Tense Watches x Mike Markoff: A Collaboration in Time, Craft and Adventure

Actor Mike Markoff and Katherine Cozumel bring a natural sense of adventure, character and effortless style to a new collaboration with Tense Watches, a Canadian watchmaker crafting distinctive wooden timepieces in British Columbia since 1971.

Set against the relaxed beauty of Pine Cay in the Turks and Caicos Islands, the collaboration captures something that has always been central to Tense: a watch is more than a way to measure the hours. It becomes part of the experiences, places and people that give those hours meaning.

From quiet moments together to days spent exploring under the Caribbean sun, Mike and Katherine wear a selection of handcrafted Tense wooden watches designed to feel just as at home on an adventure as they do in everyday life.

The Story Behind the Tense x Mike Markoff Collaboration

Known for his work as an actor across film and television, Mike Markoff brings an understated, adventurous style that felt like a natural match for Tense.

Rather than creating a traditional studio campaign, this collaboration follows Mike and Katherine through real moments in a setting where natural materials, open landscapes and an unhurried way of life take center stage.

That connection is especially fitting for Tense. For more than five decades, we have worked with wood to create watches that celebrate the individuality found in natural materials. No two pieces of wood share exactly the same grain, tone or character, making every Tense watch subtly unique.

Against the natural landscape of Pine Cay, that philosophy comes to life in a different way. The watches become part of the journey rather than simply the subject of it.

It is a collaboration built around craftsmanship, individuality and a simple idea:

Time Well Spent

At the heart of the collaboration is a simple idea: time matters most when it is spent doing what we love, in places that inspire us, and with the people who matter to us.

Photographed against the natural beauty of Pine Cay in the Turks and Caicos Islands, Mike and Katherine's journey captures that idea through relaxed, unscripted moments. From days by the water to quiet time together, the setting provides a natural backdrop for watches designed to become part of life's experiences rather than simply accessories worn on the wrist.

For Tense, "Time Well Spent" also reflects the philosophy behind the way we make our watches. Working with wood requires an appreciation for the individual character of the material. Every grain, pattern and variation is different, giving each finished watch a character of its own.

The result is a timepiece made to travel with you, collect memories with you and become more personal with time.

Canadian Craftsmanship Since 1971

Long before wooden watches became a category of their own, Tense was working with wood in British Columbia, Canada.

Founded in 1971, Tense Watches has spent more than five decades developing its approach to wooden watchmaking. Our watches are designed and handcrafted in our workshop in British Columbia, combining natural wood with contemporary watchmaking to create timepieces that are distinctive, comfortable and made with character.

Wood is at the center of that process. Its natural grain means that no two pieces are completely identical. Subtle differences in color, texture and pattern give every Tense wooden watch its own individual appearance.

That connection to natural materials is particularly at home in the Tense x Mike Markoff collaboration. Surrounded by the sand, water and tropical landscape of Pine Cay, the warmth and texture of the wooden watches become part of the environment itself.

It is a meeting of Canadian craftsmanship and an island state of mind, connected by an appreciation for natural materials, thoughtful design and time well spent.

Throughout the collaboration, Mike and Katherine wear a selection of Tense wooden watches chosen to complement the relaxed, natural setting of Pine Cay.

From automatic wooden timepieces that reveal the movement within to understated designs created for everyday wear, each watch brings together natural materials and the craftsmanship that has defined Tense for more than five decades.

Explore the watches featured throughout the Tense x Mike Markoff collaboration and discover the individual woods, details and designs behind each piece.

THE WATCHES BEHIND THE JOURNEY