You know me, I love tool watches and divers. I have a great affinity for large bodies of water and ponds alike. I don’t discriminate. And to be honest with you all, lately I’ve been tired of seeing what micro and independent brands have been offering in this genre of watches. Either it’s too big, too plain, or too similar to something we’ve seen before. I had lost hope that I would ever find a diver that I would actually want to buy and wear on a regular basis. Because you see, I’ve been looking for one that is handsome, well-built, and aesthetically versatile. In other words, one that looks sporty but not too much; elegant but not too fancy. And guess what? I’ve got one for you. 

Today we’re going to take a look at the Ubiq Dual. The first collection from a new brand out of Singapore. Founded by Drayson Phua, Ubiq is short for “Ubiquitous.” Drayson strives to make watches that would become instant-classic. However, and as it is the case for anyone who creates a new brand, he couldn’t find what he was looking for. Specifically, colorful and light-hearted divers that Drayson felt would be adequate for his children. (Because why not convert the little ones into watch aficionados?) Coming in six versions, the Dual constitutes the perfect option for a diver at the beginning of a new year. 

In a nutshell: it’s cool, well-made, and original. It checks all of the boxes of my new secret Triumvirate scale of ideal horological characteristics. 

Specifications 

I recently discovered that my wrist is not 6.25”/16cm as I had always thought it to be, but instead it has a circumference of 6.50”/16.5cm. I know, it’s a marginal difference but a difference nonetheless. In my experience, for someone who has the wrist that I have, a diver should have a diameter between 36 and 40mm, a lug-to-lug between 44 and 48mm, and a thickness under 13mm. That is for a “proper” diver (whatever that means) that has, at least, 200 meters of water resistance. And guess what? The Ubiq Dual is right up my alley: it comes with a diameter of 39mm, a lug-to-lug of 47mm, a thickness of 11.5mm (including the crystal) and lug width of 20mm. Perfect. And these ideal dimensions (for me) are paired with a thin case profile, but more on that later.

When we say 200 meters of water resistance—which the Dual has—we can therefore expect a screw-down case-back and crown. And that’s what we have here. The crown is deliciously small (6mm), which means it perfectly integrates with the case profile, and easy to grab and operate as it comes with deep knurling that have the appearance of inverted tire tracks. In other words, it has amazing grip. (Something that precludes it from having to be larger as I don’t necessarily like large crowns.) To match its Vincent-perfect dimensions, the Dual is equipped with a premium Miyota 9015 caliber that beats at 28,800 BPH (4Hz) and has 42 hours of power reserve. 

As a side note: The Miyota’s 9000 series of movements are by far my favorite at any price range. 

They typically are more accurate than any Soprod, Sellita, or Ronda calibers fresh out-of-the-box. 

The lume on this model is anything but disappointing. Ubiq opted to create a dual-tone color light show as the applied hour markers are filled with BGW9 while the hands and indices on the bezel are made of C1 SuperLuminova. Drayson chose this to differentiate the action of tracking local time from timing an event or tracking a second time-zone. Because yes indeed, the 60-click bi-directional bezel has two scales: a 60-minute count-up scale on the inner part to time your dives and a 12-hour scale on the outer part to track a second time-zone. 

In terms of functionality, the Ubiq Dual is fully covered. 

Lastly, I would like to point out that the bezel insert is made of sandblasted aluminum for extra durability and that the crystal is a flat piece of sapphire with curved edges and anti-reflective coating. Again, the Dual has you fully covered. 

Design

Well, it has been a while since I’ve written such a long spec section and I feel the one about design will be equally as long. So hang on please. Indeed, I fell in love with Drayson’s design as soon as I saw a first photo of it, regardless of which color variant we’re looking at. Because there are indeed five options to choose from: Applesour (dark and bright green over a warm grey dial,) Beetred (purple and silver bezel over a purple dial,) Bumble (black and yellow bezel over a black dial,) NavySilver (silver and blue bezel over a silver-white dial,) and Seaset (teal and orange bezel over a teal dial.) I got my hands on the latter two versions and my favorite is….drumroll…the NavySiver. I know, not surprising knowing how boring I am. 

Each variant comes with its own accent colors that make the dials and bezels pop. On the NavySilver it is orange that we find on the hour hand, the tip of the seconds hand, as well as the inverted triangle on the bezel. The Seaset also comes with pops of orange but a triangle complemented by black-surrounds to make it more legible. Also note the black minute tracks on all versions with contrasting silver accents for the minute hash-marks. This makes setting the precise time a breeze, an operation made even easier thanks to the arrow-shaped minute hand. 

Boy, how much do I love this minute hand! It’s extremely legible and looks different to me as the triangular part is short, beefy, and very close to the minute track. Another big win for Drayson. 

Contrasting with the now famed minute hand is the hour hand whose shape oscillates between that of a triangle and rectangle. It gently flares down towards the tip and is endowed with slightly rounded corners. The applied hour markers also have rounded corners. The ones at the 12, 3, and 9 are shaped like batons while the markers everywhere else are an amalgam between a rectangle and a circle. I particularly love the design of the hour markers and hands which are both legible and gentle to the eye. And I would add that Ubiq perfectly integrated the date aperture at the six and that the finish on all elements of the dial is superb. 

And whichever color variant you might go for, you are guaranteed an easy and legible timekeeping experience. I like how the hour markers are connected to the minute track by way of tiny lines, and that the hour markers at the odd positions on the bezel are also aligned to the markers on the dial with small lines. This makes aligning the outer scale of the bezel with the local hour markers on the dial easy and intuitive. Overall, the Dual is well-made and ultra legible, and I truly appreciate how balanced the dial layout is, as well how everything is soft and rounded. I know, I’m starting to sound extremely odd now but I’m having trouble finding the right words to describe what I’m seeing and feeling. 

Because I am feeling many positive things! 

Ah, I haven’t even talked about the case and bracelet. First, the case has a gorgeous and unique side profile where polished chamfers frame delicately brushed flanks. As I mentioned in my review of the Beaucroft Seeker 37, this texture is soft to the touch. It truly is delightful. And the case has an overall flat profile which makes the Dual sit comfortably on the wrist. Something that is further made possible thanks to the thin lugs. Second, the bracelet is also superbly made. It has a flat-link construction with polished sides and great articulation. The double-pusher clasp has a milled lower section and five holes of micro-adjustments. 

Please Drayson: don’t feel the need to add on-the-fly micro-adjustments as the clasp is perfectly proportioned to the bracelet and case. 

The Heart of the Matter

At the heart of the matter is the fact that Ubiq is entering a saturated independent watch market with a bang. The dual has a soul of its own and every tiny element of the case, dial, and bracelet were obsessively thought through. And what you see on the photos are only prototypes. The final production models will be even better. For example: smoother chamfers on the case, better printing on the bezel, shorter female end-link on the bracelet for better articulation, and a total thickness reduced by 0.3mm to a final 11.5mm. Drayson made excellent prototypes and guarantees even better production units. 

Alright, enough gushing over how well-made the Dual is. The other element I would like to point out—if I hadn’t made it clear before—is how legible this diver is. 

And Drayson managed to achieve superlative legibility without making any element of the design of the Dual stand out too much from the rest. Which is why there are no doubled hour markers at the twelve o’clock on the dial, and why the two scales on the bezels are perfectly proportioned to the dial and the bezel itself. The rounded surrounds of the applied hour markers make them easy to read but not overly present, while the hour hand matches the width of the aforementioned markers, and that placing the arrow element at the tip of the minute hand makes it legible and to me, discreet at the same time. 

This review wouldn’t be complete if I wouldn’t now talk about pricing. First things first, the Ubiq Dual will be launched via a Kickstarter campaign (LINK) running from February 1 to February 29, 2024, with an estimated shipping date of June of the same year. There will be 100 units of each colorway available for—what I would consider being the meager—price of $519 USD. Full retail after the campaign will be $649. For this amount of cash, you get a unique design, superb construction and finish, a great bracelet and complimentary, color-matched rubber straps, intriguing packaging*, and overall a versatile diver. 

*I never talk or photograph packaging as I typically don’t believe it adds any real value to the watch. However, in this case, Ubiq went the extra mile here although you won’t see a photo of it. Just take my word for it. 

Conclusion 

Well, I had a lot to say about the Ubiq Dual and I think you know why. This is very personal but I’m uber enchanted by this model and I’m so glad Drayson reached out so that I could get my hands on it and tell you about this little gem. If this wasn’t clear yet, the Dual is a perfect package that is offered at a great price. You do get a lot for what you will (hopefully) pay by supporting the Kickstarter campaign. And, as a final note, I would argue that waiting four months for delivery is really not bad at all. Much better than the typical 6 or 12 months expected from most Kickstarter campaigns. 

If you like what you saw today then go check out Ubiq’s website here.

Thanks for reading.