MICRO MONDAYS: The Canopy Wake One is an affordable luxury diver with Goldilocks dimensions

Originally posted to Time + Tide forums. You can check out the original source here.

As business ventures, microbrands can sometimes seem a little bit soulless. All it takes is one person with some starting capital and a catalogue of parts to put together an attractive watch that offers good value for money, but that formula is becoming harder and harder to replicate for watch enthusiasts whose collections are beginning to fill up. The Canopy Watch Company have set out to do something different by building a watch from the ground up. After two years of development, the Canopy Wake One is now available as an affordable luxury diver with a utilitarian attitude.

The case

Canopy Watch Company was founded by Machlen Polfliet and Ross Tomson — two watch enthusiasts who have evidently had their ears to the ground when it comes to what the community wants out of a new watch. They certainly haven’t reinvented the diver, but they’ve executed the case in just enough ways to remain unique. The lugs have a gentle sweep to them with a good amount of width that add some toughness, but the lack of crown guards retains a degree of vintage style alongside the modern grunt. The bezel insert is the main source of interest for the Canopy Wake One, with the grey swirls of forged carbon visible beneath a gloss finish that feels both refined and tactical.

The 39mm diameter, 46mm lug-to-lug and 12.8mm thickness make for a considered set of dimensions, hitting the Goldilocks numbers in every aspect. The balance between wrist presence and comfort is nailed for that beefy dive watch look that doesn’t weigh your arm down. The limited edition of 500 is split between 250 models in its brushed stainless-steel finish, and the other 250 coated in a black DLC retaining the brushed texture. The black case and bracelet retains a degree of shine, making it more of a slick streetwear statement than a tactical choice.

The dial

The Canopy Wake One’s dial is a lesson in simplicity and details done well. A triangle at 12 o’clock aligns with the bezel markings and orientates the dial, with clear luminous batons everywhere else. A baton at 6 is sacrificed for the symmetrical date window with a printed frame, keeping everything tidy. The hands, as well as the applied indices, are all framed with black so that there’s almost a floating effect to the lume, as well as the red arrow tip on the seconds hand. The base of the dial is a roughened black grain like asphalt, giving a great contrast in both texture and colour for the crisp white printing of the Canopy branding, Wake One model name and 20 ATM water resistance rating.

The bracelet

While there are plenty of microbrands making great dials and cases these days, it can still be difficult to find one that doesn’t compromise on the bracelet. The Canopy Wake One has clearly had a lot of effort put into its bracelet, which is so important as your interface to wearing the watch. The links are all chunky and solid, with a uniquely ramping shape that makes the watch look incredibly robust from the front, yet still feels smooth and fluid on the inside. The signed clasp is also milled from thick steel, and includes a ratcheting dive extension for on-the-fly adjustment.

The movement

If you’re familiar with microbrands, you won’t be surprised at all to see that the Canopy Wake One’s movement is a Sellita SW200-1. It has become the industry standard for an affordable Swiss calibre, offering a smooth 4Hz beat rate, 41 hour power reserve, and affordable servicing thanks to an abundance of spare parts. This one has had a customised winding rotor to show the Canopy logo and a black coating. The Wake One’s caseback has a sapphire display window so you can stare at it as it beats.

The Canopy Wake One pricing and availability:

The Canopy Wake One is available now from their website here, and you can choose which of the limited edition serial numbers you want. The serial number is visible on the caseback as well as in the ornamental box that comes with the watch, with a piano black finish. Also, Canopy have been kind enough to provide a 25% discount for their store using the code ‘TIDE’. Price: US$999