Over the past few years, anOrdain has grown from a plucky, small-scale producer of vitreous enamel dials to an independent brand with a (not artificial) waitlist stretching many years. In that time, they’ve continued to scale up their operations, brought an increasing number of processes in-house, and have steadily refined their offering with improved finishing and specifications. In 2024, they added porcelain dial-making to their arsenal, an achievement they’re now following up on with the latest anOrdain Model 1 Porcelain made in collaboration with typographer Kia Tasbihgou.
What is it?
If Breguet was the first association when looking at the design, it’s not accidental. According to anOrdain founder Lewis Heath, it was a surprising revelation, however. “The brief was deliberately wide open; Kia didn’t have a subconscious stuffed with watch dials, and we thought we’d make the most of that. However, a conversation about the remarkable details on Breguet pocket watches proved quite pivotal. It’s serendipitous because I’d never have briefed something like this, but I think the playful, modern take on this stalwart of dial typography is wonderful.”
The combination of blue and white was less of an accident. Not only is it a lovely tonal match with the blued handset – a modified Breguet and syringe one at that – but the idea came from one of Heath’s travels to Portugal. “[It’s] a combination I fell for on a trip to Porto many years ago, and its use in Rem Koolhaas’ Casa da Música, where it’s set alongside hyper-modern, undulating floor-to-ceiling glazing, has been etched in my memory for decades.”
AnOrdain’s workshops are the home of seven enamelling specialists, while the 30-40 porcelain dials made each month are the work of only a single craftsperson. The brand approximates 300 total dials to be made, but with a 90% rejection rate, the number that actually makes it into watches is significantly reduced.
The watch is housed in the anOrdain’s usual 38mm Model 1 case, which means a no-frills design that makes the most of the intricate dials. There are, of course, small details as you’d expect, such as the triangular notches on the insides of the lugs, and the subtly extending right-hand side that makes the case asymmetric and forms pseudo-crown guards.
Part of that thinness is thanks to the La Joux-Perret calibre within. Quite unusually for a microbrand, anOrdain offers two different variants. One is the standard with its usual decoration, but the other is one that is custom-decorated for the Scottish brand, using Glaswegian artist Rachel Duckhouse’s designs. The result is a sweeping, turbine-like pattern on the bridges and rotor, visible through a display caseback.
First impressions
Artisanal dials are always a treat, and anOrdain is a front-runner in the microbrand (if not wider) space of dial-making excellence, simply for their insistence on using such processes. It’s also an attempt to assuage those unwilling to endure the waitlists that have, admittedly, gotten very long. As a casual typography nerd (meaning I complain about things I don’t like), Tasbihgou’s effort is a breath of fresh air, bringing renewed interest to an overplayed form.
Unlike their other watches, anOrdain is determined to keep the availability of their Porcelain models much more approachable. The initial run of 70 will release on the 27th of August, with further complete batches added to their website each month, on a first-come-first-served basis.
anOrdain Model 1 Porcelain Kia Tasbihgou pricing and full specifications
The anOrdain Model 1 Porcelain Kia Tasbihgou is going to be released in a non-limited series, with 70 models available at launch. Small batches will be added to the brand’s website monthly, and shipped within two weeks of orders being placed. Price: US$2,950 (standard, ~A$4,100), US$3,400 (A1, ~A$4,800)
