Earlier this year, I announced the Undone x Simple Union Limited Edition, a delightful watch that paired the Undone Basecamp bronze case with a novel Japanese twist on the California dial. It also featured a custom strap made by Hong Kong’s Simple Union from antique Japanese Katazome cloth. I sang its praises, but in a fleeting moment of watch collecting restraint, I didn’t order one. Then, they were gone and I immediately regretted my decision. Months passed, and I noticed Undone put its very similar Kyoto Ghost model on sale, and that Simple Union was offering a modest discount too. So I bought them both and cobbled together my own, not-so-limited edition, which I will now review.
Like the rest of the Undone Basecamp series, this bronze beauty is 40mm wide, 48mm long, and 12mm thick. For full vintage effect, they topped it with a 3mm domed Lexan crystal. It is a well-balanced combination that keeps the Basecamp (this is my third) in regular rotation on my wrist. Is there anything not to like about this case? Well, a little. The bronze version seems a little less crisp than the stainless steel model and it gives up the polished bevel that enlivens its sibling. That said, even though it arrived bright and shiny, I know the bronze case is intended to develop a patina and look aged, so a softer look is not an issue.
The bezel is also bronze. It has a polished coin edge and raised markers. I did have a problem preventing it from getting nudged out of position. I know bidirectional bezels have their place, and that the Basecamp is not, strictly speaking, a diver (note that there is no lume pip on that bezel), but I would have preferred a more secure, clicking unidirectional mechanism.
Through the exhibition case back, you can see the Seiko NH35 automatic within. I have nothing but love for this tough little unit. It’s not much to look at, but it is inexpensive, reliable, and easily serviced when such becomes necessary, making it a solid choice for a day-to-day tool watch. And with a screw-down crown and 100m water resistance rating the Basecamp certainly be used as one.
But enough of that; let’s get back to the pretty bits. California dials typically use Roman numerals up top and Arabic ones in the bottom half. The Kyoto dial uses Kanji characters instead, creating a fresh and highly appealing face. The markers are raised against a lightly textured brown dial that displays a touch of fade. In keeping with the theme, the red and gold dial text is also printed in Kanji. Polished gold “Mercedes” hands, a lollipop second hand, and creamy lume keep the vintage vibes rolling, day or night.
The Kyoto Ghost arrives on a 20mm, minimally stitched, brown leather strap. It is fitted with quick-release pins and tapers to a signed 16mm buckle. It is perfectly fine, but I wanted to replicate that Limited Edition, so I went over to the Simple Union site and ordered a kofu fabric strap. These are made from 150-year-old Japanese Katazome cloth, leather-lined, and equipped with quick-release pins. I chose a black, brown, and cream pattern. It measures 75/130mm long and approximately 4mm thick, tapering slightly from 20mm to 18mm at the buckle. It is lovely.
So, did I replicate the Limited Edition? Well, no. In addition to being blue, not brown, the Undone x Simple Union dial had a gold-lume “crack” in the dial, which the Kyoto Ghost lacks, but that’s fine. I dig the uncracked brown. That first watch also had a matching buckle. Mine does not, as neither Simple Union nor Undone offers an 18mm bronze pin buckle, as so far as I can tell, nobody else does either. This means I will have to torch the buckle to bronze it up a bit (like I did here).
Finally, there is the price. I snagged my Kyoto Ghost for $285 – a nice discount on the regular $380 price tag. Then I paid $882 HK (about $113.76 US) for the strap, bringing it to $398, just a tad over the original LE’s price tag of $395. Not too shabby, until you factor in FedEx shipping costs from Simple Union, who, for reliability reasons, won’t ship any other way. That adds a whopping $420 HK ($54 US), bringing the total to $411 US. Essentially, I paid a $57 procrastination fee and didn’t get the proper buckle. The lesson here? Buy the watch you really want when you have the chance.
Ok, so I paid more than I would have if I had just pulled the trigger on the Undone x Simple Union when I had the chance, but ordering a la carte wasn’t all that bad. After all, I still love the watch I got out of it. If you would like to assemble one of your own, head over to Undone (right now, the Boxing Day Sale price is $304 shipped) and to the Simple Union kofu strap section (sign up for email to get 10% off). Simple Union’s shipping costs may be brutal, but the result is well worth it.⬩
