Meeting Mark Carson was one of the highlights of the recent Watches and Whiskey show in Hagerstown, Maryland. He had come a long way from his home in Hawaii where he designs and has his watches assembled. Mark is best known for his award-winning Ka La collection and his stunning Art Deco-inspired cases for Rpaige. I got a chance to chat with him about the Ka La, our shared weakness for BMWs, and his newest line, the Kailua. Before it was over, he let me choose a watch to borrow for review, and without hesitation, I grabbed this fumé red Mark Carson Kailua GMT.
The brand’s Hawaiian roots are reflected in the petroglyph sea turtle that decorates the dial, second hand counterweight, clasp, and crown. Stylistically, the Kailua occupies that grey area in between sport and dress watches. Its size, bold coloring, and drilled lugs say “take me outside,” while its mirror-polished bezel, elegant face, and 50m water resistance say, “but someplace nice.”
A 40mm square case does not make for a small watch. My reference for square watches is the TAG Heuer Monaco. That one is just 38mm, and it is still a sizable chunk of metal. On the Kailua, clipped corners, chamfered edges, and a polished bezel all help to minimize its periphery, while the short lugs manage to keep the overall length to 48mm, well within the modest space of my 6.75″ wrist. Still, the Kailua exhibits more of a sporty watch’s swagger than a dress watch’s elegance. Broad as it may be, the case is only a touch over 11mm thick. Even though the vertical brushing on the case sides tricks the eye into accentuating its thickness, it cannot trick the laws of physics, and so it tucks neatly under a buttoned shirt cuff.
Carson wisely chose a crown that was more broad than tall, allowing easy operation and proper proportions without creating an unsightly protuberance that would have disrupted the lines of the case. It also has a turtle. I like turtles.
The Kailua’s dial features polished alpha hands and applied markers. A series of slim elements, including a tall 12; arrowheads at 3, 6, and 9 (the six is clipped by a rather dapper framed date window), and baton markers for the rest of the hours give the Kailua’s face an almost spidery appearance. Unlike many square watches, this one repeats ithe motif in its dial; it is most apparent in the 24-hour index on the GMT. Square layouts offer a great deal of space to fill, and this watch does so with long hands and tall markers extending right to the perimeter.
In daylight, the watch is perfectly legible, albeit a touch congested. For that, I blame the GMT index. First, have a look at the three-hander. Those long markers are doing the job of filling the ample real estate on that dial while leaving just enough air between their inner tips and the text to avoid looking crowded.
The GMT, on the other hand, has that 24-hour index, and it is a tight squeeze where it passes beneath the 11, 12, and 1 markers and above the Mark Carson logo. Perhaps it could have been addressed by moving the brand name down to the space occupied by the logo and relying on the nearly identically sized turtle on the counterweight to provide the symbol. It’s by no means difficult to read in its current form, just a bit busy.
If you do opt for the three-hander, you’ll get the simpler dial, but you won’t get it in this color. That shimmering sunray red-to-black is only available on the GMT, and it is stunning. I don’t know if it is supposed to remind you of the glowing magma that burns deep in the heart of the Kilauea crater, but it certainly does for me.
Illumination is more than adequate for a dress/sport watch, if shy of what a true lume freak might demand. C3 SuperLuminova provides good visibility for the hands, less so for the three arrowheads, and there is just not enough surface area on the rest of the markers to sustain much of a glow. The fact that the GMT hand and second hand are nearly identical seems problematic when looking at photos; in practice, however, they are easily distinguished by the fact that the second hand is in obvious motion.
The Kailua has sapphire crystals front and rear, allowing you a view of the top-grade ETA 2893-2. In addition to the modular GMT compilation, it has 21 jewels, a 28.8k bph vibration rate, a 42-hour power reserve, and Incabloc shock protection. Most apparent to the observer will be the attractive world map etched on the rotor, the engine-turned finishing, and the chronometer designation indicating adjustment within COSC specifications.
I’m pleased to report that Carson did not skimp on the straps. Kailua customers will get a rubber strap (which I did not sample) or, for an additional $100, this outstanding 22mm glossy black genuine crocodile with red lining and stitching. The strap tapers to a signed butterfly deployant clasp. Carson selects the hides he prefers for his straps (this one is belly), and I applaud his choice. They are amazing. My only comment would be that the red in the dial would actually pop even more when paired with an all-black strap.
The Mark Carson Kailua GMT may be a comparatively conservative design for its designer, but it is beautifully made and by no means plain or timid. This is a good thing. A watch that sells for $2,099 (rubber) or $2,199 (leather) should make a statement, as this one certainly does. If you find yourself taken in by Kailua’s bold presence and firey spirit, head over to MarkCarson.com.
