Introducing The Studio Underd0g x Ahmed Seddiqi “Chan3ad” Limited Edition
6 min read
A watch inspired by the kingfish of UAE waters might sound like an unlikely premise for a Swiss-powered chronograph. In the hands of Studio Underd0g and Ahmed Seddiqi, however, the idea becomes a particularly coherent expression of place, appetite and contemporary watchmaking - one that is playful without being frivolous, and technically serious without taking itself too seriously.
The 03SERIES Chan3ad, also known as “Kingfish,” is a limited edition of 100 pieces created exclusively for Ahmed Seddiqi. More importantly, it represents the kind of collaboration that feels genuinely specific: not a generic co-branded colorway, but a watch whose palette, numerals, strap and narrative are all tied to the culture and waters of the United Arab Emirates.
From Dubai Watch Week to the wrist
The Chan3ad began at Dubai Watch Week 2025, where Studio Underd0g hosted a Design Lab inviting visitors to imagine their own colorways. Ahmed Seddiqi, the Dubai-based luxury-watch retailer and founder of the event, responded with an idea rooted in the local environment: a chronograph inspired by the chan3ad, or kingfish, a prized gamefish found in UAE waters.
That origin story matters. Many retail collaborations begin with a familiar watch being assigned a new dial and a commemorative engraving. This one developed differently. A conversation at a watch fair became a design proposition, and the proposition was then translated into a complete object with its own visual grammar. The resulting watch is therefore less a regional marketing exercise than a dialogue between two organizations willing to take a creative risk.
For Ahmed Seddiqi, the partnership extends a longstanding role as a bridge between global watchmaking and the Gulf’s increasingly sophisticated collecting culture. For Studio Underd0g, it places one of Britain’s most distinctive independent brands in a context where regional identity is not an afterthought but the starting point.
A dial with something beneath the surface
The Chan3ad’s central achievement is its two-layer dial. Studio Underd0g has used the construction to create a visual analogy that is immediately legible but never merely illustrative.
The upper dial is rendered in a textured blue-grey dégradé, evoking the reflective scales of the kingfish. Cut-outs reveal a pale pink lower layer, representing the fish’s flesh. The contrast gives the dial an unusual sense of depth: rather than placing color on a flat surface, the watch makes color architectural.
That distinction is important. The design does not depend solely on a striking palette. It asks the wearer to notice how the dial has been built. The upper surface becomes a kind of visual skin, while the lower layer appears as something concealed beneath it. In this respect, the Chan3ad belongs unmistakably to the 03SERIES, whose identity is founded on expressive, layered dials, but it also moves the formula into a distinctly Gulf context.
The yellow tips of the chronograph hands provide the final flourish. They are intended to recall the lemon traditionally served with the fish, an amusing detail that nevertheless demonstrates the precision of the concept. The watch is not simply “fish-themed,” its colors correspond to the fish’s scales, flesh and customary presentation.
Around the perimeter, Eastern Arabic numerals replace conventional Western Arabic numerals. This is perhaps the most direct regional signifier on the dial, but it is also a practical design decision. The numerals are integrated into the tachymeter scale and sub-dial language rather than added as decorative symbolism. They allow the Chan3ad to remain recognizably a Studio Underd0g chronograph while giving it a visual identity appropriate to its destination.
Familiar proportions, serious mechanics
The case retains the compact architecture of the 03SERIES. It measures 38.5mm in diameter, 13.6mm in total height and 44.5mm from lug to lug, with a 20mm lug width. The stated case thickness excluding the crystal is 10.8mm, a useful distinction because the domed sapphire crystal accounts for a meaningful portion of the overall measurement.
Constructed from 316L stainless steel, the case uses a three-part design with a signed crown, a screw-down display caseback and a single rectangular chronograph pusher at 2 o’clock. Water resistance is rated at 5 ATM, or 50 meters. These dimensions give the watch a presence appropriate to a mechanical chronograph without pushing it into the oversized territory that has defined so many contemporary sport and instrument watches.
The single-pusher arrangement is especially well suited to Studio Underd0g’s design language. One pusher controls the chronograph’s start, stop and reset sequence, allowing the case to retain a clean, almost architectural profile. It also gives the act of timing an appealing physical continuity: one control, one sequence, one mechanical gesture.
Behind the dial is a custom version of Sellita’s manually wound SW510-M. The cam-operated monopusher chronograph beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour, or 4Hz, and offers a 63-hour power reserve. The movement is specified in Elaboré grade and is regulated to an accuracy of ±5 seconds per day. It also incorporates hacking seconds, allowing the balance to be stopped when the crown is pulled for precise time-setting.
For Studio Underd0g, the caliber receives a bespoke ruthenium anthracite-finished bridge with Côte de Genève decoration. This is a restrained treatment compared with the exuberance of the dial, and that restraint is welcome. The movement decoration does not compete with the front of the watch, it gives the owner a more private mechanical reward, visible through the caseback.
The specification places the Chan3ad in an interesting category. Its dial is openly playful, yet the movement offers the architecture and operating frequency expected of a serious modern chronograph. The watch’s humor is therefore not a substitute for substance. It is layered over a credible mechanical foundation.
A strap that completes the argument
The ichthyologic reference continues onto the wrist through a bespoke black salmon-leather strap made by The Strap Tailor. Sourced from Iceland, the leather is recovered as a by-product of the food industry. During tanning, the scales are removed, exposing a natural pattern beneath the surface.
This detail strengthens the design rather than merely repeating it. The strap does not imitate the dial’s blue-grey coloring - instead, its dark, organic surface echoes the underlying idea of scales and natural variation. It also introduces a tactile element that a printed or embossed strap could not provide. A matching Milanese mesh bracelet is included, offering a more conventional alternative.
The meaning of a limited edition
Only 100 examples will be produced, each individually numbered from 1 to 100 and assembled in Great Britain at Studio Underd0g’s D0ghouse facility. The collaboration is marked by a co-branded caseback and bespoke packaging.
The Chan3ad’s significance lies in how naturally its parts belong together. None of its elements feels like an isolated gesture. That coherence is what separates a memorable limited edition from a conventional one.
In many ways, the Chan3ad proposes another kind of legitimacy: relevance. It demonstrates that a watch can be rooted in a place without becoming literal, and can be amusing without becoming disposable. Studio Underd0g brings the color and Ahmed Seddiqi brings the regional insight and platform. The result is a small mechanical object with a surprisingly large sense of identity.
The watch retails for AED 9,600 or approx. ₹2,50,328.
