watch brand. I’ve always been a watch enthusiast and so it made perfect sense to me that if I were to build a company it would be about watches. We launched it with the two models on day one and now, after 7 years, we have built 30+ models in total including several variants. We started out as a B2C company but now B2B as well, designing and building watches for several organizations, brands and companies since 2024.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?

Building brand history. It is probably considered more important for watch brands than most other types of brands. Although a lot of watch enthusiasts look for newer and bolder watch designs nowadays, a lot of them really value history and heritage beyond the aesthetics of any brand’s product offerings. And MAKINA as a fairly new brand still, it is difficult for us to achieve this when we have not been around for decades. But for just a little over 7 years of our existence, we’ve managed to build some history of our own with special watch projects made for the Paris 2024 Olympics, military watches made for the Philippine Military, watches for major corporations like San Miguel Corporation and Megaworld International and others. In my opinion, these are major bullet points in our brand’s historical timeline today and many years to come. Building brand history is something that’s forever really, and never ever quite finished.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?

MAKINA is an independent watch company specializing in pushing the limits of watch design. Our intent is to offer watch enthusiasts bolder alternatives. While we prioritize form over function by design, we ensure our timepieces remain highly wearable for everyday life. It’s all about striking that fine balance between traditional watchmaking and designs that feel “too out there.”

What sets us apart is our distinct design language—a combination of understated elegance and industrial aesthetics. But beyond that, our ability to create fully custom-made watches for organizations and brands is just as defining. Our work goes beyond simple modifications; each piece is truly bespoke, tailored to reflect the identity of our clients. In many ways, one part of MAKINA operates like a design firm, but exclusively for watches – at least for now.

If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?

Perseverance. Talent and skill are not enough. I put a lot of effort in ensuring our talent is always seen and therefore our skills are always in use. I push hard looking for new ways to evolve our models and new ways to get the brand out there. I find it’s the only way to get people interested and keep people interested resulting to more customers and more clients who want to bring home what we make and hire us for what we offer.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.makinawatches.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makinawatches/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/makinawatches/
• Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danilo-villanueva/