In a year already packed with wild watch releases, two of the most talked-about British brands just dropped the biggest curveball of 2025: a pocket watch. Not some textYes, you read that right. Christopher Ward and Studio Underd0g – the two independent names that keep punching way above their price tags – have teamed up on something nobody had on their bingo card. And somehow it’s become the most hyped timepiece on the internet right now.
They’re calling it The Alliance 02, and it’s not just any pocket watch. It’s the kind of piece that makes even lifelong wristwatch guys stop and say, “Well… damn, that’s actually pretty awesome.”
Christopher Ward has spent the last few years proving you don’t need a Swiss postcode to build serious in-house movements and gorgeous cases. Studio Underd0g, meanwhile, has been the cheeky upstart making everyone smile with watermelon chronographs and pizza-themed dials while still delivering real horological substance. Both brands are British, both love pushing boundaries, and both have rabid followings who snap up limited runs in minutes.
So a collaboration felt inevitable.
But a pocket watch? That’s the twist nobody predicted.
Image credit: Christopher Ward/Studio Underd0g
The case is pure Christopher Ward. If you’ve ever held one of their Light-catcher models – the ones with those razor-sharp facets that bounce light like crazy – you’ll recognize the family DNA instantly. At 44mm wide and 13.25mm thick, it’s basically the size of a chunky modern diver, just without the bottom lugs. There’s a big crown at 12, 50 meters of water resistance (yes, you could actually swim with this thing, though good luck explaining that one), and the overall shape feels shockingly current. This doesn’t look like your granddad’s heirloom pocket watch. It looks like something a guy would carry today and not feel silly about.
Then you get to the dial, and that’s where Studio Underd0g shows up with a grin.
Image credit: Christopher Ward/Studio Underd0g
They borrowed the layered sapphire dial tech from their 02Series field watches and went absolutely nuts with it. The top layer is a 1.4mm-thick piece of sapphire with all the printing – crisp railroad minute track, bold Roman numerals, power-reserve indicator at 6, and both brand logos – done on the underside so everything appears to float. Underneath sits a wild gradient that starts lemon yellow at the top and melts into peach at the bottom. The real party trick? The entire base layer is built from seven – seven – coats of Super-LumiNova. In the dark this thing glows like a flashlight. Hands down the most luminous pocket watch ever made, and probably ever will be made.
Turn it over and you’re staring at Christopher Ward’s in-house Calibre CW-001 through a sapphire caseback. This is the same manual-wind movement they developed from the ground up – twin barrels, five full days of power reserve, and COSC chronometer certification. Seeing it in a pocket watch layout somehow makes it look even more impressive.
Instead of a traditional metal chain, they went with a thick braided brown leather strap that loops through the bow. It gives the whole thing a relaxed, almost field-watch vibe that somehow works perfectly. A chain would have felt costume-y. The leather makes it feel like something you could actually use every day.
Image credit: Christopher Ward/Studio Underd0g
Here’s the part that really sets this apart from 99% of modern pocket watches: every single one is assembled in Great Britain. That’s a big deal because Christopher Ward normally finishes everything in Switzerland. They moved production across the Channel specifically for this project, because The Alliance 02 was created in partnership with the Alliance of British Watch and Clock Makers – the organization working hard to bring proper watchmaking back to Britain.
Every penny of profit from the watch goes straight to the Alliance to fund things like British Watchmakers’ Day and training the next generation of UK horologists. That alone makes the $4,150 price tag feel a lot more justifiable.
There’s just one catch: only 100 are being made, and you can’t just add one to cart like a normal Christopher Ward. You have to be a member of the Alliance of British Watch and Clock Makers (or join now at britishwatchmakers.com), then pre-register on Christopher Ward’s site for a chance to buy when it goes live on December 11. It’s basically a lottery for one of the coolest, weirdest, and most British watches anyone’s made in years.
Look, most guys reading this probably don’t wear pocket watches. Most guys writing this don’t either. But there’s something about The Alliance 02 that just hits different. It’s fun without being silly, innovative without being pretentious, and it somehow makes the idea of carrying a pocket watch feel fresh again in 2025.
Christopher Ward and Studio Underd0g didn’t just make a collaboration – they reminded everyone why British watchmaking is having such a moment right now. And they did it with a glowing lemonade-gradient pocket watch that nobody knew they wanted until the photos dropped.
If you manage to score one of the hundred, congratulations. You’ll be carrying a piece of history that also happens to look incredible in the dark.
The Alliance 02 goes on sale December 11, exclusively to Alliance members. Good luck. You’re going to need it.
