All eyes were on Josh Kerr this past Sunday as he lined up for his record-breaking mile. The Scottish runner was decked out in custom Brooks spikes and signature Oakley shades, as he broke the world record with a time of 3:42.66. However, my eyes were on his watch: A custom Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro with a gold and diamond bezel.
It was eight weeks out from Kerr’s attempt when Amazfit first approached David Perry, founder of David Perry Jewelry. The brand had one question: how do we put gold and diamonds on this running watch? The answer is harder than you’d think, but Perry—a former professional runner himself—was the man to do it. He’s designed custom pieces for Olympian Joe Klecker and runner Robert Farken to name a few, and even made the trophy for this year’s Bandit Grand Prix.
A long-distance runner at the University of Portland, he continued racing after graduating while working for brands like Thom Browne and Adidas. After a race, he’d reward himself with a custom gold chain as a symbol of his achievement. Soon, he was getting requests for custom jewelry from athletes wanting to commemorate milestone races. This laid the groundwork for what would become David Perry Jewelry, and his eponymous brand launched in 2020. He believes in the “buy right once” ethos he brought into designing Kerr’s custom watch.
“Usually something like this is done quick and cheap, but I didn’t want to just glue a diamond on a G-Shock,” he explains. “Since Josh would actually be wearing it during the attempt, I wanted to make sure it wouldn’t fall off or hinder him in any way.”
Perry decided to make the bezel out of solid 10-carat gold instead of dipping or plating it, which is the norm.
“We had the budget and the skill to do it and I didn’t want to cheap out,” he says. “Most fine jewelry is 14- to 24-carat gold, but 10 carat is the most durable, while still having that yellow look. Solid 10-carat gold is durable enough for [Kerr] to continue using as his daily running watch.”
Perry’s team then scanned a 3D image of the watch to build the bezel around, and ran into their first hiccup. They couldn’t solder the bezel as you would a regular dress watch because it would compromise the electronic components Kerr relies on to keep time and pace. In order to fix the 10-carat gold bezel onto the watch face, they engineered a unique bar-locking system. Next, a jeweler hand-polished the bezel down so that it would fit comfortably flush against Kerr’s wrist. Perry tells me it’s “an eye game to get it set perfectly” and requires precise skill.
Luckily, the team was able to support The Project 222 marketing campaign behind Kerr a bit easier. The watchband’s gold buckle was laser engraved with “222,” the number of seconds required to break the existing world record.
While he doesn’t compete anymore, Perry still gets about 20 miles a week in. He listens to either a 10-hour loop of David Goggins lectures or grime music depending on the day. His passion for running is palpable, inspiring and informing his eye for design. He insists he wouldn’t be where he is if it wasn’t for running.
“Running has given me so much, I want to give back to the sport as much as possible,” Perry tells me. “I’d love to be a running philanthropist of sorts, and support both young and professional athletes. Something. I’ll always be tethered to running.”
Now, his work is tethered to the history books.
Danny Perez is a Reviews Editor for Popular Mechanics with a focus on men's style, gear, and home goods. Recently, he was coordinator of partnership content at another product journalism outlet. Prior to that, he was a buyer for an independent men's shop in Houston, Texas, where he learned all about what makes great products great. He enjoys thrifting for 90s Broadway tees and vintage pajama sets. His spare time is occupied by watching movies and running to impress strangers on Strava.
