Banneker is a watch and clock company started by Derrick Holmes in 2003. The name pays homage to Benjamin Banneker and one of the companies missions is to re-build pride, re-energize our youth, and re-focus history towards African American inventors, scientists and notables while inspiring the creative spirit in people of every race and origin. The Company's primary goal is educating about our na
mesake, Benjamin Banneker, through constant recognition of his significant contributions to our society. Benjamin Banneker was born a free man in Maryland on November 9, 1731. His father and grandfather were former slaves. A farmer of modest means, Banneker nevertheless lived a life of unusual achievement. In 1751, the young man borrowed a pocket watch from a well-to-do neighbor; he took it apart and made a drawing of each component, then reassembled the watch and returned it, fully functioning, to its owner. From his drawings Banneker then proceed to carve, out of wood, enlarged replicas of each part. Calculating the proper number of teeth for each gear and the necessary relationships between the gears, he contracted a working wooden clock by 1753 that kept accurate time and truck the hours for over 50 years until it was destroyed in a house fire on the day of Banneker's funeral. Benjamin Banneker has been credited with constructing the first striking clock to be built completely in America from parts he hand carved of wood. At age 58, Banneker began the study of astronomy and was soon predicting future solar and lunar eclipses. He compiled the ephemeris, or information table, for annual almanacs that were published for the years 1792 through 1797. "Benjamin Banneker's Almanac" was a top seller from Pennsylvania to Virginia and even into Kentucky. Banneker became a noted astronomer and was part of a team that helped survey the boundaries creating what would become Washington DC. The "Sable Astronomer" was often pointed to as proof that African Americans were not intellectually inferior to European Americans. Thomas Jefferson himself noted this in a letter he wrote in response to Benjamin Banneker. Banneker would publish the letters (both his letter and Jefferson's response) in his Almanac becoming a forefather in the fight for equality among men of different races. Benjamin Banneker died on Sunday, October 9, 1806 at the age of 74. Banneker's clock and most of his personal belongings and writings were thought to be destroyed in a mysterious house fire that took place during the time of his funeral and destroyed his estate. Despite the popular prejudices of his times, the man was quite unwilling to let his race or his age hinder in any way his thirst for intellectual development. Benjamin Banneker is truly a forgotten founding father. Because Banneker's clock was made entirely out of wood, all Banneker Watches, Clocks, and Jewelry contain wood elements crafted with a wide assortment of luxury woods from around the world. We hope you enjoy your Banneker timepiece and will be as inspired by the story of Benjamin Banneker as we are. Today, Benjamin Banneker watches are uniquely designed using exotic woods like ebony and zebra wood to create elegant watch faces. No two Banneker watches are alike! The watch face and wood components are cut and rubbed from rare hardwoods, and the grain of every watch is "personalized" for the wearer as no two pieces of wood are exactly the same. Individual style is even another distinction that sets Banneker apart.
