A majestic worker bee beckons you to read the time on a bed of foliage and flora. Meet the new Mr Jones English Garden Watch.
Picture the quintessential English garden. Dreamy hollyhocks and vibrant delphiniums reach tall towards bright blue summer skies. Cascading wisteria rambling over stone walls and creeping ivy weaving in between brickwork.
Cottage garden perennials in full bloom and sun-drenched. Manicured lawns trimmed to perfection. Roses bordering winding garden pathways, leading to ancient gateways flanked by box hedges and trimmed topiaries.
English gardens are a haven for those captivated by the charm of meandering pathways and trickling water features. They are an escape from the hustle and bustle of city life. A chance to immerse in vivid perennial borders, blossoming in all the rainbow colors.
All these elements — the gravel pathways, and the serene chocolate box cottages — are a delight to witness firsthand.
But if you’re not lucky enough to visit England this year, you can at least enjoy the next best thing. British watchmaker Mr Jones has released a sequel to the original Golden Hour watch, which launched in 2022.
I was lucky enough to meet Mrs Bee in person, and I can vouch for her natural beauty. She sits on top of layers of flora, begging for attention.
The new watch takes inspiration from a classic children’s novel and captures everything quintessential about English gardens.
Mr Jones emphasizes the pretty pollinator, which has been a symbol of teamwork, labor, and spirituality for years. Moreover, the creature symbolizes prosperity and fertility. Whatever the message behind this bee, she reigns supreme in this design.
Table of Contents
A British Brand With a Plating and Printing Workshop
Mr Jones watches are fun and boundary-pushing. They go against the grain. The watchmaker designs and crafts its timepieces at its watchmaking studios based in London.
And for a country that was once rich in watchmaking heritage but not so much now, this is pretty special.
The brand’s delectable timepieces testify to the techniques employed in the company’s paint and printing room. Here, these unique dials come to life.
Every in-house pigment is unique to Mr Jones. The company stocks over 100 different inks, enabling for hundreds of thousands of possibilities. Some dials boast a yellow gold or rose gold gilding, while others showcase palladium.
The assembly process at Mr Jones is thorough. Whether quartz or automatic, craftsmen methodically and meticulously assemble each timepiece with due care and attention.
The brand’s crown design bears the MJW signature, and all watches are subject to 24-hour tests.
The team at Mr Jones may be small, but price-wise, you’d struggle to find other British brands doing similar quality control, assembly, and dial decoration.
If you’re still undecided about Mr Jones, I’d recommend researching the brand in a little more detail. Or, read on to see what I make of the Golden Hour in the flesh.
The Golden Hour; Mr Jones and Andy Wilx
The original Golden Hour watch by Mr Jones launched two years ago. At the time, you could only compare it to Gucci’s innovative and flamboyant “flower power” dials.
These 38mm watches were impactful, turning heads with vivid colors and artistic floral patterns. However, they were much smaller than the bolder 45mm dimensions of the Golden Hour.
That original Golden Hour watch was the handiwork of artist Andy Wilx, who envisaged a celebration of a whimsical English garden.
Now, the two join forces once more to create yet another breathtakingly beautiful (and very whimsical) Golden Hour watch. The model takes inspiration from “The Secret Garden,” a classic children’s novel. But why the bee? Well, turns out Jones just loves them!
Collaborating with artists has been the company’s niche since Crispin Jones founded it in 2007.
A recent example is the company’s collaboration with British graphic designer and typographer Margaret Calvert. The M1 is reminiscent of the designer’s most iconic work, her UK road sign designs.
In general, watch collaborations are a growing concept across the industry. Within the last 12 months, we have seen Zenith and Time+Tide partner up for the second time. The Australian watch publication became the face of the recent Night Surfer watch front the Defy Skyline collection.
Audemars Piguet also collaborated with rap artist Travis Scott, bearing his label “Cactus Jack” on a Royal Oak.
Other examples include the sporty Bvlgari and Gran Turismo collaboration and the racing-ready IWC and Lewis Hamilton Portugieser.
If you look at the previous Mr Jones Golden Hour watch, you will see similarities between the two. The original was a clever mix of features and aesthetics, evoking a romantic view of nature.
Aside from the unique dial design, capturing the detail and color of a traditional English garden, there was more. The dial presented the time in an unusual format.
A large worker bee revealed the hours and minutes on rotating discs, becoming a focal point of the design. Mr Jones used a red indicator for the hours and a moving golden crown for the minutes.
Symbols of English Heritage
The latest design also shares some symbols with the original Mr Jones Golden Hour watch.
Each with a unique formula, the dial colors create a carpet of flora and foliage across the dial’s surface. The bee returns once more and takes up residence quite confidently across a large proportion of the dial.
To throw you off track, the hour pointer on this watch is not “golden”. It’s actually the same red triangular pointer that we saw in the previous model. It stands out against the other golden hour markers, contrasting with the yellow tones of the worker bee.
The crown on the original Golden Hour watch was a grand nod to English Heritage. In this design, the company replaces it with a large red flower. Tracking this will give you the minutes of the day.
The New Mr Jones English Garden Watch
As mentioned, the new Mr Jones Golden Hour watch is a collaborative effort between the watchmaker and artist Andy Wilx. It depicts the beauty and detail of a charming, whimsical English garden.
The bee at the dial’s center hovers majestically above the flowers and foliage. Its light and dark yellow tones help capture a three-dimensional effect, with gilded elements that shimmer in the light.
The bee’s detailed wings stretch out to the dial’s periphery. They meet with white jasmine flowers, typifying the ideals of an English garden illustration.
The gilded elements on the bee’s body pick up light as you tilt the case. All the while, the seconds function revolves underneath the bee’s body. This creates a visual animation to enjoy deep inside the dial’s finest details.
All these details sit under a sapphire crystal glass front, free of any undesirable glare that may affect timekeeping.
The new Golden Hour watch follows a similar format to the former. It has an extra-large case size measuring 45mm in diameter.
Suffice it to say, this may not be one of the most wearer-friendly watches for small wrists. But it’s a great choice for those who like to get noticed.
The new Golden Hour watch’s stainless steel case has a PVD coating in black. This not only gives the watch a modern finish but also enables the dial’s detailing to stand out.
The new watch is water resistant to 50 meters and houses a Sellita movement inside. As one of the industry’s tried and tested engines, the SW200 provides an unfaltering performance.
It guarantees a rate of 28,800 vibrations per hour and delivers a power reserve of 38 hours. The gold rotor is a nice addition to the design. The feature sits behind an exhibition caseback, affording a unique glimpse into the movement as it performs.
Mr Jones presents the Golden Hour watch on a black leather strap with golden contrast stitching running up the sides. The pin buckle is steel and has a matching black coating to compliment the case finish.
How The Golden Hour Wears
I knew the Golden Hour would wear large on my feminine wrist, but it didn’t bother me.
I couldn’t shake the idea of wanting an oversized watch. From a male perspective, I can see how wearing a large watch can easily swamp the wrist.
Doing so can make the arm look somewhat feminine. And with a floral-patterned dial, that’s the last thing a man would want the Golden Hour to do.
But small-wristed men need not be deterred by this.
Despite its “XL” label, which I work out to be a sizeable 45mm diameter, it doesn’t swallow up my wrist. This watch is just as much a woman’s watch with a masculine edge as it is a man’s watch with feminine touches.
I can rock this watch as a boyish accessory. The PVD black finish gives it a resolutely sporty look, which I can pair with jeans very easily.
The lugs aren’t overbearing and thanks to the black case finish, it doesn’t look like a huge piece of metal sitting on my arm.
Don’t get me wrong — this watch has huge presence. It’s an oversized watch for a girl.
But its large dimensions simply serve to open up the stage for more of that beautiful dial. The sapphire glass sits higher than the case, and it’s slightly sloped at the edge, adding ample dial protection.
Through this glass, the Golden Hour’s story unravels via an artistic palette of petals and wings.
This visually rich design impacts my wrist with a masculine presence. Its sheer black glossy case and smooth matte black leather strap create the look of a “boyfriend watch.”
I wore the Golden Hour to my son’s cricket match and had two people notice it within the first half hour. They first wanted to know who made the watch and how it worked.
As you can imagine, I gladly took the opportunity to explain how to tell the time on this dial. The seconds disc, in shades of pebble blue and grey, moves so discreetly that you barely notice it.
Cleverly, it beckons onlookers to take a close-up view. At that point, the bee’s wings and the gold center of the flowers instantly draw the eye in.
This is a dial that keeps on giving, both visually and from a conversation point of view.
The black leather strap is going to take some time to break in. But I don’t mind that. I can enjoy the feeling of newness while it settles into my daily routine.
I’ve worn this watch with a floral jumpsuit and a casual jeans and jumper ensemble. Both options look equally great. Again, I equate that to the display’s black case and dial’s subdued gold and blue colors.
The Takeaway
For fans of off-the-wall designs, the Mr Jones English Garden watch must be one of the most extravagant summer watches of 2024.
It is more than just another collaboration. The timepiece is an artistic representation of the formal English garden and our global love for it.
A quick glance at its dial conjures images of meandering gravel pathways, elegant water features, and sundials. It summons the country’s iconic walled gardens, trimmed lawns, fountains, and ancient statues in a new narrative.
I love the white jasmine border that fills the space between the hour track and the bezel. It gives the impression that Wilx wastes no opportunity to add artistic flair to every crevice and gap in the dial.
The worker bee gracefully resting atop the dial’s floral decoration is a playful nod to the country’s native wildlife. She may not have a name yet, but I have become quite her little fan. She’s the last thing I look at each night and the first thing I wake up to.
The more I admire and study this timepiece, the more details keep revealing themselves. It’s a timepiece for fanciful, imaginative visionaries like me. Enthusiasts that like all things “whimsical,” whatever that may manifest itself in.
For women, this abstract and artistic watch conjures “Alice in Wonderland” vibes. For men, it tests the boundaries of masculinity and goes against the grain.
As a born-and-bred Brit living in a small, quiet village, I enjoy the beauty of the quaint British garden daily.
I have also had the chance to wear the Mr Jones Golden Hour and challenge my own horological tastes. I love the independent watchmaker’s take on our iconic landscape.
Aesthetically, the Golden Hour pushes the envelope. It is bold and extravagant but surprisingly masculine.
I can’t wait to break the leather strap in a little more because, in a few weeks, this watch will look like it’s always been on my wrist. And, in some ways, it already feels like it has.
Is the new Mr Jones Golden Hour a watch you could imagine wearing this summer? Let me know in the comments!
Leave a Reply