Deni Mesanovic is a man of many talents, and somewhat astoundingly, he manages to put them all to use running multiple businesses simultaneously at an extremely young age. A 2013 graduate of the the University of Michigan with a degree in sound engineering, Mesanovic quickly established himself with Mesanovic Microphones, handcrafting ribbon microphones in Detroit, MI. Ribbon microphones, for the uninitiated, are incredibly delicate to use, let alone engineer, and these early efforts gave Mesanovic the experience he needed to begin his second business venture, Pelton, in 2016.
Pelton’s raison d’être is “to bring luxury watchmaking to the USA like never before, and indeed, Mesanovic manufactures as many components as possible (including a steel bracelet) in his Detroit facility using his own machinery. In 2019, not content to simply rest on his horological laurels, he launched an eyewear collection of handcrafted sunglasses using materials from leading suppliers in the eyewear industry, including frames from Italian Mazzucchelli acetate and German hinges.
We spoke with Mesanovic about his diverse skill set and interests, his business, and what other products he has in the works.
Interview
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Q: You studied sound engineering in university and subsequently founded a ribbon microphone company. What did you learn from this first experience about business and manufacturing?
A: I learned a ton in the first few years of Mesanovic Microphones. At first, the microphones I was making were completely made using old-fashioned manual mills and lathes. As the business grew I transitioned into using CNC machinery, so there was a lot to learn there from the manufacturing side of things. Over the years I developed several new microphones but kept refining the manufacturing process and the quality control/testing process. From the business side it was a great experience being able to get our products into dealers all around the world and traveling to pro audio trade shows. Meeting customers face-to-face at trade shows or at studios is the best way to get feedback for our current and future products.
Q: What caused you to then begin a watch manufacturing business? Where did the interest in watches come from?
A: I’ve had a passion for watches from an early age and it has always stayed with me. After having acquired all the machinery and knowledge in microphone manufacturing I decided one day to try machining a watch case for fun while the machines were not making microphones. One thing led to another and I decided to start Pelton. The idea was not to start a large-scale watch manufacturing operation, but rather small scale with an emphasis on hand finishing. I personally machine, hand-finish, and assemble all the watches myself and I plan on keeping it this way for the foreseeable future. It also occurred to me that there was no one manufacturing a metal watch bracelet in the USA. I saw this as a challenge and a great opportunity which lead to the integrated bracelet design of the Perseus.
