To say Undone Watches is prolific would be a gross understatement. The Hong Kong brand turns out a staggering number of specials and collaboration pieces every year and they rarely miss their target. For today’s review, I have their latest, the stylish Undone x Staple Yin-Yang Limited edition.
The watch is a collaboration with New York streetwear designer jeffstaple, who has produced a string of successful collaboration projects with such brands as Nike, Puma and Cole Haan, and is behind some of the top streetwear trends with his brand, Staple Pigeon. The Undone project honors Jeff’s Chinese heritage (he was born Jeffrey Ng) by reimagining the Yin-Yang duality symbol as a pair of NYC’s ubiquitous pigeons.
Using Undone’s excellent 100m Basecamp platform, jeffstaple went with a PVD satin black case. The watch is 40mm wide, 48mm long, and 15mm from the display case back to the top of the double-domed Lexan Polycarbonate crystal. Staple’s motto since the brand’s inception “A Positive Social Contagion,” is written on the domed bezel insert. On the opposite side is the year of Jeff’s birth (’75) and the Staple brand’s year of establishment (’97). The duality is represented by both the black and white pigeons, as well as the left/right diver/field layouts. The Mercedes and lightning bolt handset is finished in Pigeon Pink, which leans closer to the red end of the scale and bursts against the black and white background.
The lume is absolutely wild. All the white elements on the dial glow blue while the hands glow pink. It’s a particularly cool effect.
On the flipside, you can get a glimpse of the Seiko NH35 automatic through a Pigeon Pink, and pigeon silhouetted display window.
“The philosophy behind balancing the darkness of yin and the brightness of yang is something I carry with me daily,” says Jeff, “and I’m excited to have the opportunity to bring this forward in a physical culmination with UNDONE. You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.”
The Undone x Staple collection will be made up of three timepieces, each with a different 20mm strap. The UNDONE x STAPLE Yin-Yang Limited Edition features a black steel bracelet, with a complimentary Staple Pigeon-branded nato strap and carabiner key chain included with purchase. Limited to 300 pieces worldwide, each piece is tagged with a unique serial number.
The Yin-Yang Leather trades the bracelet for a black leather rally strap with just a touch of the Staple pink in the threading.
Finally, the Yin-Yang Nato I sampled comes with a black nylon NATO strap.
The Undone x Staple Yin-Yang LE (bracelet) retails for $649, the leather and the NATO editions are $519. The custom branded strap is available for purchase separately for $39 as an add-on accessory for one of the Yin-Yang watches or for $75 as a standalone. Sales start today at 11:00 am Eastern. Head over to undone.com or staplepigeon.com to get yours.
Also, be sure to enter The Time Bum Giveaway to win the review watch!
