Reino Unido · Fundación 2021
Studio Underd0g
Its first order window took 300 orders in three weeks; by 2024, about 6,000 in nine hours.
Texto editorial en inglés.
Studio Underd0g is a British microbrand founded by designer Richard Benc, known for colourful, food-themed chronographs and field watches with a zero in their names. It sells mainly direct through timed order windows, assembles its watches in its own Maidenhead workshop, and most models cost roughly €650 to €1,800.
Historia
Richard Benc studied product design at Nottingham University, designed licensed character watches at Zeon and then spent five to six years in product development at Braun. He began drawing watches for himself during the first lockdown in early 2020. Studio Underd0g Ltd was incorporated in Brighton on 8 January 2021. Benc has explained the name as that of an underdog entering the big, scary watch world, with the zero standing for the digital age and 'Studio' for his design practice.
The first model, the 01SERIES Watermel0n, was a 38.5 mm chronograph with the hand-wound Seagull ST1901 column-wheel movement and a pink-and-green dial. The first order window drew 300 orders over three weeks, and deliveries began in September 2021. Assembly took place in Britain at Horologium, a small workshop that devoted most of its capacity to Studio Underd0g and in which the brand held a stake. Special editions such as the 100-piece Pizza Party followed.
In October 2023 the 02SERIES field watch, inspired by 1940s Ministry of Defence watches, moved to a Swiss Sellita SW210. The same year the 50-piece Watermel0n (Perpétuel Limited Edition), with Eastern Arabic numerals, was nominated in the GPHG Challenge category. An order window in early 2024 took about 6,000 watches in nine hours. At Geneva Watch Days 2024 H. Moser & Cie. and Studio Underd0g presented a 100-set pairing, and its monopusher became the 03SERIES, launched with the Salm0n in September.
Benc still owned the company outright in 2024 and said marketing took about 1% of sales, with growth driven by word of mouth. Retail is limited to a handful of partners, and the brand has made joint pocket watches, called Alliance, with Christopher Ward. In 2026 it opened The D0ghouse in Maidenhead, a watchmaking workshop formerly part of Horologium and once Christopher Ward's headquarters, bringing assembly fully in-house as annual production passed 14,000 watches.
Fundadores
- Richard Benc
- Founder
- British product designer, trained at Nottingham University, who designed character watches at Zeon and worked at Braun before starting Studio Underd0g as a lockdown project.
Hitos
2021
Company founded, first deliveries
Studio Underd0g Ltd is incorporated in Brighton in January; the first Watermel0n chronographs ship in September.
2023
02SERIES field watch
A field watch inspired by 1940s Ministry of Defence designs, with the Swiss Sellita SW210, launches in October.
2023
GPHG nomination
The 50-piece Watermel0n (Perpétuel Limited Edition) is one of six nominees in the GPHG Challenge category.
2024
H. Moser & Cie. collaboration
A 100-set pairing with H. Moser & Cie. is presented at Geneva Watch Days, at $64,900 per set.
2024
03SERIES Salm0n
The first standalone 03SERIES monopusher chronograph uses the Sellita SW510 and costs £1,700.
2026
The D0ghouse opens
Studio Underd0g takes assembly in-house at its own workshop in Maidenhead, with annual production above 14,000 watches.
Tres cosas que saben los coleccionistas
The zero is deliberate
Benc has said the name reflects an underdog entering the watch world, while the zero replacing the letter o stands for the digital age. The habit carries into model names such as Watermel0n and Salm0n.
About 1% on marketing
In 2024 Benc said marketing accounted for roughly 1% of sales, with almost all growth coming from word of mouth and owners sharing their watches.
Build your own at The D0ghouse
The Maidenhead workshop offers an Assembly Experience for £700, in which guests assemble a watch with a watchmaker's guidance and keep it, engraved 'Assembled By Me'.
Modelos emblemáticos
- Watermel0n2021
The founding 01SERIES chronograph: 38.5 mm, Seagull ST1901 column-wheel movement, pink-and-green dial.
- 02SERIES Field Watch2023
Field watch based on 1940s Ministry of Defence designs, with Sellita SW210 and multi-layer Super-LumiNova.
- Salm0n2024
38.5 mm monopusher chronograph with the hand-wound Sellita SW510 and 63 hours of reserve.
- Passi0n Fruit2024
The Studio Underd0g half of the 100-set pairing with H. Moser & Cie., with a Sellita SW510 monopusher.
Preguntas
- Who owns Studio Underd0g?
- Founder Richard Benc. In 2024 he said he owned 100% of the company, which had been funded from his own savings and crowdfunding, with no outside investors.
- Where are Studio Underd0g watches made?
- They are assembled in Britain. Early watches were assembled by Horologium; since 2026 assembly has taken place in the brand's own workshop, The D0ghouse, in Maidenhead. Components are sourced internationally.
- What movements does Studio Underd0g use?
- The 01SERIES chronographs use the hand-wound Seagull ST1901, the 02SERIES field watches the Swiss Sellita SW210, and the 03SERIES monopusher chronographs the Swiss Sellita SW510.
- How do you buy a Studio Underd0g watch?
- Mainly direct from the brand during timed order windows. In 2024 the average wait after ordering was about three months, and only a few retailers carried the brand.
Fuentes
- The Big Interview: How Studio Underd0g became horology's hottest d0g – WatchPro USA
- Indie Icons: Studio Underd0g – 10to2
- Introducing: The Studio Underd0g 02Series Field Watch – Fratello
- GPHG 2023: Nominations for the Challenge Watch Category – The Hour Markers
- H. Moser, Studio Underd0g Unveil Collaboration: The Passion Fruit Set – Forbes
- Introducing: The Studio Underd0g Salm0n, The First Model in the Swiss-Powered 03SERIES – Monochrome
- Studio Underd0g Opens The D0ghouse Watchmaking Workshop – WatchPro
- Studio Underd0g Ltd – Companies House