Through clever design and a dash of ingenuity it is possible to formulate one’s personal vision for horology at entry level prices. Like a very personal vision, extracted from someone’s deepest layers of intimate creativity and imagination, one however which requires some kind of explanation as to the why but less so as to the how. It is therefore the opposite of the most conceptual pieces of modern and contemporary art whose meaning will remain concealed to the public ad vitam aeternam unless a PhD candidate in art history bothers to enlighten our ignorant minds. And it is even further at the opposite side of the horological spectrum from an MB&F, Ulysse Nardin, or Urwerk, which marry abstract time-telling designs with ultra high-end engineering and mechanics, often commanding as much money as Joe Blow will earn in a decade of nine-to-fiver. Because of the latter examples we have been conditioned to believe that unusual and bespoke designs, and novel ways to read the time, ought to be out of our reach. 

No, Sir. No, Madam. We must believe in the idea that true creativity breeds on constraints, as we saw with the Delhi Watch Company Terra Titanium, for it is possible to innovate with commonplace technology and deceptively simple-looking visual tricks. Pair reliable horological tech with outside-the-box—and I would even say outer-space—thinking and you get an unusual piece of time-telling equipment which is infused with its designer’s unique imagination to its deepest core. Further imagine two unusually creative individuals, both having a great devotion for horology, combine their respective talents to create something truly unique, a little nuts, and much better (in my own opinion, as we will see) than the most revered machine watches of today’s high-end watchmaking world. This is what we’re going to discuss at once by taking a close look at the Canuck x AndoAndoAndo 4th Dimension, the third chapter of the unique collaboration between the two microbrands, coming in two variants and limited to 50 units. 

Specifications 

The following might be an idea (or observation) you have already heard being communicated on Mainspring before: Glory to microbrands for enlivening the watch world and for democratizing creative singularity in horology. Ten years ago, when “microbrands” were making a big comeback (and not a first appearance contrary to what many believe,) we enthusiasts, collectors, and professionals from the media world, praised them for making good watches affordable. Whether we spoke about $200 spec monster divers or $500 GMTs, and passing through revamped examples of prized vintage military watches or quality look-a-like of Swiss elegant timepieces under a thousand pesos, regardless of what kind of horology we were into, microbrands provided. Quickly they were regarded as the best, and for some, unique, alternatives to big name brands in the value department, and of course things have changed a lot in the past ten years since many of these brands have upgraded to higher tiers of the market and fewer have remained attainable. 

The Canuck x AndoAndoAndo 4th Dimension (4th Dimension for short) is objectively fairly priced given the originality of its design, which we will discuss later on, but also on account of how and with what it is built, which we’re discussing now. From technological and engineering standpoints it will never compete with an MB&F, Ulysse Nardin, or Urwerk, which shouldn’t be a point of contention for you future buyer as it wasn’t for the brands responsible for its creation. The main head behind the 4th Dimension, James Williams, Canuck’s founder, set as primary goal—even before coming up with his wild and slightly nuts designs—to make reliable and easily serviceable timepieces so that anyone owning one could get it cared for regardless of where one lives (in a remote countryside Canadian village or downtown Tokyo) or one’s horological budget (which one shouldn’t be required to stretch beyond reasonable limits.) This principle can first be observed in the movement’s choice and how it was cleverly adapted to the design. 

James’ idea for the 4th Dimension is based on wandering hour watches whose main particularity is the constant-motion nature of the time-telling elements which rotate on their own axis as they glide around the dial. Not only are wandering watches difficult to read but technically complex to make, thus James came up with the seemingly simple light-bulb idea of replacing the hands of a reliable three-hand off-the-shelf caliber (the Seiko NH38A, 3Hz/41 hours of power reserve) with discs which give the impression that time is drifting on the dial. Opting for a NH38A means the movement can be serviced and/or replaced without impacting the functionality of the watch which is indeed clever. Beyond the caliber, the 4th Dimension is housed in AndoAndoAndo’s bespoke PDV-coated 35mm case, complemented by a 43mm lug-to-lug, 11.6mm thickness (including a flat sapphire crystal,) and 20mm lug width. A naturally-guarded push/pull crown and screw-down case back equal a 100m depth-rating and generously-applied BGW9 illuminate the dial. 

Design 

If you were clever enough to follow the Canuck x AndoAndoAndo saga of the past few months, you would have familiarized yourself with their special horological project. As indicated above, the 4th Dimension is the third chapter of their collaboration which was preceded by The Black Hole and The Wormhole, both paying homage to Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar, James all-time favorite movie. (Mine as well by the way.) Once one has found the black hole floating in distant space from Earth, one travels through the wormhole to reach the fourth dimension where up is down and left is right. In the fourth dimension, time slows down as well compared to Earth’s clock, a fictional and I believe real phenomenon James wanted to express through the design of the 4th Dimension’s dial. To highlight the uniqueness of his concept, it was perfect that Canuck could partner with AndoAndoAndo, itself a brand which travels outside the normal horological design path hence the 35mm case complemented by a crown lodged between the south lugs. 

The main point of interest of the 4th Dimension is thus the dial, however neat the case is. On the periphery of it there is a wide chapter ring placed high within the case’s housing on which is printed a sort of semi-abstract minute track composed of long curved lines and rectangular dashes marking the minutes. All of these elements are composed of thick layers of BGW9—the lume shot above was indeed epic—emphasizing the outer-space inspiration of the 4th Dimension*. At the twelve o’clock there is a large teardrop-shaped “hand”, also lumed and displaying Jame's signature, which forms an aperture through which we read the hours and minutes drifting counter-clockwise, indicated by way of distorted and fuzzy numerals evoking the 4th dimension’s extraterrestrial’s nature. It might be nearly impossible to notice but the running seconds are represented by way of the smaller central disc on which the word “Stay” printed in morse code appears twice. Together, the discs and chapter ring create an impressive sense of depth. 

*The exceptional lume and the way it appears on the dial reminds me of the distorted stars the Endurance’s crew observed whilst passing through the blackhole. 

But the case is neat too and the 4th Dimension couldn’t have existed without it. Its smaller format makes for the perfect canvas for James’ wild idea to express the idea of time as continuously drifting in front of our eyes, which is encapsulated within its smaller-than-average dimensions for a timekeeping device in 2026. Measuring 35 x 43 x 11.6m, the case naturally settles on the wrist—mine of 6.5”/16.5cm and of any circumference—given its compact dimension however doesn’t appear diminutive thanks to the 20mm lug width and lug design. The latter remind me of many Nomoses when looking at the north side of the case, for they are long and narrow and flat-bottomed, however beefier south of the case since they ought to accommodate for the crown. Extra metal was added to form the natural crown-guards surrounding it, which measures 6.8mm in diameter and is equipped with a thin upper section of intense knurling for easy winding and time-setting. To me, the asymmetry of the case matches the wild dial design to perfection. 

The Heart of the Matter

You know me, I like to make bold claims and sharp mic-drops on Mainspring—which I couldn’t do anywhere else. I do so because I believe I have a duty towards you watch nerds, enthusiasts, and collectors, to point certain injustices out and highlight some weird shit that’s going on in the watch world today. I for one do not get impressed by hand-made, high-end, and ultra elitist $50K machine watches a la MB&F, Ulysse Nardin, or Urwerk, for they are, well, out-of-reach of 99.99% of the watch community and remarkable only on the merits of their super intricate engineering (which does impress me of course) from which stem their super weird designs. The latter couldn’t exist without the former so to speak. On the other side of the spectrum, there is the ocean of microbrands which do showcase intense imagination in how they design and spec out their watches, but which are too often looked down upon because they do not have dozens of mechanical patents to dangle in front of journalists. Instead they must do with what they have and a few of them do manage. 

Thus Canuck and AndoAndoAndo did manage and were bold enough to bring to life a unique vision for horology without demanding that you put your name on a 10-year waitlist, triple-mortgage your house, and promise your first-born child to acquire it. For the 4th Dimension will only set you back $496 USD which is a small sum to pay for a novel way of indicating and reading the time, a great execution in the design and manufacturing of the dial and case, and a healthy suite of specifications which make the 4th Dimension a watch you can wear everyday and easily service should the need arise. And fuck, it looks darn cool, like weird bizarre, doesn’t it? 

Conclusion

Just as it is important to James to make honest and reliable timekeeping devices, it is equally important to me to write long-ass reviews about attainable, unique, and robust microbrand watches which is why I was delighted to take the 4th Dimension for a pun-like spin. As noted in the introduction, this collection comes in two versions, the black PVD-coated one we looked at today and a bead-blasted stainless steel one, both retailing for $496 USD, currently on pre-order on either brand’s website, limited to 50 pieces in total (so 25 of each,) and scheduled to ship before the end of August 2026. 

Thanks for reading.