Exploring the Playful World Of Studio Underd0g

New, original, and unique design isn’t easy to achieve in this day and age, and it is no less so in the world of watch design. Every great creation comes from a place of inspiration, however, oftentimes in watches, the results can end up falling closer towards the side of homage rather than authenticity. Studio Underd0g is one brand that brilliantly falls on the right side of that imaginary line, all because of one thing: creativity.

Founded by Richard Benc in 2020, Studio Underd0g delivers a fresh, contemporary outlook on the often overly serious watch world via creations that consistently look to challenge the status quo. But what does that mean in real-world terms? Well, the first collection of watches is inspired by a watermelon, mint chocolate chip, a pair of shoes, and a literal interpretation of a panda dial. The variations are expressive and dynamic, but they only work because of a core design language developed by Benc during lockdown. Having spent his working days designing watches for Braun, Benc would spend evenings and weekends during 2020 designing, refining, and sharing the first concepts for Studio Underd0g with the community via Facebook pages. This quick-thinking strategy led to Benc gathering a large amount of feedback and fans very quickly, and before long, it led to a successful Kickstarter campaign which raised £90,000.

Transitioning from a Kickstarter watch brand to a fully fled watch brand is no easy feat, but Studio Underd0g had (and still has) one thing many brands in a similar position can only be envious of: demand. Whenever the Brighton-based brand can catch up on previous pre-orders and ready a fresh batch of watches, new orders skyrocket.

The mastery of managing demand and retaining hype has ensured Studio Underd0g remains an exciting prospect from the British watchmaking scene, and it’s done it by taking a relaxed, playful approach. However, don’t think Studio Underd0g is resting on its laurels, to appear fun and relaxed one must work tirelessly in the background.

With that in mind, let’s run through the entire Studio Underd0g collection together.

Studio Underd0g 01 Series Chronograph

As its name suggests, the 01 Series was the first collection created by Benc and remains the most widely recognised. Realised in four core models, the 01 Series is a chronograph that measures 38.5mm in width, with a thickness of 13.6mm (that includes the crystal, without it is sitting around 10.8mm) and a lug-to-lug of 44.5mm. The steel case houses the Seagull manual winding ST-1901 movement, which you can see through the caseback of the piece. For many, the charm of the 01 lies not only in its mechanical movement but predominantly its dial. Here we find plenty of touches from its bi-compax configuration, big eye sub-register at three, and a cleverly executed brand signature. You see, the majority of a chronograph hand’s life is spent in its reset position at twelve, which, for most watch manufacturers, means their brand signature is obstructed by a hand 90% of the time. Here’s where Benc’ design knowledge comes into play, as both the branding and the mention of calibre sit on either side of the reset chronograph hand position. The result is a signature that’s always visible. The entire 01 Series collection is available from the James Porter & Son physical store only for £500.

This, along with the Series 02, is completely assembled in Great Britain to ensure better quality control of its internationally manufactured parts. 

Watermel0n

Like me, if you first discovered Studio Underd0g through Benc’s Facebook posts, you’ll recognise the Watermel0n as the brand’s first-ever creation. As a watch that makes no apologies for the origin of its design, this fruity-inspired design sees a two-layered dial carry varying shades of green with a pinky red to form a watermelon-inspired piece. Of particular note are the watermelon seed shaped hour markers – it's subtle, but it's a great little touch.

This is the type of inspiration that if someone told you about, you’d be convinced it wouldn’t and shouldn’t work, but hey, the proof is in the pudding. 

Desert Sky

From one unusual source of inspiration to another, as with the Desert Sky, we’ve traded fruit for clothing.

The pastel aqua blue hue fused with shades of beige and brown was inspired by the Nike Air Max 97 ‘Desert & Sky’ trainers that first debuted in 2018. Yet again, while the source may seem unconventional at first, the logic behind the theory is there and the end result is a crowd (and personal) favourite. This is the first instance within the 01 Series that really highlights the model’s recognition of conventional watch design, delivering a striking visual that has an air of traditionality. 

Go0fy Panda

The Go0fy Panda variation of the Series 1 takes the conventionality of the Desert Sky and runs with it, resulting in the most traditional of offerings from the brand. However, playing on its panda configuration with an off-white dial with black accents and a single sub-register, the Go0fy Panda introduces small highlights of neon green inspired by bamboo. It's neat execution results in a watch that has versatility on its mind.

Mint Ch0c Chip

Rounding out the 01 Series is a return to form for Studio Underd0g, an ice cream-inspired variation. Like the Watermel0n, the hour markers of the Mint Ch0c Chip are the small chocolate chips realised ontop a minty green hue, just like the famous ice cream flavour. Similar to the Desert Sky, shades of brown and taupe make up the remaining dial accents, along with an orange-tipped chronograph hand.

The Mint Ch0c Chip also extends the inspiration to the brown strap, handmade by The Strap Tailor (just like all of the Studio Underd0g lineup).

Studio Underd0g 02 Series Field

As a brand, Studio Underd0g takes the unserious and delivers it with an abundance of thought, consideration and effort, and there’s no better way to demonstrate this than with the announcement of their second album in 2023, the 02 Series.

This second series saw the brand move away from its instantly recognisable chronograph and into the field watch category. However, rather than just a new quirky dial execution like the chronographs, these field pieces deliver their charm through impressive manufacture. 

At 37mm and powered by the Swiss-made Sellita SW210-1 manual wind move, the 02 Series represents a calibre upgrade from the 01 to a well-established and recognisable movement. 

But dials are the main attraction here, with each of the four references carrying fully lumed dials. There is a lot to love, but the dial deserves the limelight (or UV light), as layers of Super Luminova sit on top of a brass base before a slice of sapphire completes the construction. Then, all the markers and typography are printed on the sapphire. As such, this casts a shadow on the colour below and gives the impression of floating dial furniture. Take the watch into the darkness, and the impact of its fully lumed dial is profound. The 02 Series, across all four models, retails for £800.

Pink Lem0nade

Quite possibly the most quintessential Studio Underd0g model within this new family, the Pink Lem0nade is the only reference that features a gradient-lumed dial, transitioning from a pastel pink to a soft yellow. SU references this execution as an industry first for a luminous dial, and I think they might be right. As such, they keep the manufacturing magic behind its execution close to their chest. The remainder of the dial elements are realised in black to create shadow and depth.

Steffany Blue

Next up in the 02 Series is a lovely sky blue hue complete with contrasting orange-lumed hands; but Studio Underd0g doesn’t just call this blue. Ever since a sizeable Swiss manufacturer released a collection of time only watches with colourful dials in 2020, a certain colour exploded in popularity. Since then, an American jeweller who is known for their boxes and branding in a very similar colour released a 170-piece run special edition of a soon-to-be-discontinued integrated bracelet sports watch from a fellow Swiss giant; the first edition sold at auction for $6 million. With blue on the mind of practically everyone, Studio Underd0g created this lovely blue hue and called it Steffany Blue. Hopefully, you can put the pieces together and work out the name of the other blue…

Full Mo0n

The Full Mo0n variation of the Field watch is the first of two slightly more conventional pieces of design, with its fully lumed dial being a soft eggshell white tone. However, once it darkens, the entire dial (and lumed hands) glows a striking blue for an unexpected yet welcomed surprise. Much like the Go0fy Panda, the Full Mo0n is a traditional facing execution despite the many reminders of its modernity.

Midnight

Finally, we have the Midnight, and here the script has been flipped. Instead of filling the dial with lume, Studio Underd0g opts for a traditional approach of adding lume to the hands, hour markers, and Arabic numerals. The dial base remains a black gloss which casts its own unique shadows depending on the light. In fact, pay attention to when the lume is glowing on this variation and take note of how on the underside of the hands it reflects off the dial. It might not shout as much as the other variations, but the Midnight is a sleeper hit.

Please note that the Studio Underd0g collection is available from James Porter & Son, however it is only available to those in store. 

Discover the collections here.