Benchcraft: Chase Fancher Makes No Little Plans

In this Q&A, Oak & Oscar founder Chase Fancher talks watchmaking, storytelling, and shares details on a special project turning angling memories into wearable art.

Fly fishing and watches may seem like separate interests, but to Chase Fancher, they are a meeting point between a deep love of design, history, and a healthy obsession for detail.

Fancher is the founder of Oak & Oscar, an independent watch brand based in Chicago. It’s been a decade since Fancher left a corporate career to pursue his passion, and in that time, Oak & Oscar has become a central figure in the rebirth of American watchmaking with a dedicated following of collectors and enthusiasts.

Now, he’s working on a special project that merges his love of watches with his love of fly fishing—capturing the experience of the river on the wrist. In this Q&A, Fancher reflects on the craft of making things that last, his passion for fly fishing, and why patience is the key to making both a beautiful and meaningful practice.

Tell us about Oak & Oscar; what's the story behind the company and the brand?

I quit a corporate gig, a job with a big four accounting firm; great company, great team, all of that. But, I wasn't passionate about it and I was working a tremendous number of hours every week and just didn't have the work-life balance I wanted. I wanted to do something I was passionate about, something I really cared about.

I absolutely love watches. I also love design and branding and marketing and strategy. I wanted to put it all together. I wanted the challenge. I wanted to make my own mark on horology. And it's been pretty crazy. It's the best thing I've ever done, the hardest thing I've ever done, the most stressful, the most amazing, most fulfilling, all of it.

This is actually our 10th year, which is pretty crazy.

Your company motto is ‘Make No Little Plans.’ How does it apply to what you do at Oak & Oscar, and how might people apply it in their own lives?

It's part of a quote by Daniel Burnham, who was a city planner and architect extraordinaire. He designed the layout of Chicago and Washington D.C., along with the Flat Iron Building in New York.

The full quote is “Make no little plans or they have no magic to stir men's blood.” I think it speaks to the idea of dreaming big because otherwise, what's the point? That's something we think about often.

I hear stories from our Owners all the time — we don’t like to call them customers — where they've taken my story of Oak & Oscar, starting it from scratch, quitting a day job, and have gone about doing the same thing in their own lives. It’s amazing to hear how the choices that I've made for myself have inspired others to do the same. That's something that you can't buy. And that's pretty darn cool.

What do you see as the role of mechanical sport watches like yours in the modern era?

Most of us check our time on our phone. But a watch is so much more than just a way to tell time. Watches can be how we identify with the world, or a way to celebrate a milestone, or a major life event like a marriage or having a kid.

There is a romanticism of that little engine in that watch with the gears, springs and levers — not to mention physics — working together to tell you the time. It tells a story. And then our stories become ingrained in them as patina and scratches. The stories that these watches become a part of is just as important as the time they tell.

Your watches are also extremely well-designed. Can you talk about the role that design plays in your process?

I appreciate that very much.

First of all, we have some good designers that we work with to help keep me in check. But I love little Easter eggs. I love little hidden details. I think they're charming. All of our watches have small details that maybe you don't notice for a year or two. It's just really an amazing way to make that product, whatever it may be, have some charm and personality. And for me, it's about that personal touch. Knowing that I've put a little bit of myself in there. It's an important thing.

Where does fly fishing fit in?

It’s become part of the DNA of the brand. We love getting out there. We love being in nature. Whether it's camping, fly fishing, hiking, whatever it may be, it's something that's important to us.

Fly fishing is not only a great hobby, a great sport, a great pastime, but it also carries so much craftsmanship, so many stories. I like the adventure of it. Getting out in the middle of nowhere, standing hip deep — sometimes chest deep if you've gone too far — listening to the birds, that trickle of water that just reminds you that you're in a really peaceful place. Even if you just had a wind knot take you out for that next 10 minutes…

It's also a phenomenal way to have a great adventure while experiencing new places. Something that I like to do whenever I'm traveling is to try to find a way to learn a little bit more about that area through fly fishing. Whether it’s a family trip out to Sedona or a business trip to Switzerland, it's really amazing to get out and experience fly fishing in such beautiful places. To see the world through a completely different lens, a different way. And the people you meet are just amazing.

Fly fishing in Switzerland; do tell.

The first time was amazing. I got my bags together at four in the morning from my hotel room, walked to the train, and took it to this little mountain town where the guide picked me up. I'd never taken a train to go fly fishing. That alone was completely unique.

So the guide picked me up and it was maybe a 20 minute drive to the spot. It was this beautiful area in a ravine. Unfortunately, the water was completely blown out from a storm the night before. And he was like, "There's no way we're fishing." And I basically said, "Look, I flew all the way from Chicago. I've spent a week in rooms looking at tiny watch parts. Let me just wet a line." I didn't catch a single thing, but it was still one of the best fly fishing experiences I’ve ever had.

I went back and fished with the same guide a second time. I showed up and he's like, "Here's your two-weight." I was like, "What the eff?" We fished these little blue lines like I've done out in the Carolinas, which was surprising to me. It was very windy and with the two-weight the dry fly presentation was pretty challenging but we did it. We caught these tiny little wild brown trout, a couple little rainbows. It was a different fishing experience.

You and your team like to fish The Driftless. What about this area stands out in your mind as being a special fly fishing destination?

I almost regret telling people as much as I am about it because it keeps getting busier and busier; people have discovered how much of a gem it is. The area is this really remarkable area that time kind of forgot. It's called The Driftless because the glaciers didn't cut through it and make it flat. There are a ton of springs that pop up with cold water that are great for fish.

It's a great area and especially Viroqua, Wisconsin in particular. It's this community of people who genuinely care about each other and there's this great little fly shop and great food and cafes. It's got some of the best coffee I've ever had. It's just this amazing place that I like to go to as much as I possibly can.

We have an annual Owners trip out there. It's a weekend of fly fishing, eating good food, and drinking good booze. It’s such an amazingly fun time in a beautiful area. It really is one of my favorite places.

Has fly fishing shifted your outlook on your business or your personal life?

You can't get into fly fishing in a small way. Or at least maybe I'm learning that about myself. It is probably my biggest hobby now. And calling it a hobby is an insult to how much I love it. And it's not just the activity of fly fishing itself, it's the camaraderie.

I caught my first brook trout, my favorite fish, with a really good buddy of mine. I had tried different flies and then he was like, “I got a fly.” And he took it out of his box that I know he tied himself, and second cast I hooked my first brookie. We had that big, high five moment in the water holding the fish.

Later on I took my family up to the same stream where I caught that fish. I wanted my boys to have that experience. And so, a couple casts in, I hook a brookie. I reeled it in. And my oldest, for the first time ever in his life, got to pick up the fish and release it. And I have a photo that I took of him and I, kind of mid high five. It's one of my favorite photos ever because his face just had this look of total amazement.

The world really does come around…

It sounds as though there's deep connective tissue between watches and fly fishing for you. How do watches fit into your angling life?

We actually did a presentation at a local Orvis fly shop about watches and fly fishing. We got to interview some legends, or families of legends, and talk to them a little bit about their watches. For example, Tom Rosenbauer from Orvis likes having an analog watch on his wrist while he's fishing. It's not buzzing. It's not vibrating. There's no beeps. It's not telling you you've got 30 missed emails or 20 calls or whatever it may be. It just lets you be and it's there with you. It doesn't take over your time.

In both fly fishing and watches there is a romanticism of craftsmanship and high quality materials and things that are timeless. It’s like learning to tie that new fly pattern or maybe tying your own leaders because you don't like the ones you can get from the package. It's a thirst of knowledge in a world that's so deep that the pursuit can never end. And watches have that same romance; these gears and mechanical movements that tell you the time and that craftsmanship that's involved with making them.

Fly fishing may not be the most productive way to catch fish. I think we all might agree on that. But it's the most artful way to do it. And that's the same thing to me with mechanical watches. It's its own art. A watch is this really beautiful piece of mechanical art that you can wear.

Oak & Oscar has started creating watch dials that have hand-painted fish on them. Can you talk about that project, what inspired it, and how people can engage with it if they're interested?

That project started out with just a random idea I had.

Then I was talking to Kirk Deter of Trout Unlimited who helps produce their journal and run the show over there. And he's like, “What! I love that idea." And he said, "We have a really important person who's retiring soon. Can you make one for him?" And I was like, “When do you need the watch by?" He's basically like, "We need it in a month." I'm like, "Oh s***."

Because we had never tried this before. A watch dial is really very small, 30 millimeters around and even smaller sometimes. We hadn't even found an artist who could possibly even help. But I love a good challenge.

I contacted Tim Johnson — folks might know him from Timmy Grips. He's extremely talented. I told him what I wanted to do and he said, "Holy crap, that sounds impossible. I love it. I'm in." And he bought a microscope. He bought special paint brushes that have probably one or two bristles at most. And we sent him some dials and we said, "Here, give it a try.”

And the dude nailed it. Hit it out of the park the first time. We ended up with a few brook trout and a few rainbows. So we put the watch together and we sent it off to Kirk Deer who had the same reaction: “Holy s***.”

It takes about 8 to 10 hours per dial to paint; it's almost pointillism. You can't really find it on our website. You have to kind of be in the know. And just through people learning about it, we've done several more fish dials. Everything from a smallmouth bass — a tonal black and white with a red eye — to a sunfish.

We actually worked with a guy who wanted to celebrate his very first sailfish. He sent us a photo of a sailfish and we basically copied that fish in an artistic way onto a tiny dial, even keeping the topography of the dorsal fin intact on the dial and you can immediately tell it was modeled after that fish. It's one of the coolest things I feel like we've done because it legitimately is this amazing work of art in this tiny little space that's on your wrist.

The commitment to craftsmanship and storytelling really bleeds through in everything you guys do. When can we expect the first Oak & Oscar fly rod?

Funny enough, I've recently gotten into fiberglass rods and we've talked to a couple of the folks about getting some blanks in the Oak & Oscar colors. I'm good friends with Cam from the Fiberglass Manifesto. And Brad — the buddy of mine who helped me get that first brook trout — he loves building fiberglass rods.

Have you started building rods yet? Are you at that point in your obsession?

No, no, no. And the reason being is twofold:

One, tying my own flies is enough for right now. As you can tell, I have a little bit of an obsessive personality. I didn't let myself get into watches until after college because I knew I would go down a really deep hole. And now I own a watch company. And I can only have so many obsessions. But what I'm sure might happen is as I watch Brad build these rods, I will fall in love with the process.

The other is that I really just want to be a good, well-rounded angler. I'm never going to be the best at anything, but I want to be someone who is knowledgeable and can enjoy themselves in a ton of different environments and just have fun, learn, and get out there and do it.