The New Ikepod Horopod Titanium Is Back to Classic Designs and Swiss Movements

Ikepod has had its fair share of ups and downs since it was founded in 1994 by Oliver Ike and designer Marc Newson. Soaring to fame with Marc Newson’s fabulous designs, Ikepod’s skyrocketing prices eventually forced the brand into a nosedive. Following several attempts to restrain its prices with Japanese quartz and mechanical movements, the latest news from Ikepod is a return to good old Swiss mechanical movements. The model selected for this volte-face is the Gen3 Horopod. Reimagined by designer Adrian Buchmann and inspired by the 2012 Gen2 Horizon, the new Ikepod Horopod comes in a titanium case and bracelet with an Op Art dial and ticks to the tempo of new old stock ETA 2824 automatics bought by Ikepod in 2017.

Since day one, Ikepod has always been about contemporary design. Created before he joined Ikepod, Newson’s POD watch, with its flying saucer silhouette and large dimensions, set the design tone for Ikepod. Between 2008 and 2012, Ikepod soared in popularity and price, with models from its Gen1 and Gen2 families commanding prices of CHF 12,500. Newson left Ikepod in 2012, and the brand eventually crashed. Resuscitated in 2018 via a Kickstarter campaign, CEO Christian-Louis Col’s vision for the brand was to produce great design but at affordable prices. To keep prices in check, Japanese quartz movements were used until 2020 when the Megapod automatic appeared with a Miyota automatic and a very competitive price.

Inspired by the 2012 Gen2 Horizon model in titanium, Adrian Buchmann’s vision for the Horopod Titanium is faithful to Ikepod’s passion for all things round, incarnated in pebble-smooth cases shaped like retro flying saucers. Measuring 44mm across, the titanium case emphasises its rotundity with a circular-brushed finish, including the caseback with its off-centred – you’ve guessed it  – small round porthole to get a peek of the movement. As the brand points out, the 44mm diameter actually feels like 41mm on the wrist, which we can certainly confirm.

The screw-down crown with recessed grooves ensures the 50m depth rating. The attractive bracelet, with its discreet butterfly folding clasp, has also been redesigned by Buchmann. Composed of single, brushed titanium links, there is more space between the arcing links to emphasise their semi-circular profile.

Another distinctive trait of Ikepod watches is their fun dials, in this case, decorated with an Op Art series of holes that might remind you of the three-dimensional shape and texture of a golf ball. There are six different dial colours named after cities with different textures. The dials of Jodhpur (blue), Neom (green) and Lisboa (black) feature the groovy perforated Op Art motif; the Puxi (grey) and Udaipur (white) have raised dots and a Super-LumiNova chapter ring, and the Petra (salmon) has engraved horseshoe-shaped figures that decrease in size as they reach the centre. A seventh edition, the Horopod HO04 with a black dial, celebrates Ikepod’s 30^th anniversary and is limited to 30 numbered pieces (not photographed). Bereft of indices, the time is indicated by luminous hour and minute hands, although the Puxi and Udaipur references have an additional luminous chapter ring and seconds hand emitting a blue glow in the dark.

Reverting to the brand’s original formula of Swiss-made movements, the new Horopod Titanium models are powered by ETA 2824 automatics found in stock during the company takeover in 2017. Beating at 4Hz and storing a modest 38h power reserve, the tried-and-tested industrial movement can be espied through the small porthole on the caseback. In addition, the case has been upgraded with a screw at the back to access the crown and not break the stem while servicing the watch – contrary to Gen1 and Gen2, which favoured design over practicality.

All seven variants of the Horopod come with the new titanium bracelet; an additional black rubber strap with a pin buckle is included in the round presentation box, as you can see on the salmon version we had for this hands-on session.

As always, actions speak louder than words, and to prove that Ikepod’s new strategy of delivering great design with Swiss movements at accessible prices is genuine, the brand offers a revealing comparison: the Gen1 Horizon model in titanium released in 2012 powered by an ETA 2892 had a price tag of CHF 12,500; coming in at a quarter of the price, the new Gen3 Ikepod Horopod Titanium retails for CHF 2,990, EUR 3,190, USD 3,490 or GBP 2,790. And that makes them far more attractive than they were in the past.

For more information and orders, please visit ikepod.com.