Three years after the launch of the original, Studio Underd0g is introducing a new generation of the Series 02 watch featuring some welcome refinements, and a pair of new colorways. The young brand’s enigmatic chronograph gets most of the attention, but the time-only Series 02 stands as a wholly original and compelling take on the field watch genre. It’s also an important watch for the brand to establish itself beyond a single vision. With the newest generation, Studio Underd0g is leaning further into the strengths of the original Series 02, and expanding on them. That means big colors, layered dials, and plenty of lume.
The idea of the Series 02 took inspiration from a familiar source, that of the archetypal field watch as defined by a request from the MoD in the 1940s, and gave us the so-called ‘Dirty Dozen’ used by military personnel in the closing stages of WWII. It’s a simple formula, and we’ve seen countless variations on it over the generations, but the Series 02 manages to find a unique angle by creating a layered dial design that boasts an unexpected palette of colors.
With the second generation of the Series 02, we find a total of four new watches, two of which feature new colorways in the ‘Nightshade’ and ‘Red L0lly’. The existing dials, ‘Pink Lem0nade’, ‘Steffany Blue’ remain, while ‘Mo0n’ and ‘Midnight’ remain exclusive to the original series. Collectively, the new watches represent a vibrant array that spans from deep red and purple, to light blue, and of course, pink and yellow. Not exactly what you’d expect in a WWII field watch inspired design.
The big personality of these dials will remain the big draw, but the case has also seen a welcome change. Thanks to Studio Underd0g’s new in-house watchmaking studio, aptly called the D0ghouse, assembly can be done to tighter tolerances, and the dial has been brought closer to the crystal, allowing for a total thickness of 11.5mm, down half a millimeter from the original, and it’s important to note that the measurement still includes a highly domed crystal. Further, the diameter of the watch has also seen a change, growing slightly from 37mm to 37.5mm. Overall, this should remain a very easy watch to get along with on the wrist.
Not content with only external updates, the movement has also seen an update to the manually winding Sellita SW200-2 M, which gets 63 hours of power reserve, and a regulation to within +/- 7 seconds of accuracy per day. This sits behind a closed caseback that bears the likeness of a jellyfish, a nod to the 100 meter depth rating. In total, this watch represents a comprehensive workover to provide small but welcome updates that add up to an appreciably better experience. The watch is available now, and is priced at $1,200. Studio Underd0g
Leave a Reply