Canopy Wake One: A refreshing take on the dive watch format

Originally posted to The Calibrated Wrist. You can check out the original source here.

The dive watch market is flooded with options, but occasionally, a timepiece comes along that stands out, leaving a lasting impression. The Canopy Wake One, hailing from Houston (my hometown), is one such watch. In a sea of unfortunate submariner clones, Canopy has crafted a watch that both pays tribute to its predecessors and establishes its own identity. The Wake One doesn’t radically break the mold, but it thoughtfully tweaks the formula, resulting in a timepiece well worth your attention.

Founded by two passionate watch enthusiasts, Machlen Polfliet and Ross Tomson, Canopy’s debut piece was designed alongside veteran watch designer Kristen Macauley. What sets the Wake One apart is its commitment to quality. The team made no compromises during the design process, fully aware that standing out in a crowded indie/microbrand market would require something special. Each component was crafted from the ground up, with minimal reliance on off-the-shelf parts—something we’ll explore further below.

Extra Note: I am told Machlen has a background in aerospace engineering so as you read see if you can sniff out the aerospace inspiration in the wake one

Key features of the Canopy Wake One

Design and craftsmanship

The Canopy Wake One is offered in two versions: silver and black DLC. Aside from the color difference, the two watches are identical in design. As a watch enthusiast with a sizable collection, I’ve had the privilege of owning both versions for over a year, and I can say with confidence that the Wake One has become a staple in my rotation and on my IG feed.

One aspect that immediately stands out is the tangible sense of quality. It’s difficult to describe, but once you hold the Wake One, you instantly recognize that it’s a well-made piece. We’ve all had that moment with a watch, where it transcends the photos and videos we’ve seen—it’s the feeling of a watch that was made with intent and purpose. The “hand-feel” of this watch is something special. That is no surprise, because canopy didn’t just slap off the shelf parts on their bezel and dial and call it a day. Their careful design and manufacturing process is apparent at the onset.

Case

The Wake One boasts a bold and striking design that immediately catches the eye. The case, crafted from 316L stainless steel, combines brushed and polished surfaces that—dare I say it—play with the light. The polished areas of the case and bracelet, add a dash of bling without losing too much of its footing in the “tool watch” category. Likewise, the extra touches of polish give it a more luxury diver feel than purpose built tool. The case is also very angular, a design element that gives the watch a sharp aggressive look. This makes for a cohesive design that seems to mimic the sharp lines found throughout the rest of the watch.

At 39mm in diameter, 46mm lug-to-lug, and a thickness of 12.8mm, it strikes an excellent balance between wearability and presence. The 20mm lug width adds versatility for strap changes. So the wearer is almost invited to dress it down on a nylon strap.

Dial and Bezel

The double-domed AR-coated sapphire crystal protects the dial, which features stark white, lume-filled applied indices that pop against the dial’s background. A splash of red on the tip of the second hand provides an additional visual punch and is the only color found on the watch. The matte black dauphine hands are filled with clean white C1 lume, creating the illusion that there are only white hands are floating over the dial’s granular, concrete texture. The framed date window at 6 o’clock is color-matched to the dial, maintaining the design’s symmetry.

The watch’s forged carbon dive bezel is the first thing you will notice, and is likely this watches standout feature. The coated forged carbon is a material rarely seen in a sea of ceramic and aluminum insets. This choice adds a bit of visual interest, a cool sense of depth to the bezel, and functionally continues the black-and-white theme. The bezel pulls double duty, providing both a tactile and aesthetic experience. Rotating against ceramic bearings, the bezel delivers a satisfying click when turned. I would stack up the bezel click and feel against the best in the field, think Tudor black bay but with a substantially thicker coin edge. The unguarded oversized screw-down crown—with a carbon fiber insert bearing the Canopy logo—adds to the watch’s cohesive design, and provides plenty of grip.

Bonus tip: the entire watch has a series of canopy logo easter eggs, almost to prove the point that they didn’t ask an AI tool to design a diver and call it a day.

Bracelet and wearability

The custom-designed three-link bracelet tapers from 20mm to 18mm at the clasp, giving the watch an elegant yet rugged look. The look of the bracelet continues this cohesive angular design. The links each ramp downward, almost like the wing of a plane, each polished only on the sides and top edges of every link. The bracelet is probably the second biggest standout design feature of the watch (outside of the carbon fiber bezel), not to mention it is likely the primary contributing factor to the amount of shine attributed to this watch. These decisions shove this watch closer to the look (not price) of a luxury diver rather than a utilitarian tool.

The male end links do add some wrist presence, but for those with smaller wrists, the absence of female end links may be a slight drawback. The lack of drilled lugs or quick-release mechanisms might also deter some, but the diver’s extension style microadjust clasp more than makes up for it. It is not the best implementation of an on the fly microadjust, but the clasp offers more than enough microadjust, is easy to use even when on the wrist, and feels sturdy and substantial. More on that later.

Like nearly all black and white watches, the wake one is an officially certified “strap monster,” the Wake One wears well on, I want to say, any strap, further enhancing its versatility. In fact, if that is your jam, tossing this watch onto a nylon strap or a sailcloth boots the wake one firmly back in the direction of a true tool watch.

Owners tip: fitted speedmaster/moonswatch rubber straps fit this watch with no modifications and minimal effort for an integrated rubber strap look.

Performance and functionality

The Wake One is not just a looker—it’s well equipped for actual diving. With 200m water resistance and a grippy, tactile uni-directional dive bezel, it’s ready for any underwater adventure or a dip in the hotel pool. The famously reliable, Swiss Sellita SW200-1 automatic movement, complete with a custom murdered out (black) Canopy-branded rotor, ensures accurate timekeeping with a 28,800 bph beat rate and a 40-hour power reserve.

Specs

Room for Improvement

While the Wake One is great, like all watches there are a handful of opportunities for improvement worthy of noting. One area where the Wake One could improve is its C1 Super-Luminova lume. While it does its job, it is doesn’t stand up against many competitors in the market. Fortunately, Canopy has acknowledged this and plans to improve the lume in future iterations.

Second, the bracelet is striking and well-constructed and features a micro-adjust clasp/dive extension. However, I can’t help but feel like the bracelet and clasp could go on a diet. The links articulate cleanly and are well finished but seem a touch thicker than they perhaps need to be, at least when compared to other watches in this category. Likewise, the dive extension style micro-adjust clasp adds a ton of convenience but is bulky and lacks the refinement of the rest of the package. In total the bracelet, while comfortable and certainly beautiful, adds to both the visual and physical weight of the watch. This may be a good thing for many of you but for me I prefer that, disappears on the wrist, look and feel.

The final critique I have heard, that doesn’t exactly resonate with me, deals with the handset. The handset is stark white lume with a black surround matching the dial. The comments section has noted that because the black portion disappears against the dial, the handset is effectively smaller than in reality, and the visible portion of the handset doesn’t reach the markers. Although I feel like the watch is perfectly legible, I can see the critique, so it is worth noting.

Final Thoughts

One thing is for sure, under, the Canopy Wake One represents excellent value for a well-crafted dive watch that doesn’t just follow all the trends—it carves out its own identity. This watch has no business being this good looking, well-constructed and with this movement for this price, but I’m not complaining.  Whether you choose the silver or DLC black version, the Wake One offers a stylish design, impressive functionality, and a time-tested reliable movement. For anyone in the market for a new dive watch, the Canopy Wake One is worth considering. It’s a timepiece that combines aesthetics, durability, and a sense of purpose that many watches in its class lack.

Pricing & Availability

The Canopy Wake One retails for $599USD. Please consult the website for more details.