Anthony Farrer Opens Up about the Struggles He Overcame to Establish Himself

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Broken. Incarcerated. Helpless. Understanding the state of mind when one is at their lowest is still a mystery to many. While most continue to sink into a spiraling vortex, there are some who reinvent themselves and embark on a journey of self-discovery, fulfilment and impact. This is the story of Anthony William Farrer, now known as the Timepiece Gentleman. Anthony is today the proud owner of Gentleman Timepieces, a luxury wristwatch dealership, with a store in Dallas and a social media presence that is next to no one else in the industry.

But to truly appreciate his success and journey, it is necessary to take a trip down memory lane and see where this established entrepreneur is coming from. When we spoke to the delectable and charming gentleman recently, he was all but willing to let us into his world. “I grew up in Sherman, Texas with my twin brother in a foster home. In Sherman, life is almost like a cycle. You finish high school and if you’re not able to go to college out of town, you pick up a job at a local grocery store or join the family plumbing business or something like that,” he says.

“I knew I wanted more. I knew I needed to break off and do something bigger with my life and that’s how I found myself in Dallas after high school”, Anthony adds. He tells us how he took on several jobs, including working shifts at several night clubs, becoming a personal trainer, and even trying his hands on real estate. In the midst of all of these, he was getting sucked into the social scenes. He was drinking every other night and was arrested for a DUI after a heavy car chase as a teenager.

Anthony spent less than a year in prison, and when he got out, nothing really changed. As is the case with most people failing in life, he blamed everyone else and everything else but himself. “At some point I moved to Miami because I thought Dallas was the problem, but nothing really changed,” he notes. His life would go on to take a drastic turnaround when his brother was killed in an auto crash. He was riding a bike, drunk. At about this time, he was already on his way to prison for another DUI and would then miss the birth of his son.

“I was devastated by both events. I was practically driving under the influence every other night. I could’ve been killed too, but my twin was dead instead. And then I missed the birth of my son because of the stupid life I was living. I told myself it was over”, he says. After almost a year in prison, Anthony was released and had to live in a half-way home for a while. “Those months were instrumental to my life because they gave me an opportunity to really reflect and be innovative. But it was tough too.

“No one would give you a job because you’re an ex-convict. Besides, you’d only be available for work for half the hours they need you for every week. There was no work to do and I had lost everything when I went to prison. I didn’t have a college degree and I didn’t want to go back to the jobs I used to do because they’ll expose me further to the life I had chosen to give up”, he adds. It was from this pit that Anthony arose and worked to become the man that he is today.

He became a watch dealer after making a $500 profit from his first sale. He founded Gentleman Timepieces in 2017, serving as a link between people who wanted authentic preowned luxury wristwatches and those who had some to sell. That business has since grown to an 8-figure brand as the Timepiece Gentleman continues to exert his place and influence on the wristwatch ecosystem.

A Backyard Minimony Full of Modern Romance in Castro Valley, California

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June Williams, a global tech policy advisor at Google, and Stuart Glenn, a senior development manager at Apple, first met back in 2007 in Washington, DC, at a barbecue. Ten years later, they’d find themselves both on the West Coast. June reached out to invite Stuart to a professional networking event, but found her future husband.

Stuart popped the question on a surprise trip to Maui in November of 2019 with an engagement ring by Zameer Kassam, and the couple set their wedding date: October 10, 2020. Little did they know that the world would change after sending their save the dates.

“COVID challenged us to ask ourselves whether we would even have a wedding anytime soon because the safety and health of our loved ones is our primary concern,” June says. “We really wanted to honor our wedding date despite the challenges that 2020 delivered. We decided that we should make the day special and celebrate love and life.”

Working with Lea Stafford, the couple put on a backyard wedding at their home in Castro Valley, California. The couple cut the guest list from 150 to 13—just immediate family—but kept plenty of personal details, like a focus on food and music. They maintained their mission of hiring vendors with businesses owned by Black women and people of color. June even managed to surprise Stuart during the reception by flying in his cousin to sing India Arie’s “Beautiful Surprise.” And hosting the wedding at home motivated the couple to finish their landscaping amid lockdown.

“It was the most beautiful backdrop to a magical day,” June says. “We spent most of quarantine between these walls, and it’s the place where we will make many memories together as husband and wife."

Read on for all the details of June and Stuart’s romantic, backyard wedding, planned by Lea Stafford Events and photographed by Lynn Dunston Phtography.