The UNDONE x Simple Union: Sometsuke

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Finding Beauty in Fragility

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A first for UNDONE, the Limited Edition UNDONE x Simple Union: Sometsuke will be launched with a white porcelain-looking dial which is achieved by enamel paint polished into a glossy finish, the finishing touches on the dial added by the blue minute track and numerals. The hour marker at “12” is replaced with the Simple Union logo as a mark of this valuable collaboration.

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With this timepiece, UNDONE looks to further intensify the idea of 金継ぎ (Kintsugi), the art

of mending broken porcelain using gold. Look between the Kintsugi crack, and one will see a gold skeleton movement, a rare feature and often only seen in luxury watches. This reflects the beauty of mending broken porcelain with gold, as seen in many Japanese potteries, reinforcing the idea that it is the scars of trial and hardship that render life even more precious.

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Paired with a piece of history on your wrist, the indigo watch straps are made from 150+ years old Katazome fabric. “Kata” (型) means “stencil” or “pattern,” and “zome” (染め)means “to dye.” Katazome is a traditional dyeing method that began in 1603. Intricate designs of cranes, peonies, and chrysanthemums are hand-cut from Japanese stenciling paper; a dye-resistant rice paste is applied onto the fabric, which serves as the “stenciled out” designs when the fabric is dyed in indigo.

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The pieces of Katazome fabric feature are rare examples of authentic antique Katazome work that has survived to this day–with no two similar pieces. The Katazome straps feature UNDONE’s signature quick-release straps, however with the intricate beauty and details of this fabric... one should not want to change the strap.

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The extraordinary UNDONE x Simple Union: Sometsuke is limited to 300 of UNDONE’s first- ever gold colored skeleton movement and handmade Katazome straps by Simple Union.

Each piece is serialized on the caseback.