The Real Time Show: Laurents De Rijke and the Brand That Brought Miffy to Wrists

Date: December 21, 2025
Hosts: Alon Ben Joseph & Rob Nudds
Guest: Laurents de Rijke (De Rijke & Co.)

Episode Overview

In this engaging, insightful episode, Alon sits down in Amsterdam with Laurents de Rijke, founder of De Rijke & Co., the Dutch microbrand known for innovative "driver's watches" and the highly coveted Miffy collaboration. They delve into Laurents' journey from industrial design engineer and Vespa enthusiast to independent watchmaker, exploring design philosophy, the story behind the first rotating case driver's watch, entrepreneurship bottlenecks, and what it’s like building a "quintessentially Dutch" brand. The conversation covers Laurents' formative Vespa trip, the complexities and serendipity behind the Miffy project, future brand ambitions, and the challenges (and rewards) of solo watchmaking.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Origins: Vespa Adventure & Watchmaking Spark

• Laurents’ story begins with a 12,000 km Vespa trip along the Silk Road, spanning from the Netherlands to Kazakhstan (02:56).
• Memorable moment: Laurents buys a vintage Soviet Vostok watch at a flea market in Tbilisi, Georgia, which inspires him to create a wearable watch for glove-wearing drivers (06:37).
  • Quote:

    “I thought, maybe I can create a watch that I can wear on my gloves and still read while driving. And that’s how it started. I turned it into a graduation project and then the ball started rolling.” (07:59)

2. From Engineering Student to Watch Brand

• Laurents studied industrial design engineering at TU Delft, often considered "the MIT of Holland" (11:19).
• He extended his studies to focus seriously on watch development, mentored by Dutch designer Bruno Nina (11:25–13:53).
• The importance of building prototypes himself emerges as a theme, especially to avoid large investments and retain control.
  • Quote:

    “One of the big advantages: if you can do this stuff yourself, you can basically try stuff... It’s a healthy way to grow a business.” (14:03)

3. Design Philosophy: Form Follows Function

• The rotating "driver’s watch" case is born out of necessity—the ability to read the time without removing gloves or taking hands off the wheel (24:08, 25:15).
  • Integration of minimalism and functionality, drawing from Bauhaus and Dutch design.
  • Quote:

    “I really like also in product design if aesthetics have a meaning—form follows function in the end.” (26:08)

4. On Movements and Manufacturing

• Original watches used Soprod; soon shifted to Sellita (SW300, SW288) for practicality (30:48).
• Laurents stresses deep in-house work: from assembling, moonphase disks, to hand-finishing, most happens in his Dutch workshop (48:11).
  • Moonphase production includes 3D laser etching, plating (NL/CH), QC, and Luminova in Switzerland.
  • Quote:

    “For the Miffy Moonphase, we also make the complete moonphase disc ourselves… For the steel cases, at the moment we still do all the finishing ourselves.” (48:11)

5. The Miffy Collaboration: A Breakthrough

• Conceived after noticing Miffy’s wide appeal and minimalist design, and after seeing a Miffy pillow on a friend’s couch (38:57).
• The licensing process was rigorous and exclusive—“not like Disney”—with severe limits on the number of releases (43:08–44:28).
  • Quote:

    "They are just really picky. They have a vision of what fits the brand and what doesn’t.” (44:28)

  • The current white ceramic Miffy is the last release due to licensing limitations (42:44).

6. Entrepreneurship and Growing Pains

• Laurents operated for years in a small, makeshift home workshop, initially supplementing income with automotive restoration work (33:35).
• Went full-time with the brand about three years ago, catalyzed by the success of the Miffy collab and media attention (38:04).
• Memorable confession: Sometimes overwhelmed by success (53:18).
  • Quote:

    “You have to do a thousand things at once—and you can only focus on one thing. That’s a bottleneck.” (56:38)

7. Brand Identity: Dutch Roots and Design

• De Rijke & Co. considers itself “quintessentially Dutch,” echoing minimalism, pragmatism, and the Bauhaus legacy (45:46, 46:21).
• Laurents notes there is no standardized definition for “Dutch Made” watches but, by Swiss standards, De Rijke easily qualifies as a domestically produced brand (44:52–45:12).

8. The Future: Beyond Drivers Watches

• Laurents plans to broaden the brand beyond driver’s watches, developing core collections and working on a new, potentially proprietary movement (57:26–58:13, 59:23).
  • Quote:

    “One of the most important things for me to stand out... is developing and creating new stuff.” (58:15)

• He acknowledges the need for a dedicated collection with more consistent availability, possibly through select retailers, but wants to maintain focus on engineering and distinctiveness (57:33).

9. Personal Philosophy & Watch Community

• Laurents, a self-described “control freak,” has learned to delegate as the business grows, but still does most roles himself (17:11, 50:25).
• No intention to revive heritage brands—he prefers forging his own creative path (18:17).
• Engages actively in The Real Time Show's watch community on WhatsApp and recommends it for learning and connection (61:21).

Memorable Quotes and Moments with Timestamps

• On Endurance and Inspiration:

  “After three days we were already in Istanbul... my back was hurting so much; I almost gave up.” (03:23)

• Moment of Creation:

  “Maybe I can create a watch that I can wear on my gloves and still read while driving.” (07:59)

• On The Miffy Collab's Genesis:

  “I saw a pillow filled with Miffy… and it hit me—what if I make a watch with Miffy?” (38:57)

• Licensing Realities:

  “It’s not like, ‘okay I want to buy your license and make watches with Miffy.’ No, they say, what do you want to do? And then maybe, just maybe, they say yes.” (43:26)

• The Joy of Craft:

  “I always want to craft, to shape the future myself of my own brand. That’s maybe what I’m most passionate about.” (18:17)

• Navigating Success:

  “Sometimes you suffer from success… The business still has to go, but you’re always developing, always creating.” (53:56–56:38)

Highlights by Timestamp

• Intro & Miffy Collab Announced: 00:27–01:16
• Vespa Silk Road Origin Story: 02:10–05:00
• Genesis of First Watch/Graduation Project: 06:35–08:45
• Prototyping and Early Manufacturing: 11:19–17:11
• Philosophy of Form Follows Function: 24:08–27:30
• Rotating Driver's Watch Explained: 24:08–27:30
• First Sales & Going Full Time: 33:35–38:04
• Miffy Licensing and Brand Impact: 38:57–45:12
• Dutch Design and Brand Ethos: 45:46–47:39
• Team, Production, “We”—But Really Laurents Solo: 50:08–51:29
• Challenges of Scaling Up (Entrepreneurship): 53:56–57:04
• The Next Chapter, Movement Development, Broader Brand: 57:26–60:18
• Community Shout-Out & Meaning of Connection: 61:20

Conclusion

For newcomers and seasoned collectors alike, this episode offers a deep-dive into what it takes to build a unique watch brand rooted in Dutch design values, combining true industrial craft, a touch of playfulness (via Miffy), and entrepreneurial grit. Laurents’ story is one of persistence, creativity, and adapting to the realities of niche manufacturing.

Final words: Laurents is set to expand his offerings, solidify a core collection, and possibly enter movement development. While the Miffy chapter closes, his brand’s identity and community focus only grow stronger.

For more details and to connect directly, find Laurents and the hosts on the Real Time Show WhatsApp community or Instagram.