Evan Yurman Gets Revved Up

Evan Yurman may be best known as the design director for his family’s fine-jewelry company, David Yurman, but he’s also an underrated car buff, with seven vehicles in his vintage collection. His latest jeweled offering, The Classic 1957 Limited Edition Timepiece, is a watch inspired by that passion—particularly the iconic ’57 Thunderbird two-seater. The Yurman watch is activity-geared and steel-cased, fit with a sunburnt orange dial reminiscent of the cruiser’s headlamp and a mini seconds dial that draws reference to a roaring speed gauge. Here, the 27-year-old Yurman tells us about how his auto-devotion influences his work. More info at davidyurman.com

ASHLEY SIMPSON: Tell me about your first car.

EVAN YURMAN: I bought my first muscle car in 2004 when I saw a 1970 Plymouth GTX. It was love at first sight—loud, stinky, and beautiful. That was it. I was hooked. I thought that I would get all sorts of looks from girls, but it couldn’t have been anything further from the truth. The looks I get are mostly from middle-aged guys reminiscing about the cars they or their uncles had.

SIMPSON: What do you love about ’50s vehicles?

YURMAN: They were true classics. There was very little plastic used—mostly chrome and painted metal and the details were beautifully elegant.

SIMPSON: What specifically about the ’57 Thunderbird appealed to you?

YURMAN: It was one of a kind and one of the first niche-design automobiles I ever learned about. It was a slick two-seat car but was never marketed as a sports car—it was too luxe for that. Ford decided to call it a “personal luxury car,” which for the time was a bit radical.

SIMPSON: Will you continue to look to vintage automobiles as inspiration in the design process?

YURMAN: Absolutely. Cars are a large part of my life—well, as large as they can be with married life and two young girls. But they will always be an influence on my life and work.