Seconde/Seconde watch collaborations sit outside of traditional horology. Most watches take themselves seriously. Heritage, precision and legacy tend to dominate the conversation, and the tone rarely shifts very far from that.
Created by Romaric André, this is not traditional watchmaking. It is closer to satire. If anything, it feels more like the Banksy of watches than a conventional brand. Instead of building watches from the ground up, André works with existing designs and alters them just enough to change how they are perceived.
The result is something familiar, but slightly off. That is exactly the point.
Seconde/Seconde is not about mechanics or technical innovation. It is about perspective.
Romaric André treats watches as a canvas, often working with existing or even discarded components and reinterpreting them in a way that feels deliberate rather than random. The changes are considered, even when they appear playful on the surface, and they are always tied to the identity of the watch itself.
That approach shifts depending on the project. In some cases, the intervention is subtle and only becomes clear after a closer look. In others, it is far more direct. The idea stays consistent, but the execution changes depending on the brand and the context.You can see this clearly in the Atelier Wen collaboration, where discarded dials are repurposed into something entirely new, compared to the ChaosMaster series with Nivada Grenchen. The latter moves in a more contemporary direction, using emoji-style graphics to reflect a chaotic and overstimulated world. Both approaches feel different, but they come from the same place.
What makes Seconde/Seconde interesting is that it does not follow a fixed style.
Some collaborations are understated, while others are deliberately more expressive. The Atelier Wen pieces and the Squale collaboration show restraint, with changes that sit just below the surface and reveal themselves over time. By contrast, the ChaosMaster series and the Spinnaker 50 Phantoms are far more immediate. They lean into bold, playful and sometimes chaotic design choices that are impossible to miss.
That variation is what gives the work its identity. It is not about repeating a formula. It is about responding to the watch in front of him and deciding how far to push it.
Most brands would struggle to move between those extremes without losing coherence. Seconde/Seconde manages it because the intent is always clear, even when the execution changes.
What began as independent work has gradually moved into collaborations with established brands, and that is where things start to resonate more widely with collectors.
When Seconde/Seconde works with an existing brand, there is already a defined identity in place. The challenge is not to replace it, but to disrupt it just enough to create something new without losing what made the original watch appealing in the first place.
That balance is difficult to achieve, but it is where these collaborations tend to succeed.
The Spinnaker 50 Phantoms collaboration was one of the first to gain real traction.
Seconde/Seconde takes a conventional dive watch and strips away any sense of seriousness. The dial becomes the focus, with bold, graphic elements that feel closer to modern design than traditional watchmaking.
It does not ask for a second look. It gets your attention straight away, which is exactly what it is designed to do.
The Squale collaboration approaches things differently.
Squale has a reputation for building proper dive watches. Functional, reliable and grounded in real-world use. That identity is not removed here, it is simply adjusted.
The intervention is more restrained, allowing the core character of the watch to remain intact while introducing a subtle shift in tone. It still feels like a Squale, but it no longer feels entirely conventional.
That contrast is where the appeal sits. It is a serious watch with just enough personality to set it apart.
Seconde/Seconde does not aim to appeal to everyone.
There will always be collectors who prefer watches to remain untouched, where the focus is entirely on tradition and function. This sits outside of that mindset.
For others, it offers something different. It introduces a sense of individuality and a reminder that collecting does not always have to be serious. It allows room for humour and interpretation without losing sight of the watch itself.
These collaborations continue to gain attention because they offer something that is increasingly rare.
They are limited, they are recognisable and they carry a distinct point of view. More importantly, they are memorable.
In a market filled with incremental updates and safe releases, that matters more than most specifications.
Seconde/Seconde works because it does not try to compete with traditional watchmaking.
It sits alongside it, offering a different perspective for collectors who want something with a bit more personality. It does not replace the traditional approach, it simply challenges it.Not everything needs to be taken seriously, and that is exactly why this works. If you are looking for something outside the usual Swiss rotation, it is worth exploring our current selection of microbrand and independent pieces.
Explore Seconde/Seconde, the artist behind playful watch collaborations with Squale, Spinnaker and more. A satirical take on modern watch collecting.
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