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The Unexpected Journey of Papar Watches
Josh Blank, the company's co-founder, shares his journey in creating a unique take on telling time In the world of watchmaking innovation often comes from unexpected places. Josh Blank, a lawyer and …
Josh Blank, the company's co-founder, shares his journey in creating a unique take on telling time
The Unexpected Journey of Papar Watches
Josh Blank, the company’s co-founder, shares his journey in creating a unique take on telling time
In the world of watchmaking innovation often comes from unexpected places. Josh Blank, a lawyer and former tech startup founder, is proof that passion and creativity can transform a casual inspiration into an innovative timepiece. While exploring the brutalist landscapes of Mexico and watching his wife Emily (Papar’s Chief Creative Officer) and daughters make paper airplanes, Blank discovered a unique design language that would become the DNA of Papar and his first watch, the Anillo. 
“I’m not an industrial engineer,” Blank admits candidly, “but I couldn’t shake this idea of a unique way to show GMT time.” What started as a casual design experiment in Google Slides—hardly a professional design tool—evolved into a well crafted timepiece challenging traditional watchmaking conventions.
“I started messing around designing a watch case that was Brutalist and paper plane inspired,” he says, but his initial GMT design with 12 indices had a critical flaw—it could only tell time every other hour. Undeterred, he reimagined the dial, breaking traditional constraints by developing a 24-sector design that dramatically improves functionality. He then added a crescent moon cut out on the dial with a color gradient wheel behind it that changes color throughout the day, from light to dark, a poetic touch that transforms timekeeping into an almost meditative experience.
The name itself reflects this philosophy. “Papar” is a clever linguistic blend of “papel” (paper) and “doblar” (to fold) in Spanish, directly referencing the watch’s design inspiration. Papar is more than just a technical achievement; for Blank the watch embodies a deeply personal narrative. He sees a GMT watch as more than a timekeeping device, as a tool for emotional connection. “It’s about staying connected to my loved ones,” he explains, “a way to feel close to my daughters and wife when I’m traveling.”
Bringing the concept to life wasn’t straightforward. Blank reached out to George Miskovski of Koda Watches, a respected watch modifier in Australia, who became instrumental in transforming his sketches into a tangible prototype. Using an off-the-shelf Grand Seiko case, they created a working prototype that exceeded Blank’s expectations. What sets Papar apart isn’t just its innovative design, but its accessibility. Priced at $750, the watches are positioned to make innovative design available to a broader audience. 
The initial collection includes two versions, one in rose gold PVD with a sand and stone racetrack, and another in black steel – both featuring a true GMT movement. The 36mm watch is powered by the respected Miyota 9075 GMT movement inside its 316L stainless steel or rose gold PVD case, and features the brand’s trademark laser-cut sectors on its face (black and white for the stainless, sand and stone for the rose gold).
In an industry often dominated by generational watchmakers and traditional design houses, Blank represents a new breed of watchmaker, one who approaches design with fresh eyes and is unburdened by conventional wisdom, and he is already working on the brand’s next modelsl Combining brutalist architectural influences, the delicate art of paper folding, and a deeply personal approach to timekeeping, Blank has created a narrative device that connects time, emotion, and design.
