If Optimus Prime wanted to wear a watch, this could perhaps be it.

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The watch world tends to be a pretty serious place; everyone has an opinion about what’s good what isn’t, and critics circle about like starving piranhas, waiting to tear into the next watch that happens to swim their way. Needless to say, getting into watches can be a rather daunting task.

Every now and then however, a refreshing and tasteful watch floats by that most can agree upon as a reminder to take life a little less seriously and simply enjoy the hobby of watch collecting. In this case, that watch – or rather brand – is Mr Jones Watches.

I first learnt about Mr Jones Watches back in 2018, when I was a university student on exchange over in The Netherlands, which gave me the once in a lifetime opportunity to explore Europe (albeit as a broke student – good times!). Back then, I wasn’t super into watches, but I’d keep a lookout for a good bargain, occasionally popping into a Swatch store or outlet mall boutique in hopes of snagging something. While preparing for a trip to London to catch up with some friends, I chanced upon Mr Jones Watches, and was charmed by their timepieces, which on first glance appeared to be more a work of graphic design than timekeeping. The brand was known for partnering together with artists and producing watches that told the time in an unconventional manner, and I thought that was pretty ingenious.

Fast forward to 2024, a business trip saw me once again in London, this time with a few additional years under my belt and an added inch or two on the waist. The temptation to pick up a piece of English watchmaking was simply too great, and I couldn’t help but drop by the flagship store at Seven Dials – a decision I wouldn’t regret.

Just look at how beautifully designed the store front is:

And if the outside looked great, the inside was better. The different models were placed around the shop, allowing you to interact with the timepieces and see the intricately illustrated dials up close. It was extremely satisfying to finally see pieces like “A Perfectly Useless Afternoon” and “Number Cruncher” in the flesh after having seen pictures of them on social media, and I’d highly recommend dropping by if you’re ever in the area, regardless of whether you’re a watch enthusiast. Bonus points for the retail staff, who were ever so polite and helpful making the shopping experience a lovely one.

I had a go with several models and it was a close toss up – but alas we can’t own all the watches in the world, and one watch finally walked out from Seven Dials with me: the Ricochet

The Case & Specifications

From what I’ve seen, Mr Jones Watches all come in two sizes, Medium and Large. The same case shape is used throughout the entire range and it’s really the dial and layout that differs from watch to watch. It’s an interesting approach, and the watch case almost becomes a base canvas through which different artists can transform and inject with their own creative interpretations.

Case sizes comes in at roughly 37.5mm (39mm to the crown), with an approximate lug to lug of 46.5mm and a lug width of 18mm.

The design of the case is rather unique, and I don’t think I’ve seen a similar case design from the other brands thus far. Personally, I do find that the lugs seem a bit strange – they have a slimmer profile, and somehow reminds me of antler horns.

Looking at the side profile of the watch, you will also realise that it sits relatively flat. Coupled with the longer lugs, the watch ends up wearing slightly bigger than you’d expect both physically and visually. That being said, the overall package is still very manageable and wears well on my 16cm wrist.

Staying on the side profile, you will notice that the lugs actually extend all around the case, resulting in a “stepped” profile. Mirroring the crown at 3 o’clock is a circular insignia found at 9 o’clock, signed off with “MJW”. Viewing the watch from the top, these embellishments add further visual dimensions, though I would expect that some may not be a fan of this design choice.

Thickness is on the average side, coming in at 11.5mm – not the thickest, nor the thinnest. The case features a polished finish throughout, and as with all polished finishes, is a smudge/fingerprint magnet.

While you don’t get an exhibition case back, don’t expect a plain one either. A graphic design showcases the model’s name, but doubles up as a credit to the artist who designed the watch, who in this case is Ryan Claytor, an American Comics Creator and professor at Michigan State University (MSU). The case back is a snap on, and water resistance is rated to 5 ATM – which to be frank, is more than what i had expected from a watch that probably won’t go anywhere near a pool anyway.

The Dial

This is the star of the show and pretty much the reason why you’d buy a MJW watch: the dial. It looks gorgeous in photos, and looks even better in person. Get ready for curious looks and questions – I guarantee someone is sure to ask about the timepiece. Within my collection, this has interestingly sparked the most conversations even amongst non-enthusiasts, who often wonder why a grown man is seemingly wearing some kind of cartoon on his wrist. (why not!)

On first glance, a lot is happening on the dial; you’re hit by a bunch of colours and you probably wouldn’t know where to look for the time unless someone told you to. On closer examination, the scene unravels itself to reveal 3 robots, playing a game of pinball. Look even closer, and you’ll finally reach the secret of the dial – the digital time display, cleverly disguised as the scoreboard of the retro arcade machine.

You’d think that’s enough, but the Ricochet still hides one more trick up its (metallic) sleeves. Each robot is actually made of metallic foil palladium, 20ct citron gold and 22ct rose gold respectively, gilded by hand to add a dazzling sparkle to an already vibrant dial.

While I refer to the design as the dial, it does seem to me that the entire scene is applied on the sapphire crystal itself, with a blueish-green background of electronic peripherals peeking out from what I assume to be the actual dial. This lends the watch an added sense of 3-dimensionality and I feel the overall design is well-executed.

If you’re a diehard fan of minimalism and Bauhaus styles, this probably isn’t the watch for you and I can hear your vehement protests of “How can you even see the time!”. Fair enough, this isn’t the most legible of timepieces – the time display barely takes up any real estate. Then again, if you were wearing this, knowing the precise time (or even knowing the time for the matter) probably isn’t your priority, and you’re wearing it for other reasons.

The Movement

The Ricochet comes equipped with a TY2709 movement, which is a Chinese made Seagull movement. I do seem to recall that most MJW watches use Seagull movements – I’m not particular about it and from experience it seems to be generally alright. You wouldn’t really know if the timekeeping was inaccurate anyway, given the whole design of the dial.

Of more interest is the fact that this is a jump hour movement. The time display consists of 2 rotating discs, and when the minutes run up to the next hour, the hour display “jumps” to the next hour. The whole process is fascinating and lots of fun to stare at – blink and you’ll miss the “jump”!

The Strap

When you purchase a watch from MJW, you do get to choose from quite a few straps. While the default was a mesh bracelet, I opted instead for a grey suede band with pink stitching. The leather is pretty decent and overall a comfortable wear. After about a year or so of occasional wear, I do notice quite a bit of patina, though that could be down to the terribly humid weather here in Singapore.

Styling

I don’t have many 18mm watch straps and I’m happy to keep the Ricochet on the grey suede anyway. If you’d like to take a look at options, the customiser on MJW’s site will allow you to see the watch paired with different straps. My preference was to keep to a simpler strap to allow the full attention to be placed on the dial, though I could see colourful straps working here too to bring out the playfulness of the design.

The Price

While I paid £325 (S$546 SGD), inflation has seen the price rise to £345 (SGD$580) at the time of writing. At this price point, I would say that the Ricochet isn’t too expensive, though I wouldn’t call it a budget pick either. In terms of value, you are getting a well-designed, well thought through timepiece, and I can see the Ricochet filling in particular spots for enthusiasts’ collections. If you’re looking for a one and done, or still starting out with your collection, you may want to go for other timepieces first, but if this floats your boat, you’ll be heartened to know that its within reach.

Overall Thoughts

In my opinion, the Ricochet set out to do one thing and did it spectacularly – tell time in a playful manner or better yet, don’t even tell the time at all! It’s hard not to smile when glancing at my wrist, staring at the silly robots playing pinball which admittedly is a rather outlandish concept. But sometimes in life, we need just that – a brief reprieve, a little break, a small reminder to take things a bit less seriously. Equally a work of art and a timekeeping device, the Ricochet is unlike other watches, and if you can appreciate this touch of humour, you’ll find the watch to be well worth your money (and time).

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