Studio Underd0g watches are at their best when they manage to balance design, colour, concept and a sense of humour. That’s why the Watermel0n is such a big hit and limited edition collections like the Egg in collaboration with Wristcheck were delightful. There’s something joyfully twisted about a wristwatch honouring a rotten egg. Their latest creation is another collaboration, this time with Massena LAB, the Studio Underd0g x Massena LAB 03SERIES Champagne & Caviar.
Personally, I find that whether you like this watch depends very much on the framing with which you view it. If you see it as an earnest celebration of the ultra-luxe world of champagne & caviar it feels a bit in poor taste for a brand calling themselves Underd0g. However, if you flip the phrase ‘earnest celebration’ to ‘ironic send-up’ and see it as making fun of the stuffy world that the rich live in then it becomes much more palatable. I understand the joke, I’m just not sure it lands properly.
Taking the sort of conceptual quandaries out of it, the watch is executed in much the fashion we’ve come to expect. As part of the 03SERIES it’s a 38.5mm big eye chronograph with a grainy texture dial that here is champagne coloured. The big eye 30-minute counter has been given a bespoke bubble texture in a dark green colour that’s designed to look like a pot of caviar, which looks realistic enough to trigger anyone’s trypophobia. It doesn’t really look attractive which is why I mentioned the R0tten Egg edition earlier because the sense of humour is similar but at the same, caviar is just not as funny as egg (which is strange because it is also egg, just from a different animal).
For this collaboration they’ve swapped from their usual Seagull movements to the Sellita Manual Winding SW510 M with elaboré finishing and +/-5 seconds per day accuracy. With those specs in addition to the 63-hour power reserve, it represents a really nice upgrade to the watch. They first showcased the 03SERIES with this movement as part of their collaboration with H. Moser & Cie. in the Project Passion.
The Studio Underd0g x Massena LAB 03SERIES Champagne & Caviar is limited to 200 pieces and go on sale at 3pm on November 11th priced at £1,750. Additionally, to celebrate the launch they are hosting a champagne & caviar party in Geneva to coincide with the GPHG. Again, I hope it’s an ironic party, but I fear it won’t be.
Price and Specs:
More details at Studio Underd0g.
Hasn’t this particular cow been milked enough by now? Or have l just created a new theme for the next limited release.