A few weeks ago, on November 10th, Undone announced the release of a new watch collection, the Terra Collection. This collection includes three different variants: the Terra Daybreak, the Daybreak Suede, and the Terra Nightfall. The first two variants are in general production, while the Terra Nightfall is a limited edition with only 100 pieces produced. I’ll be reviewing the Terra Daybreak today, but a lot of what I’m saying will apply to both. The cosmetics are very different, but the technical features are the same across all variants.
The Terra Collection is designed as a compact, military-style watch that’s suitable for work or play. Undone is a relatively new manufacturer, and they made their name selling custom watches. But given the high quality of those custom pieces, I was excited to see what they have to offer in a general production watch.
A Compact, Durable Case
The Terra Collection’s most striking feature is the small size of the case. At only 37mm in diameter and 43mm from lug to lug, it’s the smallest in Undone’s catalogue, and smaller than almost any other military-style watch on the market. Considering the small diameter, it’s actually fairly thick, at 12.8mm. To be fair, this is on the slim side as far as most watches are concerned. But it’s more than a third of the case’s diameter.
Much of the thickness is due to the double-domed scratch-resistant sapphire crystal. This arched design lends the Terra Collection a beautiful, curved side profile that’s unusual in this kind of watch. For all of its high arch, the crystal doesn’t distort the dial. The double-domed design is self-correcting, so the Terra remains as functional as it is attractive.
The case has a brushed stainless steel finish, with a slightly curved square profile. Because of this, the bezels are a bit wider at the corners, and come to a point near the outer edge. From there, it slopes downwards to the outer edge, which lends the watch an angular appearance and catches the eye like the facets of a crystal.
The Terra Collection is water-resistant to 50 meters, and a screw-down design ensures that the crown won’t pop open at the worst possible moment. It’s not a dive watch, but it’s no shrinking violet, either. You don’t have to take it off while you’re taking a shower.
Easy-to-Read Dial
The Terra Collection has a high-visibility dial with a matte black background and lume white Arabic numerals Inside of the main numerals, you’ll see smaller numerals for military time, numbered 13-24. This is purely a cosmetic feature, since there’s no separate 24-hour sundial, but it’s a nice touch. In fact, there are no complications at all, not even a date window. Even the Undone logo is discreet, printed in tiny letters and tucked away at the very bottom of the dial. This leaves a lot of empty space, adding to the Terra Collection’s multi-purpose appeal. Whether you’re wearing a tee shirt or a suit, a plain, white-on-black dial isn’t going to look out of place.
The hour and minute hands are silver in color, with broad, tan lume stripes down the center. The second hand is slender and needle-like, with a bare silver coloration that’s pleasantly subdued. Outside of the Arabic numerals, there’s a secondary index with small white hashes at the single minute marks. The hashes at the five-minute marks are a bit longer, and the fifteen-minute marks are broad tan stripes that match the ones on the hands. A bold arrow marks the 12 o’clock position, providing the only real accent on the dial.
Reliable Seiko Movement
The heart of the Terra Collection is the TMI Caliber NH35A movement. TMI is a Hong Kong-based subsidiary of Seiko, and the NH35A is their most well-known movement. This should come as no surprise, given its reliability for the price. At +/- 15 seconds a day, it’s not exactly Chronometer-grade, but it’s more reliable than most Chinese movements. It’s also the equal of any Swiss movement in terms of power reserve. With a reserve of 41 hours, you can leave the watch off all day Sunday and still hear it ticking away on Monday morning.
Soft, Supple Strap
The Terra Daybreak comes with a dark brown leather strap that’s suitable for work or play. The outer layer has a soft finish, but it’s surprisingly durable, with reinforced edges and extra-thick stitching at the lugs. The strap is secured with a simple steel buckle, with a narrow leather loop that secures the excess strap in place.
Here, you’ll find the only difference between the Daybreak and the Daybreak Suede. The Daybreak Suede has a lighter, tan suede band that’s a better match for lighter-colored clothing. The limited-edition Nightfall is completely different in this regard, with a more utilitarian, military-style nylon mesh band.
To view all of Undone’s offerings visit their official website here.
