Exclusive: Studio Underd0g Talks Two New Watches
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One is a 196-year-old watch brand founded in St. Petersburgh and regarded for such dedication to its craft that is makes its own hairsprings, balance wheels and other miniscule internal components.
The other is a three-year-old company from Brighton that launched its watches on Kickstarter and is known for a model that looks like a watermelon.
But H. Moser & Cie and Studio Underd0g have more in common than that precis might suggest.
First, a commitment to having a bit of a laugh.
The first ceased trading in the 1970s and was relaunched in the 2000s and has since been responsible for releasing a watch made from Swiss cheese, one with plants sprouting out of its face, apparently to highlight climate change, and the Swiss Icons edition, a mash-up of the most recognisable bits of watch design from Rolex, Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe, Panerai Hublot and others, in a manner that may not have been entirely respectful. (Moser also makes insanely beautiful minimalist dress watches with fumé dials that take a dozen turns in the enameller’s furnace to get them just-so. And can set you back £300k+)
The other has become the talk of the watch world thanks to its colourful, unexpected designs, honesty, sub-£1k price points and, yes, a watch that looks like a watermelon.
Second, both brands have built significant fanbases by engaging with watch fans in a grassroots way that is an anathema to the big Swiss brands. Moser opened its Moserlounge, a showroom/private room in New York with an emphasis on hanging out and meeting other collectors, as well as enjoying the Big Apple’s skyline.
Studio Underd0g’s founder Richard Benc has spent the last two years touring global watch meet-ups to bigger and bigger audiences as well as staging his own “pizza parties”, partly as means to flog “hand delivered” editions of Studio Underd0g’s pizza-dialled models, but increasingly, one suspects, as an excuse to dress up like a chef.
On Tuesday, Edouard Meylan, CEO and owner of H. Moser & Cie and Richard Benc, founder of Studio Underd0g, both posted food-and-drink themed videos to their IG accounts.
Meylan showed us how to make a passion fruit themed cocktail.
Benc dusted down his chef’s whites to run-through the recipe for a passion fruit Eton Mess.
It was a teaser campaign that left less room for guesswork than that one by Oasis. A collaboration was afoot! A passion fruit-themed watch was coming! All we needed was the details.
Today we got them.
There are just 100 sets containing two watches that come in a special presentation box. They will be sold via Moser's networks. The team-up is billed as 'Project Passion'. Boom, and indeed, boom.
Both use a yellow and purple colour scheme, as their name suggests.
The Studio Underd0g 03SERIES Passi0n Fruit features a Swiss-cam operated monopusher chronograph movement. And boasts an "eyeball-grabbing" coarse dégradé amber and royal purple multilayer dial.
The Endeavour Perpetual Calendar Passion Fruit has a case size of 42mm. It features a combination of a purple lacquered sunburst dial and a Grand Feu enamel dial on an 18-carat yellow gold base with a hammered texture. It is powered by the brand's award-winning manual-winding perpetual calendar movement.
Esquire spoke to Richard Benc, Studio Underdog’s founder about the meeting of minds, the limited nature of the release and which brand’s culinary skills were more on-point.
Esquire: How did this collaboration happen?
Richard Benc: "I managed to arrange a quick 30-minute meeting with Edouard on the 6th of July 2023 in Covent Garden while he was between appointments during a day trip to London. My objective was simply to introduce myself with the hopes that if we ever crossed paths in the future he may remember me!
I clearly must have done something right, as towards the end of the meeting Edouard hinted that there was some interest to work on a project with a brand that played in a totally different price segment. Naturally, I played it cool and said “oh that sounds interesting” while internally my head was spinning at the idea that there may be an opportunity for us to work together on something.
Edouard pitched a loose concept during the initial meet and I spent the following weeks thrashing out some ideas and designs. Within just a few weeks we had a strong concept and before Christmas 2023 we both started sampling."
How have you represented each brand’s DNA in the two pieces?
RB: “Studio Underd0g and H. Moser & Cie. have a surprising amount in common. In an industry that typically takes itself very seriously, we both like to have a bit of fun, albeit at different ends of the market. The main goal of the project was to showcase how important passion is in this industry (hence the colour way). Being passionate about Horology is what makes this space so special. There is passion at every stage, all the way from the watchmaker sat at their bench, through to customers and enthusiasts alike.
I wanted to ensure each watch could reflect the visual identity of both brands. The Studio Underd0g has done away with any branding or text elements in true Moser fashion. The H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour dial has been split into two components and follows the Studio Underd0g design principles.”
Who's the better chef/ barman, Edouard or yourself?
RB: “I did notice a subtle improvement in Edouard’s cocktail shaking ability after he took a shot I, on the other hand managed to cut my finger while chopping up the mango. So I think I’ll have to give this one to Edouard…”
Is this the only time we’ll see these watches, as super-limited editions? Or might they make a selective reappearance, as per the "hand-delivered" pizza-party?
RB: "We’ve not even launched yet and you’re hoping for a reappearance? That’s passion right there There are no current plans as of yet.”
Yes, that was a “passion” fruit gag right there.
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