Dennison have been causing a stir in the watch world since the brand was revived last year with their delicate dress watches and signature case shapes. Now they’ve teamed up with the folks at Time+Tide, after a meeting between T+T’s founder Andrew McUtchen and watch designer Emmanual Gueit, to release a brand new special edition that marks several firsts for both brands. The watch in question is the Time+Tide x Dennison DateNight, which I’ve been able to get hands-on with.
On the wrist it immediately feels like contemporary Dennison as we know it, largely because the 37mm x 33.5mm case is lifted from the existing ALD collection. It’s incredibly slim with a thickness of just 6.05mm and cushion shape that sits close to the skin thanks to its hidden lugs. The cushion design also helps it feel nice and unisex as it adds a lot of presence and makes the watch feel bigger than its dimensions suggest.
Time+Tide have produced many collaboration watches over the years, but this is the first they describe as a dress watch. Which is perfect timing because smaller, vintage proportioned watches like this are currently at their highest peak of popularity in a decade, if not longer. A key component in the dressy feel of the watch comes from dial.
It’s made from Australian mother-of-pearl (linking to Time+Tide’s Australian roots) using marquetry, a first for Dennison. Marquetry is traditionally a technique associated with wood, using extremely thin pieces of material to create an almost mosaic like pattern with seamless edges between each piece. The principles remain the same in other materials, such as the mother-of-pearl here or silicon as in the case of the Ulysse Nardin Blast Free Wheel Marquetry.
The mother-of-pearl has an intense blue colour that shimmers with shades of purple and green as the light plays across it. You can also make out the marquetry pattern between the tessellating rectangles, like the fanciest bit of parquet flooring you’ve ever seen. Above the dial you have the hour and minute hands and over those is the glass with Dennison logo on it. It’s a fun display that again leans into that unisex design space where you can imagine it as equally on a lady’s wrist as a man’s – if he’s wearing an appropriate suit.
It’s presented on a soft Molequin suede strap in grey with an optional white leather strap. Undoing said strap reveals the caseback, which features a depiction of the Time+Tide Studio. Indeed, this watch is a studio edition, exclusively available from Time+Tide’s studios in Melbourne and London, with New York to follow. However, it will also be available online for a 24-hour period starting at 14:00 CET on the 27th of August.
It’s priced at a £745, which is nice and accessible for a dress watch with a Metiers d’Art dial. That accessibility is made possible by housing a Swiss Ronda quartz movement, which isn’t exactly a prestigious calibre but makes sense for a small, lightweight dress piece. To throw a little narrative on it, you could easily imagine going to the Time+Tide Studio with your partner and buying them for each other while also checking out the latest CW, Tag Heuer or Zenith – it’s not called the DateNight for nothing.
Price and Specs:
More details at Time+Tide.
