A Conversation with Jim Wirth of GiantMouse Knives on Watches, Knives, – Windup Watch Shop

Most folks in our community know you through GiantMouse, but not everyone knows your backstory. How did you first get into knives, and how did GiantMouse get its start?

It started when I was a kid. My older brother gave me a small Gerber Silver Knight folder when I was around 12 or 13, and I was obsessed with it. After that I was hunting for knives everywhere—going to regional knife shows, reading Blade Magazine, and building a little collection.

That interest stuck with me into adulthood. As my career grew, I started collecting more custom knives and going to the big shows. Around 2013 I met Jens Anso and Jesper Voxnaes in New York. We clicked right away. We were all wearing Panerais, which helped. We started talking about why they didn’t run their own brand. They wanted to focus on design, and I had experience building companies. GiantMouse came out of that conversation: a way to combine their creativity with my business background and build something fun together.

Watch enthusiasts and knife collectors tend to overlap a lot. Why do you think that is?

Both are machined objects you carry every day. They’re tools, but they’re also small pieces of art. I’m drawn to mechanical watches for the same reason I love knives—the engineering, the history, the tactile feel. They’re also personal. A watch is one of the few pieces of jewelry I wear, and knives have that same sense of identity for enthusiasts. You spot other collectors pretty quickly. I’m always checking wrists and pocket clips when I walk into a room. It’s an easy way to connect with people and start a genuine conversation.

This collaboration is inspired by a vintage Zodiac watch from your collection. What’s the story there?

I’ve always loved vintage dive watches and spend a lot of time browsing the secondary market. My interest in Zodiac goes back years—a neighbor of mine, a World War II veteran, left me a vintage Zodiac when he passed. That pushed me to learn more about the brand. As I started collecting vintage Zodiacs, I found one piece with a colorway that really stuck with me. It’s small by modern standards and I don’t wear it much, but it became the visual starting point for this collaboration.

How did the project with Zodiac come together?

After we started exhibiting at the Windup Watch Fairs, I got to know Michael Pearson, who was at Zodiac at the time, and pitched the idea of a limited box set: a Zodiac dive watch paired with a GiantMouse dive knife. They were into it right away. From there it was about a year and a half of development—refining the design, sorting out manufacturing, and testing prototypes in real diving conditions. Now everything’s finalized, from the packaging to the specs, and we’re excited to finally launch it.

What ties the watch and knife together from a design standpoint?

The colorway is the obvious link—black and orange—but the knife is packed with functional details. The handle has open channels so it rinses clean after a dive, and we used aluminum and G10 to balance durability and weight. We worked with divers on the features: a blunt tip for safety and prying, serrations and a line cutter, and an extended tang you can tap on a tank to get attention underwater. There’s even a cutout shaped like the watch’s hour hand that doubles as a shackle wrench. It’s designed to be a real working tool.

What do you hope people take away from this set, especially if they’re not divers?

Most buyers probably won’t be diving with it, and that’s okay. For me it’s about the spirit of adventure. Dive gear represents getting outside and doing something active. Even if the set lives on someone’s desk, it’s a reminder of that mindset—and a cool expression of the overlap between watch and knife culture.

GiantMouse has been a big supporter of the Windup Watch Fairs. What makes that event important to you?

I’ve been part of the watch community for over 25 years, going back to the early forum days. Windup feels like a real-world version of that community. You’ve got microbrands, some mainstream companies, even vintage dealers, and the enthusiasts themselves all in one place. This is powerful for GiantMouse. I get to introduce the brand to longtime friends in the watch world and build that bridge between the two communities. I’ve always believed there’s a big overlap between watch and knife enthusiasts, and events like Windup—and collaborations like this with Zodiac—help make that connection real.

Thanks for spending this time with us Jim.

You bet. We’ll see you at Windup Dallas!