Motorcycles from Watches: Jose Pfau

A passion for motorcycles began in the 60s for Brazilian artist Jose Geraldo Reis Pfau and led him to his hobby of miniature motorcycle sculpture. He’s made well over 200 of ’em, mostly on weekends. Some guys use wire, nuts, bolts, wood and the like…Jose’s medium is wrist watches.

Pfau’s web gallery shows off tons of variations of bikes using any kind of material found in watches: metal, plastic, silver and gold. Wrist bands create “tread” for the mini tires and clock faces act as mags/wheels.

In his early days, his personal motorcycles were all customized. Some were inspired by the film Easy Rider, as was this small-scale Captain America chopper above.

Jose’s friend (and seller of watches) created a campaign where customers could turn in their old watches or eyeglasses as a deposit toward new ones. This is how so many watches were acquired by the artist.

I’m sure folks ask, “How much does one cost?” As of now, most of the creations remain in his personal collection, but he does plan to sell the pieces. It’s interesting how his work garners the attention of motorcyclists and jewelry aficionados alike.