Isotope x Oracle Time Mercury Vitreous Watch Review

It’s less than a week until the Isotope x Oracle Time Mercury Vitreous Green & Orange goes on sale. As a reminder, the watch is available to OT Club members from September 12^th followed by general sale on September 15^th. If you haven’t seen the watch yet, or are on the fence, let’s take a closer look with a hands-on review that’s as unbiased as possible (I probably didn’t do a good job of that).

What pushes these watches in a truly exciting direction though are the vitreous enamel dials, Isotope’s first. Vitreous enamel, also called Grand Feu enamel, is a glass-like material that’s produced by baking it at extreme temperatures. Making dials like this is particularly difficult because the heat will expose tiny imperfections and cause the dial to crack, meaning even experienced enamellers have a high failure rate.

The dials here are particularly vibrant with a bright orange and minty green. However, they are quite susceptible to changes in lighting conditions due to the way the light catches their silverleaf textured surface. The orange in particular looks very red in lower light conditions while becoming an absolute blazing inferno in direct sunlight, emphasised by its contrast to the DLC case.

Speaking of the case, it measures 38mm in diameter with a thickness of 10mm in steel. It’s a dress watch sizing, svelte enough to slip under the cuff of any shirt while also providing a strong level of wrist presence from across the room. However, calling it a dress watch wouldn’t be entirely accurate. Both the grey steel of the Green edition and the DLC coated Orange have been bead-blasted, giving them a sporty, matte finish.

That sportiness is heightened by the FKM rubber strap, which sits comfortably between the two pronounced lugs connecting to the cushion case. Not only is the rubber good for comfort but also it makes the watch feel like you can wear it out and about on the daily, rather than putting it away for special occasions. It’s a hybrid style that’s suitable for everything. A Metier d’Art watch that’s both accessible monetarily and stylistically.

Undoing the strap and turning either watch over reveals an exhibition caseback. Through it you can see the Isotope I-7 calibre, a regulated and custom engraved version of the ETA/Peseux 7001 movement. It’s a manual-winding movement that offers a 42-hour power reserve, which is around the industry average these days. With solid finishing thanks to the modern anthracite finish on the bridges and a venerable history, its popularity is understandable.

As for price, the Isotope x Oracle Time Mercury Vitreous Green & Orange are £2,775 including VAT in a limited edition of 25 pieces per colour. It’s one of the most accessible Grand Feu enamel dial watches around, bringing this iconic Metiers d’Art to a new audience, sharing a similar price point to Britain’s most famous enamel brand anOrdain whose Model 1 Fumé is £2,750. Given the collaboration’s exclusivity, signing up to become an OT Club member in order to receive early access makes sense. Alternatively, to be notified when the general sale goes live for any remaining pieces, sign up below.

More details at Isotope.