Geek Review: UNDONE X Batman 80th Anniversary Limited-Edition The Dark Knight Watch

He is the silent guardian. The watchful protector. And the next best thing to show off to your friends from your wrist.

As the year closes, we can’t ignore just how big of a birthday it has been for Batman. 2019 is the Dark Knight’s 80th Anniversary, and the amount of merch dedicated to the World’s Greatest Detective abounds to no end.

Arguably one of our favourites among these is the UNDONE x Batman 80th Anniversary Collection watches, each retailing for US$495.

There are two models. The first is The Caped Crusader, which comes in a black-and-green design inspired by the classic 1989 Batman movie by Tim Burton. The unit we received is The Dark Knight, which draws inspiration from the equally-iconic New 52 Batman comics from 2011, written by Scott Snyder and illustrated by Greg Capullo.

Since we’ve already shown our love for the 1989 Batman with the LEGO Batmobile made in homage to the movie version, we decided to honour Snyder and Capullo’s modern masterpiece this time around.

These premium watches from the Hong Kong-based company’s Grade II Titanium, which is both extremely tough and cut to an angular shape. The micro-blasted matte grey finish exudes both understated class and stealthy durability — a perfect representation of the duality of Bruce Wayne and Batman. 

Underneath the watch face is the Batman 80th Anniversary logo, seated quite nicely in the middle. It’s good that they placed the striking logo underneath the glass, else it would’ve already eroded after a few days of use.

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The watch measures 40mm in diameter, and 48mm lug-to-lug, making it a decently-sized watch without any additional frills or bumpers to make it any bulkier than it should be. UNDONE knows how to assert restraint when it comes to designing their premium watches, and the Batman 80th Anniversary Collection is no different.

The grey straps are made of finely cured leather, which provide a good bit of comfort as you strap the watch on. After wearing it for a few weeks, we found that it doesn’t absorb sweat easily, making it rather easy to clean.

On the watch face itself, you’ll find the modern Wayne Industries logo etched just under the 12- hour mark, as well as the New 52 Batman logo embossed on the 24-hour subdial on the right. The subdial on the left is to keep track of the hour, though it does feel like either could’ve been sacrificed to fit a month subdial instead.

Regardless, whether you’re geeking out in the office or at your next Comic-Con, this subtle design fits right in and doesn’t stand out… 

…Until you turn off the lights.

Just like how the night is darkest before the dawn, the watch comes to life when immersed in darkness, thanks to the lume located on the dials and subdials popping out in a sleek neon blue. The Bat symbol is accentuated rather nicely as well.

As cool as this feature is, the utility of the watch lume isn’t as strong as you might think, so don’t expect to be relying on it so much when you’re watching a movie or walking under the stars. It’s just a great way to pay homage to the Dark Knight’s propensity to operate in the darkness.

Despite lacking in overall utility, and therefore feeling a little more expensive than it should cost, the UNDONE x Batman 80th Anniversary Collection watches are still a great addition to the arsenal of any diehard Bat-fan. The superb build quality more than makes up for it, especially when the lume lights up when it is darkest. We can definitely see Bruce Wayne himself wearing this out.