This '80s Child Star Swapped Hollywood Glitz for a Quiet Life as a Watch Collector – His Story & Photos at 48

He works alone out of a repair facility in Ohio, where he grades watches for private collectors and major auction houses. On most days, he wears a vintage Jaeger-LeCoultre and drives a Subaru to a rented apartment furnished with items from Ikea and Target.

This former child actor was once among the most recognizable faces on television and made an early exit from fame after headlining one of the most beloved series of the 1980s. He then navigated academia, family life, and behind-the-scenes Hollywood work before stepping away completely.

Now 48, he's found new footing in a field built on precision and trust, far from red carpets or studio lots. He leads a quiet life, focused on a growing business within a niche collector's market. His path from child stardom to horology wasn't sudden. It was driven by personal interests and industry setbacks.

Early Television Career and Childhood Stardom

He was born in the summer of 1976 and began acting professionally by the time he was nine. His first role came in a 1986 television drama produced by Lorimar, and he was soon invited to audition for film roles, including a part in "The Boy Who Could Fly."

Two years later, he was cast as the lead in a new family series, "The Wonder Years," on network television. The show debuted in 1988, quickly became a cultural touchstone, and ran for six seasons.

Over the next several years, he also appeared in a string of family-friendly films — among them, "Vice Versa," "Little Monsters," and "The Wizard." In one of the films, he acted alongside his younger brother and shared the screen with Christian Slater and Beau Bridges in another.

By the time "The Wonder Years" ended in 1993, he had become one of the most recognizable child stars of the era. But rather than continue directly into adult roles, he made a decision that caught many by surprise.

Post-Fame Choices and Academic Pursuits

Choosing to take a break from acting, he returned to high school full-time and eventually enrolled at Stanford University, where he majored in English. He said he chose the subject because "Entertainment is largely about storytelling. I wanted to expose myself to the best stories by the best authors."

He later recalled it as "a chance to be with people my own age, to let myself go and enjoy life," adding that he fell in with a group of students who weren't focused solely on academics. Still, he did study a lot. "At most other college campuses, my group would have been considered big nerds," he said.

Though he stayed away from formal drama studies, he participated in student theater. One rehearsal involved a director slaughtering a chicken.

During this time, he took a brief hiatus from school to star in the sitcom "Working," which ran for two seasons and pushed his graduation back by a year.

He later described this period as a "palate-cleansing" phase, common among actors transitioning into adulthood. It was during this time that he began reevaluating whether he wanted to continue acting.

Throughout his teenage years and into adulthood, he remained largely disconnected from Hollywood's social scene. He wasn't part of the nightlife or inner circles common among young actors of the time.

While he was occasionally seen at high-profile events like the Emmys or Mardi Gras parades, he described himself as insulated from the experience of fame. He credited his grounded perspective to his family and early environment.

"I had really supportive parents, and my friends and social life were not show business people," he stated. Though he admitted there was a time when he wanted to be more involved in that world, he eventually recognized that his separation from it had long-term benefits.

Return to Entertainment Through Directing

After college, he reentered the entertainment industry, this time behind the camera. Unsure of how to begin, he started cold-calling directors and production offices, asking if he could observe their work. Some calls went unanswered, but a few led to opportunities.

He sat in the bleachers on the "Will & Grace" set after reaching out to Jimmy Burrows's assistant. He also shadowed Todd Holland, who had directed him years earlier in "The Wizard," while Holland was working on "Malcolm in the Middle."

He described the process as humbling and compared it to going door-to-door, trying to prove he was serious about the work. Over time, he built a steady directing career, taking on episodes of various television series, including "The Grinder."

In 2021, he returned to "The Wonder Years," the franchise that launched his acting career, serving as executive producer and director of its reboot on ABC. The job marked his highest-profile project in years but would also be his last major credit in Hollywood.

In 2022, his involvement with "The Wonder Years" reboot ended. He had been serving as the show's executive producer and director when 20th Television, the studio behind the series, announced that it had received allegations of "inappropriate conduct."

Following an internal investigation, he was removed from the production. He denied the allegations at the time. By 2023, the television and film industry was halted by the writers' and actors' strikes.

With production stalled across Hollywood, he turned his attention to a business idea he had been thinking about for several years. After decades of working in front of and behind the camera, he stepped away from the entertainment industry to focus entirely on a new venture in vintage watches.

Early Interest in Watch Collecting

He became interested in watches in 2017 while working in New York on the Netflix series "Friends from College." During that time, he was introduced to a group of vintage watch collectors and resellers. He began attending auctions and learning more about mechanical timepieces, gradually becoming part of the collecting community.

He joined the Classic Watch Club, a Manhattan-based collectors' group, and began acquiring pieces for his collection. Over time, he amassed around 50 watches, including model brands like Swatch, Seiko, and Citizen. However, not everyone in the watch industry was immediately convinced of his commitment.

Collector Morgan King, based in Los Angeles, admitted to initial skepticism. "Here's just another celebrity who has cash who wants to flex," King thought at the time. But after meeting him and talking in-depth, King changed his mind.

"Once we started talking, in the first five minutes I was like, 'This guy's for real — he caught the bug,'" he recalled. King now serves in an unpaid advisory role on the actor's watch company board. His involvement in the community continued quietly over the next several years, even as he remained active in television.

The deeper he went into collecting, the more seriously he approached the subject — and the more he began to notice a need within the market that no one had addressed.

Founding Timepiece Grading Specialists

In late 2024, he officially launched Timepiece Grading Specialists (TGS), a business dedicated to evaluating the condition of collectible watches. The idea came from his own experience buying a problem-riddled watch online.

He saw a lack of oversight in the growing vintage watch market and began developing a system that could offer collectors reliable third-party grading. The company provides detailed assessments, including high-resolution photographs, to determine a watch's authenticity and condition.

At the time, services started at $250 per watch, with additional options for appraisals, servicing, and secure storage. TGS began accepting watches for evaluation in a soft launch in the fall of 2024. In December, three watches sold at Sotheby's Important Watches auction had been evaluated by his firm.

"I looked at all these other collectible verticals," he said. "Whether it's comic books or coins or baseball cards or sports cards or shoes or video games, every one of these collectibles has one, if not multiple, third-party authentication and grading services."

TGS operates out of Dayton, Ohio, in the facility of Stoll & Company, a watch repair business. In exchange for their horological work, Stoll holds a minority ownership stake in the company. The former actor is currently the only full-time worker.

Daily Life in Dayton, Ohio, Side Projects, and Humble Pursuits

Although he lives in Los Angeles with his wife and three children, Fred Savage now spends part of each month in Dayton, Ohio, where his business is headquartered. He rents a modest apartment furnished with items from Ikea and Target, drives a 2021 Subaru Crosstrek, and works out at a local high school gym.

Savage's workdays are spent handling all aspects of the grading process — from receiving and documenting shipments to inspecting and photographing each timepiece. When watches are ready for return, he packages them himself.

He manages customer inquiries through the company website and oversees operations. He continues to participate in major industry events. In recent months, Savage has attended Geneva Watch Days, WatchTime New York, and Sotheby's Important Watches auction, where several TGS-evaluated timepieces were sold.

Outside of entertainment and business, Savage has occasionally explored work unrelated to either field. In a 2019 interview on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," he said he once volunteered as a kitchen intern for a chef who accepted unpaid help.

Although he wasn't allowed to cook due to food safety codes, he assisted with prep work — pitting cherries, tying roasts, and plating dishes. He worked four or five shifts before the chef opened a formal restaurant, which ended their arrangement.

Savage said he enjoyed the experience and didn't mind being recognized by customers. "Whether I made them sad, I don't know," he said. "I liked it. I had fun." He compared the kitchen environment to creative production, noting that everyone had a role in building something larger for others to enjoy.

While his professional life has taken many turns, his personal life has remained steady, shaped by long-standing relationships and a commitment to family.

Personal Life and Long-Term Marriage

Savage has been married to Jennifer Lynn Stone since August 7, 2004. The two were childhood friends in the Chicago suburb where they grew up. Their paths diverged when Savage moved to Los Angeles at 11 to begin filming "The Wonder Years."

They reconnected 11 years later at his birthday party, after which they began dating. After their wedding, Savage discussed how their vows included a few lighthearted promises. "I promised to always bring up a glass of water to her before we go to bed," he narrated, "and she promised to never let me dress myself."

Stone is also an actress, with roles in independent films including "Three Seconds to Midnight" (2018), "What Just Happened??!" (2019), and "A Bullet Away" (2020). The couple now has three children: Oliver, Lily, and Auggie.

In a 2021 interview, Savage shared that his children have shown interest in creative fields — writing, filmmaking, and performance — but said he supports them regardless of what path they choose. "But if they want to be dentists, that's fine too. I just want them to be happy," he stated.

Looking Back on a Defining Role

As his children grow up and explore their creative interests, Savage has had reason to revisit the project that first shaped his path. In a 2021 interview, he reflected on his early start in television and the lasting impact of that experience.

"I think people might work their whole careers to find an opportunity to be part of something that endures like 'The Wonder Years,'" he reflected. "The fact that I was able to do that at a young age is really special. I feel so fortunate."

Though his current work bears little resemblance to his former life on set, the discipline and detail required in his business reflect qualities that have carried through his entire career. Whether directing a scene or grading a vintage watch, he remains focused on precision and contributing to something lasting.