Most people use watches to find the time. Not Dmitriy Khristenko. The 40-year-old, who was born in the Ukraine and moved to America 14 years ago, takes the gold and silver timepieces and uses the parts to create intricate models of motorcycles, ATVs, and tuk-tuks.
Khristenko has spent countless hours scouring markets, garage sales, and even trash cans to find watches. Once he obtains them, he carefully takes each piece apart by hand before putting them back together into their new configuration. Each motorcycle takes up to 50 hours to complete and can sell for more than $475.
“Even the most simple of designs will take at least 30 hours,” says Khristenko. “I have been doing this for several years now and have made 40 models so far but I've no intention of stopping. I think people are fascinated by them.”
