Originally posted to WatchFreeks by PowerChucker. You can check out the original source here.
It’s no secret that I love Dive watches, and Micro Brands. In fact, my first “real” watch in 2013 was a Deep Blue Sun Diver III 1K. Ever since then I have had a passion for micro brands, and of the over 160 Dive watches I have owned over the years, a good portion of them have been Micros. My most recent Micro is from a new company named Canopy. The model is the Wake One dive watch. I’m excited about this as I became friends with Machlen, one the founders (Ross Tomson being the other founder), maybe 2 and a half years back, we were chatting about watches and he said” Id like to design my own watch and start my own watch brand” He shared early design ideas and drawings, I was impressed to see how this idea grew and developed over the years into Canopy Watch Co.
First some quick specs:
316L Stainless steel with optional DLC coating
39MM case diameter
12.8MM thick including sapphire crystal.
46mm Lug to Lug
20mm to 18mm tapered bracelet
200M WR
Modified Swiss Sellita SW200-1 Movement
Double domes sapphire crystal with inner AR
Sapphire case back
Forged Carbon Fiber bezel insert, and Crown insert
Toolless micro adjustment of the bracelet,
On to the review.
In the owner Machlen’s words, “Wake One fuses pilot and dive watch designs together while being crafted from the ground-up to bring unmatched quality and vision to the micro-brand world.”
Case:
As I get older, im gravitating more and more to smaller cases, (38-40mm). Don’t get me wrong I still have and enjoy a large dive watch from time to time, but for all day everyday comfort 38-40 is the sweet comfort spot.
The Wake One comes in a, to me, a perfect 39mm, and the short 46mm lug to lug make it very easy to wear.
The design of the case is a bit of a mash up to my eyes, basic shape and size resemble an Oyster case a little bit, while the angular lugs remind me of a shrunk down Marine Master 300 case.
The case finishing is very well done, with a high polish on the case sides, fine vertical brushing on the lug tops, and matching vertical brushing on the bracelet end links, which helps the design flow from the lugs into the bracelet. The case is finished off with a nice polished bevel at the top case edge, this adds a nice finished look to the case.
Dial and Bezel:
2 of the design elements that in my opinion make this watch shine are the finely textured dial with applied markers, and the forged carbon fiber bezel (and crown insert).
Textured dials can be a polarizing feature of any watch, if its not done properly it can just look like a mess. Having said that, this is my second watch with a textured dial, my first was the original run of NTH Amphion Vintage Subs from 2016, that had a texture that was a bit rougher and pronounced (not a bad thing, more closely fit the vintage vibe of the NTH). The Wake One dial texture is very subtle, I know it comes off as very pronounced in close up photos, but in person it doesn’t show as much. What this subtle texture does do is create a matte, almost 3d depth to the dial, and due to the texture bumps, creates a nice light refraction effect when the light hits it just right
The bezel insert is about my favorite feature of this watch. I have not seen a sapphire coated forged carbon fiber insert on a watch before. I really like the visual effect it creates on the wrist. Again, as with the dial, the close up pics exaggerate the carbon fiber appearance, on the wrist its more subtle, playing with the light in really cool ways. The coin edge of the bezel is nicely finished, and has solid 120 clicks with no back play.
Hands and Markers:
Something about the hands and markers are a bit more on the minimal/elegant side instead of the usual tool watch huge round blobs of lume, and large arrow, sword, dive watch hands. In a way the dial and hands remind me of the style of an Alpina Seastrong, or an Obris Morgan Infinity, or Aegis-II.
The flip side to the more elegant hands and slim hour markers is a slight lack of visibility. There is not much surface area on the hands and markers for lume, so its not a lume monster, but the C1 works ok. Also the shape and length of the hands can sometimes cause some delay in telling the time due to them being very close in size and shape. Its not a big deal to me, as I feel the dial and hands work very well together.
Caseback:
I like the sapphire case back and custom pained rotor, the screws holding the case back down add a nice touch over the standard screw down style case back
Movement:
I like that a brand in tis price segment goes for a Swiss movement. Canopy uses a Swill Selita SW200-1. Canopy regulates each movement, and mine have ben running about +2 average which is stellar! I also like the custom rotor they use. The crown action is rock solid and it winds very smooth. Each detent of the crown has a positive click and feels very positive. Screw down of the crown is also very smooth and easy.
Bracelet:
To me a watch bracelet can enhance the overall design and flow of a watch, or stop it dead in its tracks.
I feel this is an area where many micro brands fall short, I have owned many many micro brand watches, the ones that stand out are the ones that put some time and effort matching the right bracelet to the case. Some brands seem like the bracelet is just an afterthought. The bracelet on the Wake One does work well with the overall design flow. It resembles a tank tread style bracelet, and the tops of each link kick out a bit showing off a nice polished top of each link. This “stepped” style is not overly done, and adds a nice pop of bling when the light hits the bracelet.
The clasp is a double push button, with a toolless extension. It is finished with a nice satin brush and engraved Canopy name and logo. This is the same style clasp and extension that is on my Aevig Huldra V2, it works great, and I love being able to adjust the clasp on the fly throughout the day. I actually do adjust it quite often during the day.
Overall:
Im really happy with the Wake One. I think Machlen, and Ross did a great job on his first watch! The design elements work very well together, and it is very comfy on the wrist. At 39mm it’s a great size, but believe me this wears like a 42, it has a strong wrist presence, but is very comfortable due to the short down turned lugs. If you have a chance, I’d recommend checking it out for yourself!
