Bruce McQuiston of MotoStudio

It’s another brilliant, blue-sky day in Miami, but Bruce McQuiston, founding designer, and fabricator at Moto-Studio, couldn’t care less — "Miami is not a great place for riding."

If he’s throwing shade, we’ll let him. His bespoke motorcycle shop tucked away in a warehouse along the Miami River, began so he could indulge his love for bikes uninterrupted. He’s in his own lane here, one of only 5 or 6 shops in the country building bikes of this caliber.

"Having been in the motor sport business, I got to ride motorcycles all over the world. I ended up in Miami, which is not a great place for riding.One day, a racing client saw a bike that I was building just for myself. He put up the money with another client to get Moto-Studio started. Ultimately, Moto-Studio became a channel for me to interact with motorcycles without actually having to ride them.”

Suddenly, we're grateful for Miami's sweltering heat, potholes, and walls of traffic.

Where's the connection?

Bruce, like LIV Watches, is living life on his terms. He captures the essence and spirit of motorcycling in a way few others are able. Perhaps that is what drew him to LIV's watches. Like Bruce, we are about design, quality, and value.

“What's interesting with LIV Watches is that a lot of my clients want one . . . I like the round-faced GX1 chronograph. I like the more subdued colors.”

To compare a wristwatch to a custom motorcycle might seem a stretch, but there are more similarities than you might expect. For both companies, it's about what goes into the product. And, the value and pleasure the buyer receives.

"If ever anything could be called poetry in motion, it's the wristwatch - and the motorcycle...[They] are two ways people can separate themselves from the pack...Both have engines that make them run, and a complicated watch movement can have more movements than even the most sophisticated motorcycle engine. Both are designed to run at the highest level of performance...[the sounds of both] are emotional and seductive."

         -Keith W. Strandberg

Here are some specifications for our respective masterpieces:

GX1 Swiss chrono features

• Hyper-accurate Swiss movement
• Color-contrasting stopwatch pushers
• Curved sapphire crystal
• Rubber sport strap
• 3-D engine-turned case & dial
• Choose from 7 sleek colorways
• Dry weight - a few ounces

Moto Guzzi 1100 Carb Sport

• Moto Guzzi 1064cc pushrod 2-valve V-twin
• High-compression pistons, megacycle cam, titanium pushrods
• Twin plug heads
• Bore x stroke: 92 x 80mm
• Power output: 105HP @ 7800 RPM
• Ohlins R&T USD forks
• Ohlins TTR 4-way rear shock
• Marchenese magnesium wheels
• Dry weight: 375 lbs.

On surprise designs

Both Bruce and LIV take pride in delighting our customers and fans with the unexpected touch. For us, it's about the little touches, the multi-layered dia. The superb movements. For Bruce, with his bigger canvas, things scale up. Asked about his favorite motorcycle, he said,

“My favorite bike is the High Roller. It's very light, which is not a word one would usually use to describe a motorcycle.”

He’s got a point about light weight. That is something more frequently heard about watches.

Artist at work

McQuiston followed his own road to the trade. First a sculptor with a BFA, he spent years teasing sensuous forms from materials like the rare Cuban mahogany tree.

Even while he was earning his degree, he was riding, and eventually, he ended up in Georgia, teaching race-car drivers and setting a few records of his own.

Only when he came to Miami did his passions converge. His sculptural background is evident in his bikes’ aesthetics, but “having ridden motorcycles for forty years, I have insight into their history and functionality.” Artistry joined with a dead understanding of the “material,” gives him the vision that results in head-turning bikes.

LIV watches get its share of head turns but rather than on the boulevards of South Beach; they’re more likely to occur around the water cooler, in a meeting, or the adventures of daily life.

On mechanical collections and connections

One of the things that draw people to watches is the mechanical aspect. The micro-engineering that goes into the design, production, and finally the assembly. Bruce understands this appeal and sees it in his customers, and himself.

“When you're buying a bike or a watch, you're buying it as a treat. Both represent something very private, for yourself — and mechanical.”

We couldn’t have said it better.