If you were a watch designer, what would you create? Set aside marketability, cost, and any possible lack of training and talent. Just pretend with me for a moment. Are you thinking, “I would refine a traditional design so that it perfectly fits my vision?” or did you go right to, “I would make a watch that looks like nothing else?” If you chose the second route, I need to introduce you to the AndoAndoAndo x Canuck, The Fourth Dimension ($503) because it was made by folks who think like you.
I’ve covered Finland’s Yu Andoh and his AndoAndoAndo brand a couple of times here, most recently when I reviewed the Chameleon Vinyl Record Watch. James Williams of Canuck Timepieces hails from Ontario, Canada, and, like Ando, delights in creating uniquely offbeat watches. This is their third collaboration.
The Fourth Dimension starts with AndoAndoAndo’s excellent A2 Auto case. It’s 35mm wide, 43mm long, and 11.6mm thick with 20mm lugs. Those curious proportions get even curiouser when you notice the crown is tucked down at 6 o’clock between a pair of blocky, angular lugs. It features AR-coated sapphire crystals and a Seiko NH38A automatic. Yes, the case engraving says NH36 because that is what motivated the A2, but not this watch. Customers may choose bead-blasted or black PVD finishes. It seals for a very practical 100m water resistance.
This offbeat case wears much better than you might think. The 35mm width is small for a modern man’s watch, but don’t let that number fool you; its thickness gives it the chunky presence of a tool watch. I found it to be an excellent fit on my 6.75″ wrist.
The crown is 7mm wide and rather flat, offering the low profile that I prefer and which is absolutely essential in this case given its orientation. When pulled out, there is just enough space to get a grip. I expected it to be a little awkward given its placement, but I had no trouble at all.
Still, the case and crown are not the weirdest part of the watch. That honor belongs to the wild triple-disk dial and time window. Here we find static, purely decorative minutes and hours tracks, a signed, guitar-pick-shaped frame, and disks for the hours, minutes, and, right at the very center, seconds. It is a head-turner, day or night. Maybe especially at night when every single feature pops with BGW9 Super-LumiNova.
The hour and minute numbers are rendered in a glitchy retro computer typeface that suggests the watch is about to phase between dimensions. When they are centered in the window, the time is easily legible, although only to about 5 minutes, after which a bit of estimation is required. I found that I needed to take a second look as it got to around half-past the hour and neither hour was in frame. Also, as the disks move to the final ten minutes of the hour, the next hour is fully in frame and the current hour is out of it, so at first glance, 11:55 looks like 12:55.
This isn’t a quality issue with The Fourth Dimension; it’s the nature of the display, and it is why jumping-hour movements are so useful for this type of design. Without that complication, Fourth Dimension owners will simply have to make do. Finally, the seconds disk in the center is really only useful for showing that the watch is running. I can’t imagine trying to time anything with it — and maybe you shouldn’t. After all, those dots spell “stay” in Morse code, a nod to the message in the movie Interstellar. I do hope the lawyers from Hamilton look the other way.
Cancuck ships the watch on a standard AndoAndoAndo black leather strap like the one on the A-1. It’s perfectly nice with a signed black buckle and quick-release pins.
Is The Fourth Dimension a watch I’d choose for split-second precision? No. Is it always easy to read? Also, no. But are these questions you should ask when considering one? Absolutely not.
This watch is about style. It pushes boundaries and challenges expectations. It sparks conversation and provokes debate. That it does all of this for just over $500 US is rather remarkable. If you are ready to step out of your usual comfort zone and embrace the wild side of watchmaking, Canuck is ready to deliver it, but I’d suggest you act quickly. This is a limited edition of just 50 units, and according to the website, only 15 remain.
For more information, visit canucktimepieces.com.
