On April 28, the promising watch company Undone announced the third in a series of collaborative projects with the Japanese craft house Simple Union. This partnership began in 2019, focusing on the Japanese concept of Wabi-Sabi (impermanence and imperfection). In 2020, their second collaboration, a limited edition of 300 watches, sold out within two days of launch. As a big fan of Undone's previous offerings, I eagerly awaited to see if 2021 would bring a third collaboration.
I was not to be disappointed. This year, Undone continued to explore the Wabi-Sabi philosophy, this time using traditional Japanese kanji characters for existence. They are arranged around a truly unique dial, where Arabic numerals and Japanese kanji symbols are combined. There are two different versions: Sometsuke and Urushi. Sometsuke features a white and blue porcelain finish and comes with a patterned fabric strap. Urushi has a black and gold finish, comes with a black leather strap, and is the version I reviewed. Except for cosmetic differences, they are functionally identical, with the same case and mechanism.
Urushi Dial
Urushi is a type of Japanese lacquerware dating back to the medieval period. At that time, some of the most devoted Buddhist monks underwent live mummification to truly let go of their material essence and achieve nirvana. As part of this process, they drank tea made from the urushi tree, a plant that is poisonous if not prepared correctly. Once dried, the sap from this tree forms a durable lacquer, similar to the toughest modern polymers. As a result, it became a popular material for finishing pottery and other ceramics.
The black urushi dial is sprinkled with gold, representing the Japanese art of maki-e. This art involves sprinkling the drying surface with precious metal dust to give it a shiny and glistening appearance. It’s the same technique used for traditional Japanese tea bowls. At the top of the dial, you'll notice that the gold markers for "10," "11," "1," and "2 o’clock" have been replaced with the Japanese characters 常, 苦, 苦, and 空. They correspond to the philosophical concepts of existence, impermanence, suffering, and self-denial. These concepts are central to the Wabi-Sabi philosophy on which this watch is based.
While the upper half of the dial adheres to Japanese traditions, the lower half is more modern. The 4, 5, 7, and 8 o’clock positions are marked by gold Arabic numerals, while the 3, 6, and 9 o’clock positions are marked by dashes. As with many other watches, there is a triangular marker at the "12 o’clock" position for added emphasis.
Both the hour and minute hands have an artificially skeletonized design with a wide, light-filled form bordered by elegant gold edges. The minute hand is angular, with a triangular tip and sharply beveled sides. The hour hand is shorter and stubbier, with a round suspension and a skeletonized peace sign at the end. You won't find a date window or other modern complications on the dial. Everything is elegant and minimalist.
Robust Case and Crystal
The Urushi features a sturdy stainless steel case of moderate size, suitable for both men's and women's wrists. With a diameter of 37 mm, a lug-to-lug distance of 43.3 mm, and a thickness of only 12.8 mm, it is elegant and lightweight. In fact, it is somewhat thinner than it appears in specifications. At least a millimeter of this thickness is due to the domed sapphire crystal, treated to be anti-reflective.
On the side of the case is a ribbed push-button crown that screws down, providing water resistance up to 50 meters. With this rating, you should avoid swimming or prolonged submersion, but you don’t have to worry about the case leaking in the shower or rain.
The strap is made of smooth brown leather with fine stitching along the sides for reinforcement. On the wrist, it is soft and comfortable, and the stainless steel clasp easily fastens and unfastens.
Tried and True Automatic Movement
The beating heart of the Urushi is the SEIKO NH35A movement. This is a relatively new mechanism, initially released in February 2011. However, it is not entirely a new design. It is an enhanced version of the old NH25A movement, one of SEIKO's most popular mechanisms. It has now been largely replaced by the NH35A. In terms of performance, it is as accurate and reliable as the older NH24A. However, it now winds manually, can be hacked, and also operates automatically. In addition to many watches from flagship brands, it is also available in many microbrand watches.
This movement beats smoothly at 21,600 vibrations per hour and has an accuracy of +/- 15 seconds per day, which matches the most affordable modern automatics. It also boasts a 42-hour power reserve.