(Auto-translated English subtitles/CC available in video settings.) Limited edition G-Shock MTG-B2000 models have been some of the more popular high-end G-Shock watches over the years, and the MTG-B2000YST-1A is an example of how the MTG-B2000 base can utilize a variety of colors, materials, and finishes to create a unique style. This model looks better […]
G-Central G-Shock Watch Fan Blog
A huge part of the allure of vintage watches, beyond the cool styles of bygone eras of design, are the deeply personal stories they tell. These stories are at the core of what Wristclassics focuses on as a vintage watch dealer. They only stock watches with unique hallmarks and distinct features that make them stand out in the crowd. For example, this Zenith El Primero Ref. A386 MK3 from 1973 with the signature three colour tricompax chronograph display in a case measuring a svelte 38mm.
Available at Wristclassics.
Finding what inspires you is always the foundation of a good microbrand and Primitive Haus are clear on where their inspirations lie. Influenced by the German minimalist movement spearheaded by Bauhaus, they aim to bring colourful watches to life that blend style and function seamlessly. Recently with the TimeKeeper Type-A they’ve been exploring fresh colours and designs, such as fumé blue, vibrant purple, and a gorgeous dimple dial variant that looks like freshly fallen snow. They house the Miyota 82S5 with 42-hour power reserve.
Available at Primitive Haus.
If you’re going to invest in an homage watch, you may as well look for something with quality and class. Zanuti produce an extensive range of homage watches that capture the styles and vibes of some of the world’s most famous watches at a fraction of the price. The GMT, for example, features a colourful two-tone GMT bezel available in numerous iconic colourways like brown and black or red and blue. It’s also available housing either a quartz or automatic movement, giving you plenty of choice as a collector.
Available at Zanuti.
Wayforth’s Voyager is designed to keep up with you on your travels wherever they may take you. In that endeavour, it’s equipped with a chronograph function and a dual time zone display. A chronograph can be used to calculate your speed or even distance travelled with a quick calculation while the dual time display, consisting of an inner rotating bezel with 12-hour scale, lets you track local time and home time while globetrotting. There are eight colours to choose from, each housing the Seiko VK64 meca-quartz movement.
Available at Wayforth.
The Héron Marinor Atlantic Blue is a gorgeous dive watch with a 39mm diameter hardened steel case and 300m water resistance, which is outstanding for a mechanical watch this accessible. The style, with a domed sapphire bezel and large, lumed hour markers draws inspiration from legendary dive watches of the 20th century, but at a much more approachable price point. Powering the watch is the Miyota 9039, one of the Japanese manufacture’s premium movements with a 42-hour power reserve.
Available at Héron.
Oracle Time
If the recent storms are any indication the UK is still well and truly in the throes of winter. However, on the other side of the world in Japan Grand Seiko have said screw you winter, let’s look forward to the year ahead and celebrate summer and autumn. That message is loud and clear thanks to the new Grand Seiko 62GS ‘Rikka’ SBGH351 and 62GS ‘Shubun’ SBGH353 watches with updated cases.
I say updated cases because the Rikka and Shubun were originally released as part of a US exclusive quartet. These new models are replacements to those old versions and are available globally instead of just stateside. Focussing back on the cases, the update I’m referring to is the fact they’re now presented in Grand Seiko’s Ever Brilliant Steel instead of titanium. This change allows for a higher lustre to the Zaratsu polished surfaces as steel typically has a lighter silver colour to it than the grey of titanium. Both cases measure 40mm in diameter with the 62GS collection’s signature wide, flat arcing shape from lug to lug.
Right, now on to the meat and potatoes of any Grand Seiko launch, the dials. First up is Rikka, named after the seventh sekki (Japanese micro-season) of the year, which starts in May. This is the transitional micro-season between spring and summer where early summer breezes blow across strong and healthy plants. Which is why it has a rich green dial finished with a wavy texture that evokes a sense of wind over leaves.
Second is the 62GS Shubun, named for the 16th sekki and the autumn equinox. While we’re more familiar with the summer equinox, the longest day of the year and the winter equinox, the shortest day of the year, the autumn equinox is less talked about. It’s when day and night are of equal lengths. As such, the Shubun has a golden seconds hand like the sun and a dark blue dial like the night sky.
Both models house the calibre 98S5 with automatic winding and a 55-hour power reserve. They also have hi-beat frequencies of 36,000 vph providing great accuracy of +5/-3 seconds per day. In addition to sharing a movement, the 62GS Rikka and 62GS Shubun also share a price of £6,350, which is right in the pocket of the 62GS collection that runs from £5,900-£7,050. It might still be winter but these watches have me yearning for longer days already.
More details at Grand Seiko.
Oracle Time
While we tend to think of the old, heritage watch brands as all coming from Switzerland and Europe, Japan has an equally rich watchmaking history. In fact, Orient is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, having been founded in 1950 (Seiko is even older, tracing back to the late 1800s). To celebrate this landmark Orient have expanded their best-selling Bambino range. There are four standard Bambinos in new colours, three Bambino Day/Night models in three of those same colours and then a 75th Anniversary Limited Edition of each.
The Orient Bambino’s appeal is immediately obvious. At 40.5mm in diameter it with a thickness of 12.3mm it’s well sized for a daily wearer in steel. The display is also elegantly charming with its curved dial and combination of minute, second and hour scales with both Arabic and Roman numerals present. It’s understated with just enough going on to stop it from being boring, which means the result is actually very handsome.
For the 75th anniversary, the Bambino is now available in green, navy blue, burgundy and for the first time ever, beige. Beige might not sound like an exciting prospect but paired with rose gold coloured hands and silver Roman numerals, it’s one of the most refined in the whole range. Plus, the off-white colour gives it the look of an aged vintage watch, which lines up with the current popularity of neo-vintage designs.
The fifth model is the Orient Bambino 75th Anniversary limited edition. Though when they say limited it’s not exactly hyper exclusive with 9,500 pieces available. It has a white dial with rose gold-coloured numerals and scales, completed by contrasting blue hands. It’s inspired by vintage dress watch designs that feature precious metals and high-end production techniques like thermally blued hands.
All five of these variants house the in-house calibre F6724 with automatic winding. It’s pretty solid given the price point with a 40-hour power reserve and +25/-15 seconds per day accuracy. Speaking of value, the four regular models are £275.99 and the limited edition is £329.99.
Adding an extra layer of information to the dial is the Orient Bambino 75th Anniversary Day/Night editions. They feature two additional subdials on their displays that show the days of the week at 10 o’clock and a 24-hour day/night indicator at 5 o’clock. It’s important to note that while it does have a moon on it, it’s not a moonphase complication. A moonphase completes a rotation once every 29-and-a-bit days while a day/night indicator rotates fully in the span of a day.
Here they’ve given the three standard models the green, navy blue and burgundy colours of the classic models. That new beige tone is absent but that’s not the saddest thing in the world given it does bear some similarities to the limited-edition model. The colours and style of the 75th Anniversary model is the same as the non-day/night model but it’s mildly more exclusive with 5,500 pieces available.
Beneath the surface is the F6B24, which has exactly the same specs as the movement in the Classic despite the additional functions. Both of the Orient Bambino 75th Anniversary limited editions also have exhibition casebacks with commemorative markings to add another special twist to the piece.
The standard Day/Night models are priced at £359.99 with the limited edition at £399.99. Personally, I prefer the clean dials of the time and date models over the additional subdials of the day/night versions. The Bambino is at its best as a clean and elegant daily wearer and I would hope that for the most part you can tell whether it’s day or night. Though if you do like the extra decorative elements of the day/night models, fair play.
More details at Orient.
Oracle Time
Following the hit 2023 film based on the iconic 1959 toy doll from Mattel, Casio is collaborating with Barbie for the release of the G-Shock GMA-S110BE-4A. The limited edition watch has a smaller GMA-S110 base (45.9 millimeters wide) than the popular steampunk-inspired GA-110. The watch has a vivid matte pink finish with Barbie logos on […]
G-Central G-Shock Watch Fan Blog
British Watchmakers’ Day has become one of the essential calendar dates in the UK horology scene, bringing together the great and the good of the UK industry. This year it’s taking place on March 8th and you can find the full details here. As you may have seen over the past few days and our articles on the Beaucroft and Fears x Studio Underd0g one of the best features of the show are the event exclusive special editions that brands create, dedicated to British design and watchmaking. The Alliance of British Watch and Clock Makers have now revealed the complete list of British Watchmakers’ Day limited edition watches so let’s take a look, in alphabetical order to make my life easier.
Founded in Bristol, Alkin produce an array of no-nonsense tool watches that are ideal daily beaters. Clean, legible displays and robust steel cases housing accessible and reliable Japanese movements. The Alkin Model Three Special Editon takes one of their core models and presents in the red, white and blue of the Union Jack.
After debuting with the Invenire in 2023, Apiar are using the occasion of British Watchmakers’ Day to announce a brand new core collection. The brand uses innovative ‘additive manufacturing’ techniques (3D printing in layman speak) to create case structures that seem impossible. For the show they are creating 5 Gen.1B special editions with red dials.
As mentioned in the introduction, we’ve already done a full dive into the Beaucroft x Penfold. To summarise here, it’s a cool collaboration between the Cambridge-based brand and a popular urban artist known for their use of colour and geometric shape. Hence the cool gradient across the geometric shapes of this watch’s dial.
At the event BŌKEN will be showcasing their brand new Breacher collection, crafted through their new ‘Built British’ program in partnership with Horologium. It’s a field watch collection consisting of three models including a GMT. We only have teaser images at the moment because the British Watchmakers’ Day Special Editions will be created live at the event as popular artist Chris Alexander AKA The Dial Artist will paint three examples ahead of a silent auction.
The largest British brand, Christopher Ward are taking a fun approach to their special edition, taking the C1 Moonphase and planting the Union Jack on the surface of the moon with a little astronaut cartoon. You’ll also spot the flag laser etched into the aventurine glass dial. The name, Mission to Maidenhead, is also a cheeky play on the Swatch Mission to the Moon naming convention.
The Munro by Clemence is the archetype of a daily beater field watch, versatile and durable – built to survive the strain of everyday adventures. At British Watchmakers’ Day they’re releasing a 10-piece 2025 Concept Edition, which gives the piece a luxe makeover with a fresh bronze gilt dial that places greater emphasis on its Art Deco style. It’s a great looking watch.
Based on the recent success of the Prestex Bolton Original, Duckworth Prestex are releasing the Prestex No.2 as their event exclusive watch. Unlike the Bolton models it’s only branded as Prestex, a nod to the original name of the company when it was founded 100 years ago. Again red, white and blue are at the forefront of this patriotic edition.
Elliot Brown have given the Holton Auto GMT two updates to create the XXV/X edition. If you’re wondering XXV/X means 25/10 in Roman numerals, a nod to it being the year 2025 and a limited edition of 10 pieces. It features a fresh blue dial and for the first time ever the steel case and bracelet have a brushed finish, increasing the level of detail across the watch.
Ask any Farer fan what the brand is best known for and they’ll probably say colourful tool watches. Which is why Farer have subverted expectations with their most classical dress watch in years. It’s a 36mm time only piece with a copper, salmon dial. The layout is almost a hybrid between a sector dial dress watch and a practical Flieger pilot’s watch, I suppose Farer couldn’t leave their tool watch bias behind entirely.
The Brunswick 40.5 Jump Hour is becoming something of a signature model when it comes to Fears and British watchmaking, first catching headlines in its Alliance collaboration with Christopher Ward a few years ago. For 2025 they’ve dressed it up in full British luxury with a sterling silver case and white lacquer dial inspired by the Edwardian period.
The Pioneer is Geckota’s signature model, having seen constant production since its launch in 2017. For the special edition they’ve redesigned the dial with a new Lapis Blue colourway that looks really smart alongside the pale-yellow minute track and lumed indexes. Inside it houses the Seiko NH35 automatic movement.
At time of writing Golby haven’t revealed any images of their new range yet, including the special edition version that will accompany them to British Watchmakers’ Day. They describe it as a practical tool watch with custom lighthouse hands and hour markers at 12/3/6/9. Considering that lighthouses are a common sight along the coast of Britain, it sounds like a fitting watch for the occasion.
Isotope revealed some work in progress teaser images of the British Watchmakers’ Day timepieces which showcase deeply patriotic takes on Metiers d’Art. As some collectors have noted the outsourcing of these dials to artisans in other countries does take a little off the edge of the idea of Britishness but it’s still cool to see British design expand its reach around the globe.
The Morar 310 “A Decade in Time” also serves as Marloe’s 10th anniversary timepiece. It features a colourful design with a white ceramic bezel, sky blue dial and yellow accents. These colours were chosen due to their shared use on the flags of Sweden and the Isle of Skye in Scotland, places significant in the history of the team behind the brand. It also has 310m water resistance putting it about 10m ahead of the dive watch standard these days.
The Monro MOA-BWD, or Monro Adventure – British Watchmakers’ Day, is actually a one-of-one piece unique that will be available at the event. They describe that it will be won by a lucky visitor who registers with them throughout the day. It’s a patriotic red, white and blue rendition of their core model, complete with their signature handset.
If Mr Jones produced more mechanical watches, I could talk about their wacky designs all day. Unfortunately, many of their coolest creations like the Khaosify are only available in quartz, until now! For British Watchmakers’ Day, the zany design of the Khaosify is receiving a mechanical upgrade courtesy of the Sellita SW200.
Nomadic are releasing their first GMT wristwatch in the form of the Fior 555, named after the Irish word for ‘true’ and the coordinates for Belfast (54°34′ North, 5°55′ West), the city they call home. It pays homage to the legendary ‘Pepsi’ design of GMT watches with two-tone 24-hour GMT bezels. They get away with it because of course, paired with that dial, it’s a red, white and blue combination.
It’s well known that a lot of British watchmaking involves importing parts from around the world but the more of it we can do at home the better, so any improvement however small is significant. Olivier Meylan’s PES Special Edition is their first to be assembled in the UK, starting to bring part of the production process to home shores in addition to its design.
Omologato appear to have taken a leaf out of the Bell & Ross playbook for the Arnage 24h GMT with its 1970s inspired square case with rounded, cushion bezel. The launch celebrates 10 years of Omologato and their motorsport inspired watches. For British Watchmakers’ Day they have produced a limited edition version of the watch with rouge dial. Of note, this is also one of Omologato’s automatic models housing a Miyota movement rather than quartz.
Look at the dial of the Pinion Neutron Violet and it’s a beautiful piece of design with electroplated violet guilloché. Turn the watch over and it’s an arachnophobe’s worst nightmare with one of the gnarliest depictions of a spider I’ve ever seen on a watch. Plus, it has a human eye in its abdomen. Gothic as all hell. Which is very British in its own Mary Shelley kind of way (I almost said Bram Stoker, which would have upset a lot of people).
The Pompeak Gentlemen is their most popular collection and the natural fit for an event exclusive special edition. For this piece they’ve given it a rich red dial with a slight gradient towards black around the edge, giving it a smoky appearance. If this was France or Switzerland, you’d call it fumé, but this is Britain, so it’s smoked.
Schofield, not content with just one special edition, are bringing three limited pieces to the British Watchmakers’ Day. All three are based on the same watch with variations in design. The core model is the B6, their bronze watch with aged patina. The B6 Deep Blue and Shallow Green are variations of the same design, which features a mermaid caseback, in their titular colours. The Sea-Change features an enamel caseback designed by American artist Benjamin Guffee, inspired by a line from Shakespeare’s The Tempest.
The Sidereus Gordon Bennett features a racing green dial based on the famous British racing green colour that was first used at the Gordon Bennett Cup in 1903, which was hosted in Ireland and hence the shamrock shade. While “Gordon Bennett” used as a swear also feels very British due to its frequent use in Only Fools and Horses as well as other sitcoms, it unfortunately has nothing to do with this watch. At least the PR line makes no mention of it, I’m sure that secretly it must be an intentional double meaning.
The Fears x Studio Underd0g The Gimlet is another wristwatch we’ve already been hands-on with, inspired by the cocktail of the same name. It’s perhaps the watch most in the spirit of the event, fusing the design codes of two powerhouses of the British industry. The dial is taken from the 02Series while the case is pure Brunswick.
Vertex have decided not to fall into the trap of creating an overly patriotic watch and instead dedicated theirs to Taormina. Taormina is a well-loved free diving location in Sicily, hence that watch’s dive watch specs and vibrant blue dial inspired by the Ionian Sea. It has a 600m water resistance rating, the highest of any British Watchmakers’ Day exclusive.
Like Golby, Zero West are yet to fully reveal their limited editions. All we know so far is they’re called the S5e and S6e, each limited to 99 pieces. What they are is a complete mystery but given we’re talking about Zero West they’re likely to have a vintage aviation or military connection.
Oracle Time
As last year’s British Watchmakers’ Day illustrated, British horology is in its modern-day ascendency. What was, just a decade ago, nothing more than a nice idea has blossomed into one of the most creative lynchpins of watch design in the world. There are countless reasons why that’s become the case, but for me, there are three key ones: fun, accessibility and diversity.
Fun is self-explanatory; British watches don’t take themselves nearly as seriously as their Swiss counterparts. Cool colours, funky designs, a tongue-in-cheek outlook, British watch brands are like your favourite weekend drinking buddy in their straightforward fun. At the same time, he’s a cheap drinker. The return on investment is solid.
But while British brands do tend to share a few roundabout traits, perhaps the definitive reason they’re on the up is diversity. In what other place could you find Mr Jones’ Perfectly Useless Afternoon, something as intensely design-focused as Schofield, and the horological luminaries of Garrick, and beyond, right up to Roger Smith? There’s something for everyone.
So yes, most British brands are incredibly distinct, but through their innately idiosyncratic approach to design, there’s always some common ground, even if that’s between two watch labels that on the surface are polar opposites. Because if there’s one thing we Brits can all bond over, it’s a drink. At least, that’s the case for Messrs Rich Benc and Nicholas Bowman-Scargill, the men behind Studio Underd0g and Fears.
On the one hand you have a brand built on humour, on not taking anything too seriously. Studio Underd0g has turned tongue-in-cheek into an empire of sell-out releases and unexpected collaborations. On the other hand, Fears is a heritage brand reborn that favours old school, 1930s elegance over playfulness and has become one of the most important modern brands in the revival of British watchmaking. On paper, you may assume that never the two shall meet. If that’s the case however, I’d like to introduce you to the Fears x Studio Underd0g Gimlet.
A gimlet, for those less inclined towards alcoholic epicureanism, is a cocktail. Specifically, a very, very strong gin cocktail that’s as strong as a martini and goes down far smoother. It has a slight green tint, nothing like lime, but more a pale greenish-yellow-to-white. It’s also liable to take you home and not call you back if you let it – which is apparently what happened to Rich.
I’ve known Nicholas for worryingly close to a decade now, so believe me when I say, the man likes a drink and can handle it better than nearly anyone I know. So, when he and Rich headed on a night out back in 2022, the writing was already on the wall.
This wasn’t the pair’s first meeting of course. As Rich puts it, “when I launched my brand in 2021, 255 people rallied together allowing me to bring my ideas to reality. One of those early backers was Nicholas. Nicholas has supported Studio Underd0g from the outset and has continued to help me navigate the watch landscape over the years.”
It’s not hard to see why Nicholas had such faith in the nascent watch designer. As the man himself puts it, “the fact he was doing something completely different and original was such a breath of fresh air in the industry and we quickly became good personal friends. I’d originally suggested we might work together on something in the early days of Underd0g and it was a while until the time was right to start work on what was then Project 23.” So, when Rich was showing Nicholas early ideas for the Field Series 02, the form Project 23 would take became obvious. A big eye chrono Brunswick was a no-go, but the dual layered dial? That could work. But what colour to go for? Fears is a brand that valued pared-back elegance, so something like the vape-esque Pink Lem0nade wouldn’t work. Nothing too out-there would.
Which brings us back to the seemingly apocryphal Gimlet Night. After smashing a number of the cocktails at various London establishments, trying to come up with the right solution, the answer hit Rich at the same time as the next day’s hangover: what would be better than that perfect pale green/white of the notorious drink?
Here, that’s been rendered in the two-layered, fully lumed dial from Studio Underd0g Field Series 02, going from pale green to white, the green of the lime in the drink to the froth of foam at the top. You can smell the gin-laced citrus. It’s far subtler than the Pink Lem0nade but still has those two screws that are, along with the upper layer of sapphire, the collection’s signature. It’s not a rehash of the Field Series 02 either; it uses the exact same Sellita SW210-1 calibre automatic movement. The difference is that it’s otherwise pure Fears.
The Brunswick is a modern British icon, the herald of 1930s archival throwbacks before that became a zeitgeisty trope. It was the watch that made Fears – albeit on the shoulders of the original quartz Redcliff – and led to a resurgence in elegant, cushion cased watches sans sandwich dials and diving indexes. The Gimlet not only uses the Brunswick’s 38mm case, but it’s elegant numerals and skeletonised, pipette handset, shadowed on the lower green-tinted dial.
If you were going to ask me beforehand what form I’d expect a Studio Underd0g-Fears collaboration to take, this would be it. I’ve been wanting to see more from the Field series anyway as the dial execution is painfully cool and a bit more serious than the playful colours of the big eye chronos. That slightly more strait-laced approach is the middle-ground that allows the Field Series 02 to work on the Brunswick, a watch that’s proven its versatility over the years with a host of gorgeous dial executions. It just fits.
“When you first look at the watch,” says Nicholas, “you feel like it seems familiar but slightly different. Like a person with a new haircut, its them but also not quite them. It’s then that it clicks and you see that at once it feels like a Fears and a Studio Underd0g at the same time, almost snapping between the two constantly. The Gimlet combines the most distinctive parts of both brands design language in a very harmonious way.”
For Rich, it also symbolises “an unexpected friendship.” But it also, at least to him, embodies a warning: “However many gimlets Nicholas is having is too many! I’ve learnt that lesson the hard way…”
If you want to wear that warning yourself, you’ll need to be in the right place at the right time. The Studio Underd0g x Fears Gimlet will be available exclusively at British Watchmakers’ Day, Saturday 8th March, with 100 for sale in the morning, 100 in the afternoon. Given that the show’s debut saw queues around the block for a slice of Studio Underd0g and Time + Tide’s pizza party, you’ll want to get in line nice and early. And of course, congratulate yourself with a gin cocktail.
More details at Studio Underd0g.
Oracle Time
There are a lot of watches that could be considered H. Moser & Cie.’s signature model. The Streamliner could easily claim that title with its unique style of integrated bracelet. Or one of their quirkier pieces like the Swiss Alp or Vanta Black. But that raises the question, what does it mean to be a signature watch. To me it means to be the first watch people think of and when it comes to H. Moser the first thing people think is awesome fumé dial and nowhere is that more evident than on the Pioneer Tourbillon, now available in a Burgundy edition.
The Pioneer is ostensibly H. Moser’s sports watch collection by their own definition and description, though I’m not sure who exactly is looking at these incredibly refined, elegant watches and thinking, yes, that’s the watch I’ll go hiking in. But to give them their due, they have made sure that should you wish to go on said adventure, the watch should be absolutely fine with 120m water resistance to protect it from any rain or unceremonious spills into a river. Even with its 40mm red gold case. Though it’s not the most extreme aquatically inclined gold case of recent years due to Rolex’s mad 3,900m full gold Deepsea.
However, the key feature of this updated model is the fresh colour on the dial. It’s a rich burgundy fumé, hence the model being the H. Moser & Cie. Pioneer Tourbillon Burgundy. Fumé is a style of gradient that starts light in the centre of the dial and transitions to a darker colour around the periphery of the display, giving the piece a smoky aesthetic. Which is apt because fumé in French translates to smoke. H. Moser have truly mastered the technique as the Pioneer Tourbillon is now available with teal, green and burgundy fumé examples.
Occupying a large portion of the dial at 6 o’clock is the tourbillon. Originally designed by Abraham Louis Breguet in the 1800s, it’s designed to keep the watch’s balance spring in constant motion, offsetting the affects of gravity on the accuracy of the watch. Although as many collectors will tell you, just by wearing your watch on your wrist you achieve more or less the same effect as tourbillons were originally designed for pocket watches that stay in the same position all day. As such, in modern watches, tourbillons are technically more decorative elements than practical ones, which is fine because they do look amazing in motion.
The tourbillon here is part of the HMC 805 automatic calibre. A seriously impressive movement with a 72-hour power reserve despite the power intensive tourbillon. It’s finished as immaculately as the dial with a skeletonised rotor, striped finishing and golden inlay on the brand’s logo.
Between the golden elements and the rich burgundy colour, there’s something very royal about this watch. It almost feels Germanic like a relic of the Prussian empire or something – although maybe that’s because my mind is erroneously conflating burgundy with Prussian violet. As for the price, it might as well be a treasure at CHF 59,900 (approx. £ 53,200).
More details at H. Moser & Cie.
Oracle Time
Today (January 29th) marks the start of Chinese New Year, it’s also the release day for the new Christopher Ward x seconde/seconde/ The Twelve Snake, launched to celebrate the occasion. The fact we couldn’t tell you about it until today is why it isn’t included in our round-up of the best Year of the Snake watches from a few weeks ago, though it would definitely deserve a spot on there. It’s a fun, nostalgic take on serpentine watch design inspired by everyone’s favourite retro game, Snake.
I think everyone has played Snake at some point in their lives. I remember playing it on my old brick Nokia in my tent the first time I went to a festival – when smartphone charge lasted about four hours and the idea of mobile charging packs were an alien concept, while a Nokia could happily stay on for a week. There’s something remarkable in the simplicity of the gameplay that makes it addictive. Snake moves one of four directions. Snake eats food. Snake gets big. Serotonin goes up. Just don’t eat yourself because that’s obviously a bad plan for survival.
The Christopher Ward x seconde/seconde/ The Twelve Snake cleverly uses the pixel-like pattern of The Twelve’s distinctive textured dial to create the image of pixel art snake weaving its way across a vivid, backlit LCD-style green display. The food it’s pursuing is also the plus symbol that forms part of the Christopher Ward logo, which is another charming touch. seconde/seconde/, the alias of artist and designer Romaric André, is no stranger to adding pixel art to watches. He’s the designer behind the iconic Minecraft sword hands on a Rolex that shot him to popularity a few years ago.
Beyond the naturally pixelated display of The Twelve, this model is perfect for a Chinese New Year watch for other reasons. The Chinese Zodiac features twelve animals in its cycle, so there’s a numerical cohesion in their concepts, right down to the dodecagon bezel. It makes me hope this isn’t a one-off and CW might tackle the entire cycle going forward. Many other brands like Chopard have tackled the entire cycle previously and I was actually quite saddened to learn this year that having completed all 12, Chopard aren’t producing anymore; they were some of the coolest zodiac watches each year. Perhaps Christopher Ward can fill that void.
Speaking of filling voids, you’ll notice there’s a date window between 7 and 8 o’clock. That’s what Christopher Ward describe as the bonus bites section, based on a feature of the game, showing little game related easter eggs as the days go by. There are also some easter eggs on the back of the watch such as the snake appearing again on the rotor as well as an inscription celebrating the ‘Snake Year(s)’.
It’s powered by the Sellita SW200-1, Christopher Ward’s go-to Swiss movement with 38-hour power reserve and +/-20 second per day accuracy. I probably sound like a broken record, but I do wish brands would update their stock to the improved power reserve models because it’s such a nice quality of life improvement. Still, it’s essentially a waiting game until the old stock gets used up, I’m sure it will happen at some point.
As for pricing and availability, the Christopher Ward x seconde/seconde/ The Twelve Snake is £1,050 on steel bracelet or £850 on rubber strap, available in black or venom green to match the dial. It’s available to pre-order during a limited period from January 29th – February 10th.
More details at Christopher Ward.
Oracle Time
British Watchmakers’ Day from the Alliance of British Watch and Clock Makers is coming up fast, March 8th. So brands who are attending have started to reveal the exclusive BWD limited edition watches that will be exclusively available at the event. Each is a cool special edition with a link to UK design and artistry, like the Beaucroft x Penfold. Fellow British brand Isotope have shared a sneak peak at their plans, the Mercury BWD Cloisonné and Micro Marquetry.
At time of writing the watches are still being produced, so there are no finalised photos of the complete watches. However, Isotope’s co-founder Jose Miranda is so excited by the project he has shared some work in progress images of the dials and concept art. And he’s right to be excited because for British Watchmakers’ Day 2025 Isotope is taking on the Metiers d’Art. Metiers d’Art is the term applied to rare and beautiful decorate arts used on the dial of a watch. Enamelling, marquetry, sculpture, guilloché, engraving, miniature painting are all disciplines that fall under this term.
The first of the two special editions is the Isotope Mercury BWD Cloisonné. Cloisonné is a type of enamel that uses fine gold wire to create shapes in the dial, allowing different colours to sit side by side without blending into each other. It works really well on the stylised Union Jack design, which was created by British artist Sophie Scott-Lewis. Enamel dials are incredibly difficult to produce and so each of the five dials (both special editions are limited to five pieces) were crafted by a master enameller from Beijing.
Second up is the Mercury BWD Micro Marquetry. Marquetry is a technique that uses dyed wood or straw to create geometric patterns and here Isotope have opted for a delicate straw marquetry to realise Sophie’s other Union Jack design. It’s crafted in Paris in the atelier of Bernardo d’Orey, who also created the marquetry boxes both special editions are supplied in.
Both editions feature the Isotope Mercury case in mirror polished steel, measuring 38mm x 10mm. Inside is the Calibre I-7 assembled by Landeron, based on the ETA Peseux 7001, with 42-hour power reserve. The dials look great and the concept of British designed Metiers d’Art is an attractive one. I can’t wait to see the final assembled models at the Watchmakers’ Day. If you are planning to attend and pick one up, the Isotope Mercury BWD Cloisonné is £4,900 and the Micro Marquetry is £4,700. Also come and say hi because Oracle Time will be exhibiting at the event too.
More details at Isotope.
Oracle Time