The Speake Marin Ripples Dune Date Edition

Two years ago, Speak Marin added Ripples, a luxury sports watch, to its repertoire. Although it marks a departure from the brand’s models housed in the distinctive and regal Piccadilly case, some elements of the design language associated with Speake Marin have prevailed. Offered initially with monochromatic dials, Speake Marin’s chic sports watch welcomes a new model with a two-tone dial.

When it came to producing its first luxury sports watch, designers at Speake Marin must have put a lot of thought into the shape of the case (see below). Dominated by the exuberant Piccadilly case that is the cornerstone of the brand’s identity, designers couldn’t exactly do a volte-face and produce something humdrum. Christened La City, a name that might be referring to the brand’s London roots and Swiss production, the rounded square-shaped stainless steel case has a 40.3mm and a slim 9.2mm profile thanks to the micro-rotor movement.

The octagonal case middle is also rounded and asymmetric and features prominent crown guards flanking the screw-down crown. Decorated with a vertical satin-brushed finish, the bezel has a round opening on the dial and polished bevels. The case relies on the same combination of finishings, and the integrated three-row bracelet stands out with its lateral brushed links and wide polished central link. For a sports watch with such a robust-looking case and protective lateral crown guards, the water-resistance of 50 metres is on the low side.

We still haven’t done a final count, but ‘Dune’ is, not surprisingly, one of the most popular dial colours in the watch world this year. However, to be fair, the rippling effect of the dial evokes the shape of sand dunes, and the sandy colour kind of makes sense in this context. This is also the first Ripples model to feature a two-tone dial, with sandy beige and a contrasting small seconds counter in dark green. The twelve ripples traversing the dial are engraved into the rhodium-plated base, satin-finished by hand, coated with the Dune colour and protected by a layer of transparent lacquer.

Respecting one of Speake Marin’s distinctive design features, the small green seconds sub-dial is positioned at 1:30 and contrasts with the dial thanks to its sunray finish. The green colour is also used on the minutes track with its shiny white dots. Another hallmark Speake Marin feature is the heart-shaped hour hand inspired by the one found on London’s Big Ben tower clock. The long baton indices are rhodium-plated, polished and applied to the dial with double indices at noon. The date window at 6 o’clock is framed and displays white Arabic numerals against a black background.

The new two-tone Ripples Dune Date is powered by the calibre SMA03-TD, designed, developed, and built by the brand’s R&D division at Le Cercle Des Horlogers in La Chaux-de-Fonds. The proprietary movement is distinguished by its fully integrated tungsten micro-rotor, which keeps the thickness down to just 3.9mm. With a frequency of 28,800vph, the movement delivers a power reserve of 52 hours. Traditional finishings like Côtes de Genève, perlage, and anglage decorate the movement.

Speake Marin’s Ripples Dune Date comes on an integrated steel bracelet, is limited to 60 pieces, and will be available from 9 April 2024 for a retail price of CHF 24,900 (excl. tax).

For more information, please consult Speake-Marin.com.