Review: Studio Underd0g

Lockdown during COVID was many different things to many different people. For some it was cautious uncertainty, for others stressfully busy, and for yet many more isolated and lonely. I’m sure for Richard Benc some or all of those things applied too—but he chose to add yet another level on top of it as well. Opportunity. He founded a watch brand: Studio Underd0g.

Background

Richard Benc seems like one of those guys who needs to fill his time—and his head—with something. Whether it’s an idea to pursue or a problem to solve, sitting idle just doesn’t seem like his speed, and so when he found himself—alongside most of the world—faced with the proposition of being cooped up for while, he took the opportunity to distract himself with a new project.

Some people took up painting or playing the guitar, others restored a car or learnt a martial art. For Richard, graphic design was his thing. At the time, he was working for German appliance manufacturer Braun, a business known for its stark but interesting approach to sculpting what would otherwise be ordinary objects.

As it happened, by fate or by chance, Richard ended up designing watches for Braun—some you might even know. He was good at it, very good in fact, but you can imagine how the restrictive German form might hamper a young designer’s need to express himself a bit more. So, one gloomy day when Richard’s mind was wandering, he decided to have a bash at designing a watch for himself.

The legend goes that a watermelon fell from the sky and exploded in Richard’s back garden, narrowly missing him but spraying his whole body—watch included—with green and pink pulp. Others say he was raised in the woods just outside Bromley by a wild pack of watermelons. I’ve also heard that he was abducted by watermelon-based lifeforms who probed his brain and inadvertently created an obsession. Whatever the truth is, in Richard’s keen desperation to explore a design that was completely un-Braun, he stumbled across a colour combo that would become his signature dish.

But it wasn’t all about the melon. Richard was heavily influenced by the vintage chronographs of the 40s and 50s, watches that are a little smaller, a little sleeker and a little classier. So, he scratched away with his Wacom until, lo and behold, a design appeared in front of him, and the internet saw that it was good.

Many people would have been satisfied with the adulation of internet strangers (please like, comment and subscribe by the way) and been done with it. Richard, however, is not most people, and so he decided to build it instead. In the middle of a lockdown during the largest pandemic the world has seen in generations. I suppose it was something to do.

Review

In the end, Richard designed four different variations, assuming quite naturally that no one would be mad enough to actually buy a watch that looked like a melon, and so we ended up with the Watermel0n, as you’ve seen, the Desert Sky with a tan and blue colouration, the Go0fy Panda, Richard’s most traditional offering, and the Mint Ch0c Chip, which borrows its look from the ice cream of the same name.

Keen to refine the design as far as he could, Richard decided his chronograph would get a classic “big eye” arrangement, as found on period pilot’s watches, seating the running seconds in the smaller, blended sub-dial and the chronograph minutes in the larger contrasting one, split into three tonally different sections.

To balance this feature, the Studio Underd0g branding sat offset from the movement specification listed below, each peering one side or the other of the chronograph seconds so as to be legible. There’s a tachymeter around the perimeter, again in a contrasting shade, and simple markers in between. Of the four watches, two of them get themed markers so subtle you might just miss them.

In the back of the watch is the rugged yet affordable Seagull ST-1901, a Chinese chronograph movement with a surprisingly good reputation that can only be wound by hand. That keeps the 38.5mm steel case down to just 10.8mm thick. The deep dome of the sapphire crystal pushes it back up to 13.6mm, but proportionally that all works out fine.

And that’s the thing about these Studio Underd0g watches. At just £500 there’s no expectation for these to be finished like a Rolex, and of course they aren’t. They’re more like the watches they doff their melon-y caps to, vintage chronographs that were less about outright perfection and more the proportions and textures. A classic Longines 13ZN isn’t going to wow on finishing alone, but when you see those uncluttered lines, you can’t help but fall for it. The same is true here.

It may seem like Richard has put all his eggs in the zany melon basket, and sure, it grabs your attention, but really it’s the masterful simplicity of the shapes and surfaces that keep you from losing interest. The broad, thin crown, lightly signed. The rectangular pushers that hug the case tight. The thin, unobtrusive hands. The rough dial texture that gives way to a lighter version on the big eye and snailing on the running seconds. There’s a lot of thought that’s gone into making this watch feel right in an intangible way. To quote the great Mr Plinkett, “You didn’t notice, but your brain did.”

There’s more than one reason for your brain to enjoy this watch. The latest generation was assembled in Britain with a full inspection and regulation, and a certificate to prove it. The strap comes courtesy of The Strap Tailor based out of Epsom. There’s 50m of water-resistance so you don’t have to worry about getting caught in the rain.

It’s been an incredibly popular series of watches, with both of the first two generations selling out in record speed. There will be more generations, however, and Richard insists he wants to make as many watches as people want. At this stage, the watch has become such a prominent fixture in the mind’s eye that it’s hard to believe it’s as fresh as it is. Perhaps that’s just the watermelon talking.

If there’s one thing that Richard Benc’s Studio Underd0g project demonstrates, it’s that the watchmaking industry has an enormously exciting future ahead of it. I couldn’t imagine a scenario even ten years ago when an individual would be able to realise a dream like this with such speed and alacrity, and yet here we are. I can’t wait to see what falls out of the sky to inspire Richard next.