Wrensilva x The 1916 Company present:
One Watch, One Record
Together with The 1916 Company, the premier destination for luxury timepieces and fine jewelry, we’ve come together to share a conversation on craftsmanship, design, and the lasting value of heirloom-quality analog objects.
In this inaugural One Watch, One Record conversation, Grammy-winning mix engineer Manny Marroquin reflects on his journey from Guatemala to Larrabee Studios. He shares how music began as an escape, watches marked milestones, and how “Black Dog” from Led Zeppelin IV shaped his path. From his first vinyl spin to the precision of his watch, Manny connects the dots between sound, craftsmanship, and lasting memories.
Marroquin, who was born in Guatemala in 1971, emigrated with his family to the United States when he was nine years old due to the Guatemalan Civil War. They settled in Los Angeles, where Marroquin enrolled as a student at the Alexander Hamilton High School’s Academy of Music and Performing Arts. There, he was first exposed to the art and science of sound engineering, and he’s never looked back.
Since then, Marroquin has become one of the most sought after sound engineers in the world. He’s worked with a virtual Who’s Who of modern popular music, collaborating with artists like Rihanna, Kanye West, Katy Perry, The Weeknd, Justin Bieber, Post Malone, John Mayer, Mariah Carey, John Legend, Lana Del Rey, Taylor Swift, and many more. Now 53, Marroquin has been nominated 38 times for GRAMMY® Awards, is a 14-time GRAMMY® Award Winner, and has as well been awarded four Latin GRAMMY® Awards.
Manny Marroquin with Tim Mosso at Larrabee Studios.
Whether it’s a watch, a record, or a mix, it’s all about the details—the highest level of craftsmanship.
Manny Marroquin
Our Walnut M1 Record Console.
Marroquin’s also a musician in his own right – he began playing drums after hearing Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham’s work on the classic unnamed fourth LZ album known as Led Zeppelin IV, on the song “Black Dog.”
Along the way, Marroquin fell in love with watches. Unlike many watch enthusiasts in the music industry, his tastes in watches reflect his preference for working in the background and avoiding obviously flashy or ostentatious timepieces, but his watch collection is as much a reflection of his quiet pursuit of excellence as his work at a mixing board.
The video series, “One Record, One Watch,” looks at music, the folks in the music industry who make things happen, and the watches they love and collect. In our first interview, the 1916 Company’s Tim Mosso sat down with Marroquin to talk music, Marroquin’s life and development as a collaborator with some of popular music’s most enduring talents.
We interviewed Marroquin at Larrabee Studios, the legendary LA recording facility which began as a single small studio on Larrabee Street in 1969 and which has since become one of the world’s greatest centers for music production, with Marroquin as its owner since 2005 (he began working there in 2001). It’s where Michael Jackson recorded Dangerous, but the list of its clients is nothing less than a comprehensive roster of dozens upon dozens of world famous names.
