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Undone Arabian Nights

Over the past couple of years, Bronze cases on watches have become more and more popular. Large manufacturers and smaller brands have seized this opportunity to release all sorts of watches from dress watches to divers in bronze versions. There is a certain appeal to using bronze as a case material, it adds a level of warmth that the clean look of stainless steel just can’t deliver. It also has a patina process that causes the bronze to look aged, and this feeds into the overall vintage style many of these watches aim to imitate. Spend some time on the internet or YouTube, and you will find numerous articles and videos of watch fanatics trading in ways to accelerate this patina process to get that perfect aged look to their bronze watch.

I’d been divided on if I like the look of bronze as a case material. In some instances, they looked very nice with that warmth and aged look, and in others, I wasn’t so keen. For me, the bronze case suits a tool watch aesthetic, although some exceptions are in the form of some of the big crown pointers from Oris. Overall I think the first watch I liked the bronze case on was the Black Bay Bronze from Tudor, but let’s be honest that’s a big commitment in terms of money if you're not entirely sure on the whole bronze case aesthetic.

Enter Undone Watches who released a version of their classic diver in a very limited edition entitled Arabian Nights. Having recently reviewed and been impressed with their Terra, when they asked if I’d like to take a look at the Arabian Nights diver which features a bronze case, I couldn’t say no! Undone are known for their very customisable watches and a wide array of limited and special run commemorative pieces and the Arabian Nights Diver is incredibly eye-catching and stands out amongst the crowd.

So what is it? This is at heart a diver’s watch, but I feel it has more of a dress and fashion appeal than a true tool watch aesthetic. In a first for Undone it features a Lapis Lazuli dial cut straight from stone meaning as well as being a limited run as a model, no two dials will be the same, so every watch is unique. Couple this with the bronze case and the patina these will pick up over time, and you're left with a watch that will be very individual to the wearer. The dial being a natural stone carries flecks of white and gold and catches the light giving an outstanding representation of the night sky it’s named after. The dial also contrasts very well against the warmth of the bronze case.

As well as the Arabian Night Sky themed colour to the dial Undone have used a Californian style to the dial layout. Featuring eastern Arabic’s for the top half of the dial, and standard Arabic’s for the lower half. These have an aged faux patina colour and are all crisply printed in luminous paint for when the real night sets in. The outer minute track is printed in bronze colour. The writing on the dial is limited to Undone written at the 6 o’clock position and then the water resistance, which is 100m 300ft again all completed in that warm bronze colour. The handset is a Mercedes style featuring lume meaning legibility will be just fine to match the markers.

The case itself is a sensible 40mm meaning is neither too large nor too small for a diver style piece. The only part of the case that isn’t in bronze is the case back, and this is done in stainless steel to avoid any discolouration to the wearer's wrist. It also features a display window that allows you to see the movement, which in this case is the Seiko NH35. There is no form of decoration present, but the movement does offer reliability, and easy servicing so is a worry-free timekeeper in the long run.

The crown and bezel on the Arabian Nights are also all bronze affairs. The hexagonal crown is signed U for Undone and offers acceptable grip levels as does the knurling on the dive bezel. The bezel action on this one has no stop or click. It’s a friction bezel with the noon position indicated with a triangle and the simple hour marker batons and the 15, 30 and 45 minutes called out in numerals. The crystal used is a polycarbonate one and not sapphire, so this may pick up marks, but these can be polished out easily. Overall there is nothing about the case other than materials that set it aside from Undone’s normal diver range. But the colour of the bronze against that blue dial sets this one apart in a big way.

The Arabian night's watch I received came with two straps. A faux alligator leather strap in a dark midnight blue and a more plain-looking simple two stitch leather strap in a brown/beige colour. Both featured very nice buckles and pins done in bronze to match the case and signed Undone, a nice touch. The Alligator strap to me fits better because of the deep rich blue but will take some wearing in as it’s quite a stiff strap. Nicely made but stiff all the same.

For my first foray into the world of bronze watches, what do I think of the Undone Arabian Nights diver? Well first off I like the aesthetic of the bronze. It’s too early to say how it will look with some age and patina on it, but I am sold on bronze as a case material, and it makes a lovely change to stainless steel. The blue dial that Undone has produced is mesmerising, and using natural stone can’t be ignored as the process to create dials like this is no easy feat. In terms of the aesthetic, they were going for, this does hit the nail on the head. There is a mystical, magical look to those warm bronze tones and that glistening blue dial that make this one feel special on the wrist.

Is there anything I don’t like? Of course, because very few watches are perfect and especially at more affordable prices. I’m not a fan of friction fit bezels. As yet I haven’t found one I like, and I’d have preferred the click of a unidirectional bezel on this one too. The display case back seems to have been missed on the one I received but I believe on the full production model this will be a deep opaque blue with Arabic markings and the limited production run number. I’d of like to of seen this as I think it would have been great in the blue. The use of polycarbonate as the crystal will be a personal preference. I like this, but I won’t be surprised if some people wish it were sapphire for the added durability.

So what’s my conclusion? Well if like me you have been flirting with the idea of adding a bronze watch to your collection this is a very nice option! Aesthetically you will like it or you won’t which will make your decision easy. If you do like the Arabian Nights theme, this is a solid diver with a trouble-free but straightforward movement and a style that shines on the wrist. With very limited numbers you're also unlikely to bump into many others wearing the same watch, and that adds a nice touch of exclusivity to the watch overall. I’m also looking forward to seeing how this one will age and patina over time which again adds to the mystery of this one. Undone set out to create a watch with an Arabian theme, and when you look at it, I think it’s hard to say they didn’t do a very good job overall.

So if you're tempted by the Arabian nights, remember this is limited to 300 pieces worldwide so check them out here.

Specifications:

Case: Bronze screw-down crown with Stainless Steel case-back with display window

Crystal: Polycarbonate

Strap: Leather with Bronze buckle

Movement: Seiko NH35 Automatic

Water Resistance: 100m 330ft

Dial: Lapis Lazuli cut stone