sham1's insightful post revisits the Icon Duesey, a watch that, despite its innovative jump hour and minute display, struggled to find its audience upon its 2017 release. He argues that the market has finally caught up to its unique aesthetic, with several major brands now releasing similar, highly sought-after digital display timepieces. This piece explores whether the Icon Duesey was simply ahead of its time, offering a compelling case for re-evaluating its place in horological history.
In 2017, Jonathan Ward, a Californian car restorer of 4x4 and off road vehichles came up with the novel idea of a lovely watch called the Icon Duesey which tells the time without hands but instead with two separate windows, one for the jump hour and one for the minutes. The watch had a dial made of real onyx and spotted a module from a Dubois Depraz which had been added to the ETA2892-A2 automatic movement. The case was in sand blasted grade 2 titanium while the bezel was in grade 5 titanium, and the watch although 42mm in diameter, wore like a 38mm due to the position of the lugs. Released in a limited edition of 50 pieces, after 8 years, 2 still remain unsold on the website. Some may attribute this to the USD11,500 retail price which was quite a hefty amount even in 2025 let alone in 2017. Others may argue that this method of telling the time is quite niche and not very popular among collectors.
Fast forward to 2025 and I have noticed no fewer than 4 brands that have introduced very similar watches this year and they have proven to be extremely popular. Two are a lot more expensive than the Icon Duesey and two a lot less expensive. The Cartier Tank Guichet and the Louis Vuitton Tambour Convergence have waiting lists while the Maen and the Zentier offer remarkable value for money at less than a tenth of the price of the Icon Duesey.
For me, the Icon Duesey is a class act which has been under appreciated by collectors, possibly because of its price, possibly because Icon is not exactly a reputable brand but more likely too because the watch was launched 8 years too early! I personally do not buy a brand, I buy a watch for what it is irrespective of the brand!
And I must salute Jonathan for having the foresight and bravado to produce this hidden gem amidst 8 years too early!
The Icon Duesey with its Onyx dial was chosen as a tribute to the dashboard of Duesenberg cars.
You might notice a gecko on the movement which is a symbol of Jonathan’s brand
Great on the wrist!
The sought after Cartier Tank Guichet
My favourite LV ever, the Tambour Convergence
The Maen which comes with a green or burgundy dial
The Zentier with its lapis lazuli dial
