Some old is something new these days. I have mixed feelings on the faux aging/faux patina trend. If it’s not done right it ends up coming across gimmicky. When I first saw the pictures of the new Undone Aqua I actually thought it looked promising. Not only was I intrigued to see the new vintage dial but I was also looking forward to customizing process. Out of the whole process though, it took me longer to decide what I wanted to put on the dial and caseback.  As I discussed in my first review of the Aqua, the customization on Undones website is extremely easy to navigate through. What I like about it is that you can see what the watch looks like throughout the whole process. It’s kind of addictive actually, playing around with all of the different options. There are a ton of options and there are even more possible combinations. If the website wasn’t so organized then it could be extremely overwhelming. Instead it is easy to navigate, easy to use, but not so easy to decide on what looks best. So many possibilities.

From my past experience with Undone, I knew that I wanted to go with the Cerakote case. For those of you who don’t know, Cerakote is a protective coating that is typically used on firearms. ‘Cerakote coatings are durable corrosion-resistant and provide unparalleled levels of hardness and adhesion. These coatings are also resistant to most solvents and chemicals.’ Not only does the coating protect, but it always gives the case of the watch a badass matte look and textured feel. The Aqua case is the same quality 45mm case that I have come to know. One difference I noticed is that Undone has made some definite improvements to the bezel. It has a much tighter feel, with smoother rotating action. It is a much welcome improvement. This time I went with a different bezel inlay, I went with the K1 glass. I like the contrast of the gloss of the inlay with the matte of the case. I also like the rounded shape that the K1 inlay has.

The star of this piece of course is the dial. I chose a theme for this piece since it has the badass case, it needed a badass theme. It doesn’t get more badass than Cthulu. Originally I had the pic for the dial as solid black, but I realized that it wouldn’t look right on the vintage style dial. I worked closely with the artists at Undone to tweak Cthulu into the vintage beauty that you see in the pics below. They made it extremely easy to work together and for a small up charge why would I not want a custom, individualized dial? We also worked together on sizing the graphic for the dial and I couldn’t be happier with the outcome. I mentioned earlier about how faux vintage can come across gimmicky, but this dial is just the right amount. The markers and hands look fantastic. It would be awesome if Undone could age the metal on the hands to complete the look.

As you can see in the pics thus far, the dial looks incredible in natural light. How does it look in the dark? I should say, how does the flashlight of a dial glow? Well check out the pic below to see. This dial is so beautiful in the dark. A top 5 contender of the best lume I have experienced list. I opted for the sword style hands for this watch to stay consistent with the theme I was going with here. One thing that I wish that I would have changed was to go with the no date version, it would have allowed for better flow on the dial. I am happy with my choice though for the case back. The picture of Cthulu rising came out a thousand times better than I imagined it would. I love how the eyes seem like they glow. What I really like is the picture it is not transparent at all which allows for deeper color and for clearer picture. It couldn’t have come out any better in my opinion and it added so much more individuality to the watch. 

I always enjoy the customization process that Undone has worked really hard on to make it an awesome experience. The Cerakote coating adds a badass toughness element to this watch. The watch was smashed against rocks by waves during the review and not a single scratch. The professional custom made quality Horween leather strap completes the look of this watch. It was awesome to see the improvements made to the Aqua from my very first review of it until this newest version. The bezel and screw down crown operate/function with precision movement and accuracy. The full lume dial is definitely worth a look, especially when it is fully charged from a strong light source. The bright glow of blue and green is absolutely beautiful. Undone stepped it up on quality control and it is apparent throughout this piece. My suggestion to make the customization process even more personal is to have the crown customizable including a custom laser etched option to  pick your own picture. My other suggestion is having aged hands, aged dial and and aged case option. If you are looking for an individualized watch for yourself or for a gift, then Undone is an option worth checking out. My 5 year old loved his custom watch that I got him for his birthday.

Thank you all for reading and as always your questions and comments are welcome below.

Thank you to Crystal and the Undone team. This was a really fun project. I appreciate all of the patience and help throughout. The watch turned out better than I had anticipated.

Specifications:

SII by Seiko – NH35A-Black Date Disc
Automatic winding with ball bearing
Date display with quick set
24 jewels
Shock resistance Shock-absorber device for balance staff
Power Reserve > 40 hours