Last week, I had the pleasure of attending After Time, an event organized by our friends at Italian Watch Spotter, dedicated to celebrating independent watch brands. This year’s edition focused on smaller brands, those whose creations offer a far more accessible entry point compared to the great independent “giants” of haute horlogerie.
As I wandered through the exhibition stands, I found myself completely captivated by countless timepieces, many of which I had only seen online before that moment. It quickly became clear that photos and videos simply don’t do justice to such extraordinary case shapes or to dials with truly remarkable character.
I decided to feature two brands in our magazine that particularly stood out to me, today we’ll talk about Dennison, and the other one… you’ll discover next week.
Before diving into what makes this brand so special, I’d like to reflect for a moment on the importance of this segment within the watch market. It’s an incredibly vital space: for seasoned collectors, it offers a new way to approach independent watchmaking without venturing into the stratospheric price ranges of established independents; while for newcomers, it represents a fascinating entry point into the world of horology, one that doesn’t necessarily require starting with the historical names bound by classic or familiar designs.
Dennison: A Triumphant Return
When I first heard last year about the revival of Dennison, a watch brand originally founded in 1874 and dormant for several decades, the promise was bold: to carve out a meaningful place in the sub-€1,000 market with creations that looked anything but entry-level.
The images on social media immediately caught my attention, and, as a lover of Day-Dates and vintage watches with stone dials, I was genuinely intrigued by the idea of wearing a natural stone dial without spending a fortune.
This year, Dennison expanded its offering beyond its classic two-hand models and stone-dial variants, ranging from malachite to lapis lazuli, aventurine, agate, and many others, by introducing its first “complication”, interpreted perfectly in line with the brand’s new design language: the Dual Time.
The model features two independent quartz movements, allowing each sub-dial to display a different time zone. To make things even more interesting, Dennison offers the option to mix different stones, one for each set of hands, or to choose a single stone with a contrasting secondary dial.
The cushion-shaped case, once again designed by Emmanuel Gueit, has been slightly reworked for this version: it’s now a touch wider, growing from 37 x 33.5 mm to 37 x 35.6 mm.
Those details, combined with such an original case design, sparked plenty of conversation among my watch-enthusiast friends (and even those who aren’t into watches). Eventually, a close friend and I decided to each get one: mine with a rubellite dial, hers with aventurine.
I must admit, it wasn’t an easy choice. After the launch of the new Dual Time models, all equally tempting, I needed some time to decide.
Beyond their striking aesthetics, even in the non-stone versions, what truly fascinates me is how Dennison managed to relaunch itself. In a field where pleasing everyone is nearly impossible, where some value mechanics over design, others heritage over the object itself, Dennison has found a sweet spot: a crucial yet challenging segment of the market, the competitive entry-level range, and has brought to it something genuinely fresh and unseen.
First steps towards an incredible success
Of course, Dennison’s revival is still recent, and establishing itself further won’t be easy, but they’re clearly on the right path. My last week wearing the captivating time-only Rubellite has only confirmed that feeling.
What makes me even more confident, though, is the incredible interest I’ve seen from my friends, the more “normal” ones, not as deeply obsessed with watches as I am, who were genuinely mesmerized by the beauty of the piece itself, and now want to have one.
Because, honestly, there’s no better metric in watchmaking. If something makes your heart beat faster, no amount of expertise or technical advice can outweigh that feeling. When that happens, there’s only one thing to do: put it on your wrist, quickly.
So, tell me, which stone would you choose to wear on your wrist?
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