Building on the success of their DC Universe collaborations, it seems the Dark Knight has risen again at UNDONE, this time in the form of the beefy and bold Batman Quantum. Rather than going the vintage route, this new model is a clear play on more modern iterations of the famed franchise. The new release comes in an all new case profile for the brand, whose angular forms are reminiscent of (among other things) Hublot's collaborations with French sculptor Richard Orlinski, as well as the Corum Admiral 45.

Aside from its relief-cut ceramic bezel insert, the watch is a completely fresh design from the value-focused firm. Of particular note, the texture of its 120-click rotating bezel is a treat-a knurled edge with just enough grip without the traditional dive watch bezel teeth. The design of its crown is also thoughtfully executed, and functionally an improvement over the octagonal crown used on past models. Opting for Grade 2 titanium for this piece does wonders in avoiding it being too hefty, which would have been a legitimate risk given its 47mm diameter and 16.25mm thickness. Though Grade 2 titanium isn't quite as tough as Grade 5, it remains a solid choice considering the cost/benefit factor as well as the fact that more folks are allergic to Grade 5 titanium than they are Grade 2. Available in both black and grey sandblasted finishes, the Limited Edition Batman Quantum Black boasts a DLC coating.


Continuing on the path of upgrades, this is one of the more detailed and elaborate dials we've seen from UNDONE thus far. A semi-transparent central disc, a raised inner track, and applied indices provide volumes of texture throughout the dial, and, as a finishing touch, a small arrow rotates around the dial to indicate the current date rather than relying on a traditional date disc. Both the faceted finish of its indices and the gloss finish of its hands make the piece fairly easy to read regardless of its stealth-themed design.

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The stealth vibe is even echoed in the branding of the watch, as is often the case with UNDONE watch releases, but less so with most licensed collaboration pieces. The iconic Batman logo can only be found in three places-the subtle grey bat on its dial, a similarly proportioned example on the crown, and a large and deeply cut relief embossing on a medallion insert on its caseback.

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These design choices lead this piece to be more of a Batman watch for those that don't want everyone in sight to necessarily know that you're a Batman fan (perhaps for risk of sparking yet another Marvel vs. DC debate). That said, given the case size of this watch, you won't be hiding it under a shirt cuff any time soon; even in muted grey it will not go unnoticed.

This level of detail carries right through to the construction of the tang buckle fitted on its matte black rubber strap, where an interesting vented side profile looks like it could have easily picked up its design cues from a Batwing or Batmobile. Though leather could have been an equally good choice here, rubber makes the most sense from a practical element. After all, Batman would obviously go for practical tactical application over anything else, wouldn't he? With 200m of water resistance and a screw-down crown, these elements all pull together as they should for a tactical/tool watch.

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On the wrist, this is by no means a modestly sized watch, but it does have a few tricks up its sleeve. The 47mm diameter includes the additional jut-out on the left side of the case, and at 50mm from shrouded lug to shrouded lug, it's less likely to hang off the wrist like you'd expect from a conventional case design of that diameter. My wrists are 6 ¾ inches in diameter, and though it's right at the limit, I didn't find the case to be overbearing. That said, I'm not shy about wearing larger watches, depending on the occasion at hand. The rubber strap is a bit stiff out of the box, and is designed very similarly to a classic Hirsch Pure strap (though not as supple). It's safe to assume this will break in over time.

Live on UNDONE's site as of September 24th, the piece will be launched in both matte grey and black, with the black variant being limited to 500 pieces, and priced at $650 and $799 USD respectively.

Order Your UNDONE Batman Quantum Watch Here