Jesse Marchant is a Swiss-Canadian musician and entrepreneur who founded the New York-based independent watch company Lorca in 2022. Born in Montreal to a Swiss mother and a Canadian father, Marchant was raised with a strong connection to Swiss horological traditions. His interest in watchmaking deepened significantly approximately 15 years ago after he inherited a gold dress watch from his Swiss grandfather, an artist and musician whom he greatly admired. This heirloom served as the catalyst for his transition from a dedicated watch collector to a brand founder.
Before entering the watch industry, Marchant established a career as a professional recording artist, releasing five studio albums since 2010. His transition into horology was driven by his experiences as a touring solo performer. Frequently traveling through different time zones across Europe and North America, Marchant felt that the market lacked a specific type of travel timepiece: one that combined the robustness and water resistance of a sports watch with the compact, elegant proportions of a vintage daily wearer.
Marchant utilized his existing creative skills, developed through years of designing his own LP cover art and packaging, to draft the initial designs for his brand. His vision for Lorca is characterized by a “romantic but rational” design language, emphasizing restraint, high-value technical specifications, and mid-sized cases. The brand’s debut release, the Model No. 1 GMT, was launched in March 2023 and gained recognition for its 36mm diameter and 200-meter water resistance.
Under Marchant’s leadership, Lorca operates with a commitment to Swiss-made production, sourcing components from premier suppliers and ensuring final assembly and regulation take place in Switzerland. He has since expanded the brand’s catalog with the Model No. 2 Chronograph, continuing to focus on creating serviceable, mechanical timepieces that serve as reliable travel companions. Today, Marchant continues to lead Lorca from New York City, blending his artistic background with a focused entrepreneurial approach to independent watchmaking.