With the massive proliferation of microbrands over the past decade, we’ve seen widespread democratization of certain watch styles. If you want a great dive watch, chronograph, or integrated sports watch for an affordable price, it’s now easier than ever to do so.
But more recently, a handful of brands have set their sights even higher, aiming to create affordable alternatives to the avant-garde, haute-horological grail watches from industry-topping independents like MB&F and De Bethune.
In 2022, Christopher Ward launched its sub-$4,000 chiming watch, the Bel Canto, to great acclaim. That same year, MB&F founder Maximilian Büsser launched his M.A.D.Editions sub-brand as a way to produce watches in his signature wild style at a far more affordable price point, resulting in the ~$3,000 M.A.D.1.
The latest name to join this trend is Guillaume Laidet. As the man behind the brand revivals of Nivada Grenchen and Vulcain, Laidet was already well-versed in the vintage watch space. But now he’s pushing the boundaries of what an affordable futuristic watch can be through his latest brand, SpaceOne.
One Small Step for a Brand
Laidet launched SpaceOne last year on Kickstarter, initially under the name Argon, with the brand’s debut watch boasting an in-house jump hour module housed inside a distinctive case shaped like a spaceship. The watch was similar in looks and basic functionality to the De Bethune Dream Watch 5 from a decade ago, but with a price around $2,000, it was also around 1/100th the price.
Then, back in the spring, SpaceOne launched the Tellurium, an even more impressive and original watch featuring yet another in-house complication from the brand’s co-founder and independent watchmaker, Theo Auffret. The original Tellurium in bare titanium is now sold out, but today, SpaceOne has launched two more versions of the watch, black and blue, both in Grade 5 titanium.
