It’s no secret that the micro brand/small independent space is rife with creativity when it comes to creating watches that push the envelope. Exploring the space is like a breath of fresh air coming from the mainstream, where conservative trends dominate the landscape. One of the more evocative brands in recent years has been Isotope, an English brand founded by José and Joana Miranda in 2016. With a seemingly endless well of left field ideas, the brand has put forth some truly novel concepts, and believe me, not all of them have made it to market yet. This week, we’re getting four new references within the Hydrium collection that show a different side of the brand’s personality.
I’ll pause to point out the relevance of the brand’s name, Isotope, as it applies to that concept of diverse ideas within a single family. In a chemical sense, an isotope is a variance in the number of neutrons that live alongside a set number of protons with the nucleus of the same element (e.g. hydrogen has three isotopes: protium, deuterium, and tritium). The watch brand plays into this theme with some of their design decisions, particularly in the hand shapes, and even the lobe like structure which I’ve always interpreted a bit like the dots indicating the spin moments of the proton and electron as seen on the golden record. But, maybe that’s just me. Point being, the brand has a knack for tapping into very different creative themes without losing sight of their core DNA, which makes each of their collections quite distinct from each other.
The four new watches feel like different album covers, or cartoon series’ at the very least. They are the Wasabi, the Ooh La La, the Coconut Island, and the British Racing Green. The first three of these are limited to just 20 examples each, and they bring a certain graphic quality to their dials that play up the intended themes, of which the names will put you in the ballpark straightaway. The British Racing Green, or BRG, is the most straightforward of the lot, and uses a checkered flag motif at the chapter ring in a manner similar to what we’ve seen from the likes of Omega and Seiko in the past. This one is limited to 100 pieces, and will be the most approachable design of the bunch.
But that’s not really what these watches are about. The first three are rather on the nose in capturing the intended themes, some even going so far as to write it out on the dial. The Wasabi gets actual fish pieces on the dial, and the Coconut Island gets, well, palm trees and coconuts in a manner you might expect from seconde/seconde. These watches are exactly what it says on the tin. Each is set within the confines of a 40mm micro-bead blasted steel case with matching chunky steel bezels. These are not for the faint of heart, but the short lug design should keep everything neatly tucked into the confines of your wrist.
These new Hydrium watches use a La Joux Perret G101 soigné automatic movement which is visible through an exhibition back. The caseback will also be individually numbered in this very limited series. As far as niche, summer watches are concerned, these designs from Isotope carve out their own path in a manner you’d expect from the brand. Prices are set at $1,678 for each. Fingers crossed they direct attention to a next generation of the Moonshot Chronograph next. Isotope
