Meet the Isotope x Oracle Time Mercury Vitreous Green & Orange

If you’re anything like us you’re handsome and funny with incredible taste. And thanks to that taste, you’ve likely been keeping an eye on Isotope over the last couple of years. The British brand has made it their self-imposed mandate to bring metiers d’art to the people and by people I mean watch lovers. And they’ve done so in serious style.

First there was their incredibly cool marquetry models, mosaic dials made from painstakingly arranged pieces of straw. Then there were their cloisonne enamel pieces built for British Watchmakers Day, about as flag-wavingly patriotic as you might expect and using an exacting technique of gold wire and enamel.

It’s been more than enough that when we were looking to do our next British collab, Isotope were top of our list. But where to take things? Impressive as marquetry and cloisonne are, they’re very particular and, honestly, have been done now. We wanted to do something that Isotope have never done before. And so we created these: the Isotope Mercury Vitreous Green and Orange.

British watch fans will know vitreous enamel pretty well, if in a very isolated way. anOrdain have been making their name with the material for years. But as a bit of a primer, the technique starts with a metal base layer. In this case, it’s a textured metallic leaf. Then, semi-transparent enamel is layered on top, building up colour bit by bit, baked at ridiculous temperatures between each layer. The end result is a level of depth and magnificent colour that simply can’t be achieved with other techniques.

The colours here are a spearmint green – brighter and more saturated than a classic mint dial – and a volcanic orange, visually roiling thanks to the metallic texture underneath. On one hand you have light and bright, on the other deep and rich, two very different personalities.

With two such different dials we weren’t content to just put them in the same case, as handsome as the 38mm Mercury case is. The counterpoint to the fiery dial of the Mercury Vitreous Orange was obvious, a rockstarworthy blacked-out DLC case that helps the colour pop. It’s complimented with a matching black FKM rubber strap and a PVD clasp.

The green was a trickier proposition. The silver colouring of steel worked, but we wanted to keep the shine restricted to the dial. So, we settled on matte sandblasting across the board. Sure, the end result is a steel case and green dial, something there are too many of these days, but in a way that you’ve never seen before. To keep it soft and matte, the Mercury Vitreous Green is finished on a grey FKM strap with a sandblasted clasp.

Other than case-matched hands, we’ve left the dials completely to themselves. When you have colour and visual texture like this, why would you interrupt it with something as prosaic as numerals?

Inside each watch is Isotope’s I-7 calibre movement, a regulated and custom-engraved take on the classic hand-wound ETA/Peseux 7001. That means a 3hz frequency and 42-hour power reserve. And while it might be hard to take your eyes away from the enamel, the movement’s worth a look through the exhibition caseback as a particularly handsome example of why the 7001 still gets so much love.

All of this – the vitreous enamel dials, the custom cases and the stunning movement – contribute to making the Isotope x Oracle Time Mercury Vitreous models serious watches. Yet at £2,775 including VAT, it’s not unaffordable.

So, if you want to get your hands on one of the most accessible – not to mention coolest – British-designed vitreous enamel watches around, both versions go on sale 15th September. Oracle Time members will get priority access. If you’re not subscribed and don’t want to miss out, join the OT Club.

More details at Isotope.