Sourcing
Design & Shipping | US - Philly
Prototypes are not regulated but full production watches are Regulated to +/- 10 seconds | US - Baltimore Watch Company
Manufacturing | China - Guangzhou
Movement | Japan - Saku
The Path
If you have followed Mark Time over the last few years or are familiar with the brand, you’ll know that the M6 was a culmination of countless design decisions over the years. From there, I wanted to design a watch that feels completely different, while staying true to the Mark Time design language. Most importantly, I wanted to create a watch that feels like pure fun on your wrist. I am happy to introduce the Mark Time M7 - The Fun Watch.
The Inspiration
One of my personal Mark Time favorites (and a favorite of many of you on Kickstarter) is the M3. I didn’t get to go into full production with the M3, but I wanted to apply some of the design decisions from the M6 - without the sharp line angular constraints that defined the M6 - and apply them to the M3.
Which specific design elements from the M3 got applied to the M7?
- The Enamel Lacquer dial on the M3 with the steel border applied indices made for such a beautiful clean pop. This shiny combination invited the use of playful colors.
- The M3 used screws on the bezel as hour indices, which was unique and many of you loved. For the M7, I swapped this concept and placed round steel border applied hour indices on the dial while moving rounded minute indices to the bezel.
What changed from the M3 to the M7?
- The bracelet and clasp were too heavy for the M3 (I found myself taking it off throughout the day) and didn't balance well with the watch. Switching to a FKM CTS rubber strap tapered to a 16mm leaf deployment clasp made the watch feel much lighter and enjoyable to wear.
- The M3 had a double dome sapphire glass top, which, in combination with the enamel lacquer reflected EVERYTHING. The M7 top sapphire glass is now flat, which makes the dial super legible without all the glare.
- The rotor was updated with the Mark Time design first used on the M5. To keep it fun, the rotor color matches the dial color
- The Crown size was increased to 7mm (thanks to Skyler Santana's recommendation) for a more enjoyable tactile time setting and winding experience. Additionally, the M7 has a screw down crown because that's what you all love.
Idea to Production
Mark Time x Richard Harvey Collaboration
My best friends in life are people I work with on creative projects. I've known Mat since we first got placed next to each other at our first District Time show. The work he does always has so much detail and he continues to refine his craft as a watch designer. He's always been helpful in providing feedback towards the end of my design processes, but for this one we wanted to brainstorm design ideas together from the beginning.
The first iteration got the overall feel but needed some refinement including
- Moving the minute markers to the bezel, the hour markers further out, add more lume instead of color to the hands, and make the lugs more of the round theme.
By this point we were almost home with some minor updates
- Increasing the crown size, and making it straight lines instead of rounded for a better tactile experience and functionality.
Final Product - Introducing the M7
This is the Mark Time M7 - clocking in at 40.5mm diameter, 48mm lug to lug, with a screw down crown, protected with a 1200HV Scratch Resistant Coating, 100m water resistance, and hugging your wrist at a slim 10.7mm case height.
The dials are finished with enamel lacquer to bring a punch to the colors, and Grade A - BGW9 Lume for a fun retro futuristic lume look. The case has a sand-blasted finish, nicely balancing the shiny enamel lacquer with a matte optic.
Underneath - the M7 is powered by the Miyota 9039 calibrated to +/- 10 sec, charging up with a color matched rotor.
Keeping it fun, light, and easy - a 20mm FKM CTS Rubber Strap, tapered down to an easy to wear 16mm leaf deployment clasp keeps the M7 comfortably on your wrist in all weather.
