To infinity and beyond with the SD-09 Spacecraft

Sometimes, what comes to us out of crowd-funded campaigns is just a lot of “meh”, stuff that looks like the 20 watches before it with just a change of dial. Well, we are certainly not fans of badge engineering here at WWR. Then you get something like the SD-09 Spacecraft, and, well, it’s surely not a “me too” design.

Now, before you string me up, yes, the SD-09 Spacecraft has a lot of famous designs it pulls from. The case and crown guard (as well as the sandwich dial) definitely screams Panerai, and that bezel is more than just a little bit reminiscent of Hublot and/or Audemars Piguet. For all of that, they still manage to mix in their own design.

For starters, how about those lume pips that are all along the chapter ring? You do not see that (at least I have not) simply because that angle plays mad games on anyone trying to actually paint on there, building it up, without it running (so my guess is that they’re applied pips). Throw in the lumed sub-seconds dial (which is where the UFO influence comes in), and you have a bit of a light show on your hands. Color me interested.

That said, I do sort of wish they had found a way to make the UFO influences more prevalent on the design. Perhaps that’s a phase two sort of idea, letting this initial watch sort of start down that path without going too crazily off of the beaten path. If you want to pick one of these up for yourself, the SD-09 Spacecraft has early bird pricing (Kickstarter) that starts at around $250. sd-09watches.com

Watch Overview

Brand & Model: SD-09 Spacecraft
Price: $250
Who we think it might be for: You like the Panerai looks, but want something obviously different than all the inexpensive homages out there

Would I buy one for myself based on what I’ve seen?: Well, it’s a curious design – if the lume is as strong as some of the photos suggest, I could see that.
If I could make one design suggestion, it would be: More obvious UFO cues. Aside from that, make sure that lume is super thickly applied on the handset
What spoke to me the most about this watch: Those lume pips on the chapter ring

Tech Specs from SD-09