The Unconventional, Brutalist Toledano & Chan B/1.3r

How do you approach a timepiece like this new Toledano & Chan…? While it is a watch, since it tells the time, the B/1.3r, like all previous models of the young brand, is not conventional. It’s not your daily, classic round watch. It is a deliberate statement, a watch that doesn’t play within the rules of traditional watchmaking. Maybe it’s for the best, as the rest of the market is crowded. The Toledano & Chan B/1.3r is more an object of brutalist design that also doubles as a wristwatch than an instrument of timekeeping. And that changes how you have to look at it. Sharp, bold, personal and biased, its design is what matters. And like everything that gets off the beaten track, it’s not meant to create a consensus. 

Spoiler alert, even among the MONOCHROME team, the Toledano & Chan B/1.3r certainly wasn’t unanimously approved. And, to a certain extent, it should be seen as a compliment. It means that, in a way, Phil Toledano and Alfred Chan, the brand’s founders, succeeded in creating an object of unconventional appeal. The inspirations behind this watch, and all three previous models, are clear. First, brutalist architecture, 1970s design, as the duo mentions architect Marcel Breuer, and his Whitney museum building in New York, specifically the window of the Breuer building. Second, moving back to horology, the 1970s Rolex Midas and integrated bracelet models in general.

The result of their work took shape in 2024 with the B/1 model, back then equipped with a flat crystal protecting a blue lapis lazuli dial. After that, the B/1.2 replaced this dial with a softer one in Tahitian mother-of-pearl but added even more appeal to the case, now equipped with an asymmetrical, facetted sapphire crystal – an element that drastically enhanced the visual presence of the watch. Lastly, a small run of B/1M watches was produced, using meteorite to an incredible extent, as the case, lugs, dial, and buckle were produced in this textured material.

Refining the concept with the Toledano & Chan B/1.3r

We’re now in phase 3 of the Toledano & Chan project, with this watch, the third regular production creation. Let’s start with one evolution of great importance: material. The two previous “classic” editions were made of stainless steel, a natural choice for a young brand, but one with consequences. The original Toledano & Chan watches, despite reading compact dimensions on paper, were actually using a lot of metal. Wide bracelet, relatively thick links, and a case with a lot of metal involved, in order to create its brutalist shape. If you read between the lines, you’ll understand that weight was not negligible.

The new B/1.3r is made of grade 5 titanium, an alloy that’s 40% lighter than conventional stainless steel. No need to say that this choice drastically improves wearing comfort. In addition, the darker nature of this material, combined with the rough brushed or blasted surfaces, only enhances the brutalist inspiration of the watch – it feels closer in tone to concrete, which is crucial in brutalist architecture. So a choice that is not only driven by design perspectives but also makes it simply a better watch to wear. Now, the duo also reworked the case ever so slightly, and while keeping its asymmetrical shape intact, including numerous facets and the complex sapphire crystal, it’s been reduced by 1.5mm in width.

The case, on paper, measures 32mm in width, 31.5mm in length and 9.1 to 10.4mm in thickness, due to its asymmetrical nature. But this destro watch (crown on the left) is not small. It has far more visual wrist presence than numbers suggest. Photographed on Robin’s 18cm wrist, this bracelet-like, wrist-worn object is certainly impactful. Also, even though the 10-ish thickness sounds reasonable, it feels more due to the compactness of the case and the sloping flanks. The definition of the edges and most surfaces is neat and goes in line with the industrial intentions.

Another notable difference for the Toledano & Chan B/1.3r is the dial, which is getting rid of natural stones for a precious material, solid yellow gold – and it’s widely known that titanium and gold go well together. In addition to the new material, the duo designed the dial with an asymmetrical, curved pattern inspired by water’s ripples, which contrasts in colour and style with the sharp edges of the case and its cold colour. The surface is textured, matte and has depth, which plays along with the distortions created by the faceted crystal. The attention to detail is pushed on the hands too, with an asymmetrical hour hand.

The bracelet of Toledano & Chan’s watches is not to be taken as an afterthought, as it feels particularly consistent with the overall design and feels quite special too. It indeed retains the whole brutalist, faceted, textured and asymmetrical concept of the case, creating a well-integrated, almost single-piece object. Despite the width of the links and the visual presence of this bracelet, it is rather pleasant to wear and flexible – here, you can certainly thank the switch from steel to titanium. There’s a pleasant taper from the lugs to the clasp. The bracelet is sized by central screws on the inner side, which is a nice feature.

Inside the case, nothing spectacular, though. The new titanium B/1.3r relies on a fairly common Sellita SW100, the movement maker’s compact automatic offering, with 4Hz frequency and 41h power reserve. Reliable and easy to service, but not something to spend too much time talking about.

Thoughts

I’m going to be honest here, this Toledano & Chan B/1.3r is not a watch for me… It’s too sharp, too different, too unconventional for my liking. I might be a bit of a traditionalist here, but this watch simply goes too far for my personal tastes. Does it mean that I can’t recognise the dedication of Phil Toledano and Alfred Chan to create a singular, distinctive object? Absolutely not. On the contrary. Releasing a watch with such a daring design is bold and courageous. I must give the men credit for that, and as I often say, some watches are appreciated by most, but not loved by many. Here, it’s black or white, love or hate. There’s no middle ground, and we might need a bit more of that in the watch industry.

Overall, the Toledano & Chan B/1.3r is an object of design that feels special but also well constructed, detailed and surprisingly more comfortable than its look suggests. It, however, comes at a price…

Availability & Price

The Toledano & Chan B/1.3r in titanium is released as a limited edition of 300 pieces and will be available from the brand as of February 12, 2026. It will be priced at USD 10,200 excluding taxes. For more details, please visit toledanoandchan.com.