Who needs another microbrand, eh? I ask myself that question almost every day. To be honest, it’s partly why I haven’t started my own, but every time a new name comes on the scene and does it right, I’m reminded of how stupid a line of questioning it is.
The answer is something along the lines of, “There is always room for more quality products”. And while it’s fair to say that there isn’t a huge amount of true novelty in the sub-1k bracket due to the exorbitant cost of developing anything materially standout, there’s always the chance of good design.
Although the temporal, financial, and experiential cost of good design is something that is often overlooked when attempting to break down the build budget of any brand, here we see the efforts of a long-time industry observer, collector, and content creator Simon Ryan manifesting in a satisfying manner.
The thought that has gone into Monceau’s “debut” range is genuinely palpable making it one of the few micro/small indie Kickstarter projects I’m excited about.
There’s something innately satisfying about seeing a brand step onto the stage with a clear sense of identity. It doesn’t happen often — more commonly, fledgling marques lean on derivative design cues, hedging their bets in an already saturated marketplace. But Monceau, a new brand with an old name, has managed to do something that feels at once refreshingly assured and pleasingly restrained with its debut timepiece: the Monceau Model 01.
Now, I say “debut” collection, because Monceau is an old name of a brand that operated between the fifties and the seventies Simon picked up the vacated name and decided to revive it. No offence to Simon (and I really mean that as should become apparent), but he probably made a smart decision here as although “Simon Ryan” is a perfectly serviceable name for a human, it’s not quite as fancy as a luxury watch perhaps demands (and this is coming from a guy who knows a thing or two about having a name that shouldn’t be anywhere near the dial of a watch).
Monceau, on the other hand, gives a much-elevated impression when it hits the ear and that’s backed up when the watch meets the eye also. The most striking element of it is, undoubtedly, the structured wave pattern of the dial (never more arresting than when in a vivid shade of scarlet known as Riyadh Red).
The dial is also available in (Icelandic) black, (Antarctic) white, and “Atacama” Grey. Those three variants all use a baby blue accent colour for the five-minute numerals and water resistance rating. While this is a characterful flourish (and one that forms a particular crisp combo with the white dial), the all-white print of the exciting red dial is my personal preference. It’s brilliant to see this shade so fearlessly deployed for a brand’s “first” presentation to the world.
The faux-integrated bracelet is a treat at this price point. Its design is compact, edgy, and extremely masculine. In terms of corollaries in the entry-level space, the “faceted” links remind me of Circula’s recently announced Facet model, which declared that brand as another one to watch. The seamless integration of the end links gives the watch a unique appearance, which I love, but the option to remove the bracelet and wear the watch head on any 21mm strap you please is massively appealing.
Perhaps the best thing about this watch (which is powered by a manually wound Elaboré Grade version of the calibre SW210-1, with rhodium-plating and Côte de Genève finishing to the bridges and balance cock), are its dimensions. A low-profile case middle measures just 8.4mm thick without the crystal, which itself adds 1.8mm to the thickness for a total height of 10.2mm. Given the 39mm diameter and its stout lug-to-lug measurement of 44.7mm, the Monceau Model 01 has everything you could ask for (including a 200m water resistance) from an extremely affordable daily beater that dresses up rather nicely too.
Also, we live in an interesting time for watchmaking. The times themselves are timeless. By that, I mean everything is cool if it is well-designed. It isn’t like ‘80s icons are passé; they are respected and loved for their various quirks. The ‘90s obsession of the current coming-of-age generation finds many of us clamouring for brightly coloured plastic and goofy over-branded pieces. Similarly, the more space-age pieces of the ‘70s, made all the more popular by the advent of quartz and the frequent moon landings of the decade, are not just “back”, they look here to stay.
I’m grateful to the Monceau story for turning my mind to this point as I think it’s a salient one of which the industry and its analysts should discuss more often. Simply put, I’d be willing to posit that the trend of our times is more likely to be quality of design and realisation rather than a transient style, per se.
The Model 01 was launched on Kickstarter and available to pre-order from the platform until June 15th 2025. Deliveries are expected to commence in August 2025.
Monceau Model 01
Technical Specifications
- Model: Monceau Model 01
- Case: 39mm diameter x 10.2mm thickness, stainless steel
- Dial: Icelandic Black, Antarctic White, Atacama Grey, Riyadh Red
- Water resistance: 200m (20 bar)
- Movement: Sellita calibre SW210-1 Elaboré Grade, manual wind, 19 jewelsFrequency: 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
- Power reserve: 42h
- Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date
- Strap: Stainless steel bracelet with micro-adjust clasp, optional leather strap
- Price: From £599
