Undone Aqua

Every time a new watch is released, a chorus of self-proclaimed experts crawls out of the woodwork to criticize it. "Oh sure," they say, "it's pretty cool, but the date wheel should have been black," or "I wish it were available in green," or "The second had should have been yellow, not red! The red hand is a travesty!" I know this because I'm one of them, and if you are reading this, I'll bet you are too. Second-guessing watch designers is great fun, but what if you had the ability to design your watch, your way? Undone is a new venture that aims to do just that, giving you the ability to mix and match a variety of colors, finishes, and parts to create a watch that is uniquely yours. They may not be the only company to offer this (Swedish brand, Fewsome springs to mind), but it is not a common service, and certainly nothing I had tried before. Undone let The Time Bum whip up his own creation for this review.

Undone's first model is the Aqua, a 200m diver with a screw-down crown, sapphire crystal, and wedge-shaped date magnifier. Its movement is a trusty Seiko NH35, a hacking, hand winding, 21 jewel automatic that runs at 21.6k bph. The stainless steel case is appropriately burly measuring 45mm wide, 52mm long, and 15mm thick. Large, wedge-shaped guards taper around an octagonal crown cast with the Undone "U." The coin edged bezel is unidirectional. It moves easily through its 90 positions with loud clicks and just a touch of back play. A recessed section of steel between the long lugs bridges the gap between the barrel and the spring bars. The case is polished on the sides while the top is brushed. I like the overall shape, but the overall level of finish could be improved. The brushing shows pronounced grain and the inside edge of the lugs is too sharp for my liking.

These are the basics. From this point on, you order your Aqua a la carte through their online Customizer. Start with the case. All Aqua cases are the same but with different finishes. I chose silver steel. PVD options include black, gun metal, gold, and rose gold. That selection made, you pick your bezel insert, either cut ceramic in your choice of four colors with raised, polished markers on a matte background, or K1 glass with bright luminous markers. It is hard to make a bad choice here. I opted for the vintage look of domed glass. You have a dizzying array of colors from which to choose, but I went with the classic white on black.

The dial is next. It has numbers at 12, 6, and 9, a 3 o'clock date window, and bars for the remaining markers and the index. This is where you really get to play as you click through the different choices. Do you want colored markers, lumed markers, or black? Matte dial, glossy, carbon, or sun ray? Perhaps pink camouflage is more to your liking? Undone can also print small batches with a custom design or company logo. I considered this, but as you may have noticed, The Time Bum is not a graphic designer and does not have a particularly dial-friendly logo. As is, Undone has discreetly tucked their brand name below the 6, leaving the dial clean. Considering all the times I have criticized watch designers for needless clutter and ugly logos, I felt it best to leave well enough alone. I chose a shimmering deep blue sunray with white lume markers and nothing else. 

You many choose from three handsets: sword, "Mercedes" poire squelette, or a rounded wedge. Of course, there are numerous colors from which to choose, as well as luminous and non-luminous options. There is only one style of second hand, but the color is up to you. Now to be clear, the color you are selecting is the fill. The frames are either black or polished, depending on fill color selection. I understand why this is, after all, it is far easier to change the fill than to paint the hands, but I wish I could have chosen a bright hand color with white lume. As it was, I went with a traditional polished Mercedes handset with white lume. The glow from the hands was as bright as that of the bezel, but faint on the dial markers.

As mentioned above, the only movement available is the NH35, and I have no qualms about that. Lest you think you have no options, you can choose your date wheel. I went for white-on-black, but in retrospect, I wish I had chosen black-on-white as it might have better balanced those big white numbers. 

A watch with so many options certainly must have an equally impressive selection of straps and Undone does not disappoint in this department, offering Horween oil tanned leather, Italian leather, suede, bund style, rubber, or alligator print, each in a variety of colors. I chose a black calfskin leather with orange stitching. This standard calfskin strap does not appear to be an option anymore and I must say that is a good thing because the quality was very poor. After just three days, the finish was cracking and wearing through. I can only assume the current options are better. The attractive engraved buckle was also a letdown as its edges and corners are unpleasantly sharp. The buckle did not make contact with my wrist, but it feels unfinished. 

The final step us to specify a solid or display case back, and any engraving or printing you may wish. I refrained from printing The Time Bum on the dial, but I was ready and willing to tattoo it across the watch's behind. It is printed on the display glass in all of its black, white, and orange glory. 

With the options chosen, my watch was $430. I submitted my PayPal info and waited. My package arrived in short order, and I eagerly peeled it open. Now I don't generally care about packaging unless it is something special. In this case, that something was my site name. There is was, printed on the outer box for all the see and enjoy, "The Time Bum." It was too magnificent – but wait! It gets better. The Time Bum was also engraved on a metal plate screwed to the display box. In the great scheme of things, I'll admit this might not be such a big deal, but it felt damn good to see my name on there. Clearly, Undone understands that magic moment when the customer opens the box. 

I have been wearing my Undone very special Time Bum Edition for a few days now, and overall I'm pleased. I love the fact that I chose the options that were right for me, and it tickles me to know this watch has my name on it (or at least, my online alter-ego's name). Is there anything I would change about my selections? Sure. I'd have gone with a white date wheel, a different strap for sure, and I could have been a tad more adventurous in my selections. Would I change anything about what Undone has to offer? Yes. The buckle needs work, the bezel action could be tighter, and some of the finishing on the case could be improved, but still and all, designing my Undone was an absolute blast, and the result is mighty cool.

Other criticisms? Well, I can hardly jab them for more selection but I will anyway. I would like to see a no-date option, a no-magnifier option, more hand colors than just black and silver, and second dial option would have been nice, but given all the choices that exist, I'm just getting greedy. I know Undone has two new models in the works, The Hemisphere and The Terrain, so it will be interesting to see what direction they take.

I highly recommend a visit to the Undone site. You will have great fun on the Customizer, and you might just design your perfect watch. Do it soon, because Undone will give Time Bum readers 20% off until December 1 with the code THETIMEBUM. 

Pro: A watch tailored to you.

Con: You'd better have a spare buckle.

Sum: A one-of-one, by you, for you. Check it out.

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Redux COURG Zero Hour

Last July, I wrote about the Redux COURG, a cool new tool watch that set Kickstarter on fire with its military style, mid-size titanium case, and $199 pre-order price. I liked what I saw. So much so that I ordered one – along with 2199 others. When it was all over, Redux had raised a remarkable $692,912, and then raised another $131,166 through BackerKit, selling for $399 for grade 2 titanium, and $450 for grade 5. Six months later, I have my watch in hand. Did the COURG live up to the hype? If so, is it still a good value at double the pre-sale price? 

I won't reiterate all the features and specs here as I have already covered them in my initial preview, but I will hit the highlights and identify any significant changes. The COURG has a 40mm diver's style case with a choice of five dials, with or without a date. (There were originally only four options but a Nav-B was added as a stretch goal.) The case and bezel are titanium. The movement is the familiar Seiko NH35 automatic. 

I opted for a Zero Hour with no date in a grade 2 case. I had fallen for this dial right from the start, digging its oversized numbers, the big triangle at 12, and the hoop-tailed bright yellow second hand. Like all of the available dials, it is sterile, leaving the company logo to the crown and case back. The numbers, hands, and bezel triangle are SuperLuminova, providing a respectable, two-tone glow at night. 

Partway through the campaign, Redux offered an option to upgrade from grade 2 titanium to a higher quality grade 5. I stuck with my grade 2 titanium because frankly, I did not see the point in upgrading. It is true that the grade 5 alloy is stronger than pure grade 2, and there was only a slight price difference between the two ($25 at pre-order, $50 retail), but I was willing to save a few bucks by waiving metallurgical bragging rights. This is a wristwatch, after all, not a spy plane. 

The COURG arrived in a simple, unfinished wooden box and a waxed canvas travel roll. The roll was included in the Kickstarter campaign and may be purchased separately for $39. It is a dandy piece of kit, offering protection for four watches with room in the top pocket for a passport or similar small documents. It secures with a stamped leather strap that happens to be 20mm wide. In theory, you could use it as a watch strap, wrapping the length around your wrist twice. The warm brown color pairs well with the cooler black and grey, but the wrap look is not for everyone and the brass hardware clashes. Personally, I think the strap functions better on the roll. 

I was pleased to see that the watch is faithful to its promotional photos, although it looks a shade brighter and more silver than many expected. It is not a huge difference, but it does look rather clean. Redux has advised that the finish will darken over time as the titanium oxidizes, forming its characteristic blue-gray patina. I'm curious to see how this develops. When I last covered the watch, Redux was soliciting case back designs from its backers. They ultimately chose an engraving resembling an aircraft data plate, complete with serial number.

The watch has a screw down crown at 4 o'clock, flanked by asymmetrical guards. It operates smoothly, and the deep gear toothed edge affords an easy grip. Bezel action is equally good, moving with positive clicks and no back play. Some buyers have reported a gritty feel that Redux has chalked this up to the blasted finish on the two surfaces. They say the bezel will wear in with use, but as I did not encounter this problem on mine, I neither comment nor complain. The engraved numbers are nice and deep, easily visible under normal lighting conditions. Close examination reveals a rough, pebbled surface inside but this does not detract from the bezel's appearance. 

Different straps were available during the campaign, but I went with the standard 20mm nylon NATO. The strap has angular custom hardware that is signed and matches the case. It looks fantastic, but it is just over a foot long – far more than I need and too much to reasonably tuck into the keepers. Small wristed folks like myself will need to cut it down or find other options. Lucky for me, I have a healthy stock in the strap drawer and soon found an olive drab canvas strap from a Bulova Hack Commemorative and a thick suede NATO. Swapping was a breeze as the COURG has drilled lugs and sufficient room between the case and spring bars to swallow the heavyweight leather on the pass through strap. The difficult part is finding suitable strap hardware. Titanium buckles are not common, but a blasted finish will do nicely. 

The 40mm COURG is the perfect size for my 6.5" wrist. I was worried that the 14mm thickness would make it look unbalanced, but this is not the case. The fat case has the appropriate wrist presence for a tool watch without being ungainly, and will carry off a beefy strap with ease. 

Overall, I am thoroughly satisfied with the Redux COURG. It looks great, wears well, and represents a good value, even at its new price. My only gripe is the length of the NATO, and that a fairly minor quibble. I got a heck of a deal on the pre-order, but I still recommend it at full price.

I hear a new Redux site is in development, but for the time being, you can buy a COURG of your own at the Redux Backerkit page. 

Pro: Titanium case, modest size.

Con: Long strap.

Sum: Everything I wanted. The Time Bum approves.

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