Introducing
Isotope
Words by Chris Antzoulis (@poppingcrowns)
Jose Miranda, Founder of Isotope
Once upon a time, Portugal suffered under a fascist regime. The Estado Novo was one of the longest-lasting authoritarian regimes in the 20th century, and José Miranda experienced it for the first ten years of his life. He often locked himself in his room to escape the things going on outside and taught himself to read before he reached the age to go to school. José would also sneak out of bed at night to listen to science fiction on the radio and watch American shows like Lost in Space on TV. The shows would be in English, but they had subtitles, so he learned to read through them and began learning English through shows about aliens and traveling to other worlds, escaping the issues at home and instead developing his imagination. José would go on to own his own production company, write TV shows in Portugal, and eventually bring his creativity to the world of watches through one of the most beloved independent brands — Isotope.
OVNI Jumping Hour
A Droplet of Mercury
José expressed an intimate life-long connection with watches. Ever since childhood, these were the gifts he always asked for. His first watch was a mechanical Timex with an enamel dial. “I bought watches here and there. Nothing too expensive. But in my early 20s, I got a job in advertising that paid very well. I took my first salary, went to the mall, and bought a Breitling Jupiter,” José recalled. Over the years, he amassed more watches he loved until he eventually developed an affinity for Gerald Genta jump hour watches. Then, in 2009, the market crashed, and José had to sell his collection to pay the employees of a production company he owned.
When José reached a comfortable spot again, he went to try and acquire one of his favorite Genta jump hour watches he once had, featuring Disney’s Donald Duck. To his surprise, the prices for these Genta pieces had skyrocketed, and José’s wife, Joana, suggested he make his own jump hour watch. So, he did. José went back and forth between the UK and Switzerland to learn about making watches and meet with manufacturers. Eventually, he met with one of the designers for Konstantin Chaykin, and he worked with him to design his personal jump hour watch, the Rider, that he branded Isotope, without any inclination that it would go on to become a household name in the independent watch community. Then fate stepped in…
Goutte d'Eau Diver
A watch enthusiast riding with José on a flight noticed the unique jump hour on José’s wrist. After inquiring about the watch, he found out it was a piece unique of José’s own design. This stranger asked if José could make ten of them — one for him and nine to pass out to family members. José came up with a price and obliged, but he soon realized it was too little for ten, so he decided to make 100. Isotope was born.
José and his wife, Joana, founded the company together. Joana, after all, was the catalyst behind the development of the Rider:
When we first launched the company, Joana played a crucial role in organizing our operations and handling the accounting side of things. However, as her academic life advanced and she pursued her career as a trauma surgeon, her priorities shifted. These days, she still helps immensely, especially when we have large orders. Beyond that, she remains my muse, and I often turn to her when it comes to making tough management decisions. Without her support, Isotope would be a very different company.
Joana’s practical knowledge and emotional reinforcement gave José the support system he needed to develop one of the industry's most eccentric and distinctive brands.
Rider Jumping Hour
Rider Jumping Hour
José would go on to build the design aesthetic of Isotope around the mythic “egg of Columbus” story. For those of you new to the story, Christopher Columbus was once told that finding new trade routes was inevitable and questioned why they should fund him. It is said that Columbus took out an egg and asked his naysayers to make the egg stand on its tip. When they couldn’t do it, Columbus would take the point of the egg, tap it against the table so it would crack and flatten a little, and then stand it up. The solution was simple once they saw it, but they didn’t think to do it. While Columbus may not be the best of role models…for other reasons…the lesson in this story is the same principle used by designers across many mediums who create timeless icons. José taps into this thought process to get to the designs of his watches.
Take, for instance, the new Isotope Moonshot Chronograph — in case shape, design, and function, it’s a watch unlike any you’ve seen. The most notable nuance to the watch is its unique chronograph sub-registers. The traditional hands have been replaced by three-quarter rotating discs, with the missing quarter revealing the necessary data to read the sub-registers. Upon seeing the Moonshot, José told me some folks commented that the display was too “easy.” He began chuckling as he hearkened back to the egg of Columbus, “It’s so easy, but you didn’t think of it.” And it’s not a gimmick, as this way of displaying information makes this chronograph easier to read than traditional chronograph watches. It’s quite a joy to see, especially if you’re used to the traditional hands.
Moonshot Chronograph
Everything about Isotope’s watches is intentional. José meticulously pours over designs, trends, and vintage pieces, not to inspire him to do something similar but to inform him on how to create something different. He wants to make watches that “cut through the atmosphere.” Coincidentally, this was an explanation he used to describe Isotope’s “droplet” logo. The droplet also ties José back to his family. His grandmother had the iconic Max Bill kitchen clock in their kitchen. One of these clocks is on display at the MoMA Design Museum. “I grew up with this shape. It is perfect, streamlined, something from nature. It can also be a teardrop, reminding me of what I miss. When I looked at other watch companies, I saw that nobody had used this shape as a symbol. So, it became mine.”
Hydrium Pro Nordblad
Isotope x Revolution Mercury
José uses inspiration funneled from many sources to inform the decisions he makes for Isotope. Still, his ultimate superpower hearkens back to those evenings he spent reading comics and watching sci-fi as a kid—his ability to tap into pop culture in a subversive way. One of his big hits, the Hydrium “Will Return,” pulls its inspiration from the old “will return” and “open/closed” signs that shops used to put in their windows. This is something that taps into the nostalgia of most Americans. I remember when I was a kid, I’d see the “will return” sign on the door of my local comic book store, and I’d wait patiently for the time on my Darth Vader watch to match the time of the clock on the sign. You can even take the Isotope Mercury, the new mirrored watch Isotope dropped in collaboration with Revolution. One of the promo photos had the watch in the middle of what looked to be thick ripples of mirrored liquid metal. I reached out to José asking if T-1000, the infamous shape-shifting villain from Terminator 2, had anything to do with the inspiration for the watch. To my joy, the answer was “yes.”
Moonshot Chronograph
The connections are not overt or crass; they exist as one of many subtle layers folded over to create the delicious bites of horological pastry José serves up to us. And like any true artist, this is something that only José can do. As hobbyists, enthusiasts, and collectors, we are fortunate to be living during a renaissance of independent watchmaking, and luckier still that there is an overabundance of options to suit our individual tastes. Yet, it’s still a rarity to find a person and brand that offers an entire lineup of unique products, pieces that pay homage only to the history of the craft but provide something entirely fresh in terms of look and design.