The stainless steel case of Epiphany One measures 39mm in diameter and a little over 11mm in height. It’s fairly nondescript but wears comfortably, as most watches with these dimensions tend to. The case here is really a vessel for the dial design and the unique time telling layout and perhaps the highest compliment it can be paid is that it doesn’t let those things down. Some brands, I think, try to do too much when they have a single good idea, and might be inclined to design an overly complicated case design that distracts from the thing they’ve nailed. I’m glad that Metrical, in this instance at least, seems to have a grasp of the lane they’re playing in and decided to stay within it.
The Epiphany One runs on a Sellita SW331-2 movement which has 56 hours of power reserve. It’s visible through the exhibition caseback and is finished with Geneva stripes, perlage, snailing, and blued screws. It all looks quite nice, but at CHF 2,200 we’re obviously talking about machine finishing here, which of course is completely fine. Given everything this watch gets right aesthetically, plus the novelty of the time telling layout, I think it’s tough to argue that it isn’t fairly priced for what it is.
There’s another element to the Epiphany One that has to be addressed, and that’s the pitching of this watch as one with a design rooted in “a celebration of God’s creation.” While it’s not part of the official press materials, the Metrical website makes it very clear that this is a watch using motifs with a distinctly Christian point of view. Some of these are subtle, and actually a bit of a stretch. For example, the caseback includes the familiar Ichthys (fish) symbol to denote water resistance. Yes, this is a symbol with origins in the Christian tradition, but it’s also used on many, many watches that do not have a religious perspective at all. And of course the name of the watch, Epiphany, refers to the realization among Christians that Jesus Christ is the son of God, even as the word has its own secular meaning as well.
It’s interesting to consider how Metrical is positioning the Epiphany One. As a Jewish person (who is also agnostic) the religious framing of the watch holds absolutely zero appeal for me, even though I find myself drawn to the overall design and unique character of the piece. There is, I imagine, a market among Christians for exactly this type of product – the 99 piece limited edition of the Epiphany One is sold out, and it’s hard to imagine anyone making it through the brand’s website to order it without understanding the inspiration behind the watch. My impressions after spending a few weeks with the Epiphany One are that the watch itself does not hit you over the head with these elements (there’s no giant cross on the caseback, or an image of Jesus on the dial), but the website does, and that might limit Metrical’s reach if they move to open editions of this design, or other designs, that are not limited in nature.
As it stands, I don’t think there’s any denying that the Metrical team has some interesting ideas and that they’ve taken a lot of care with the Epiphany One to get them into the watch in a way that feels like you have a high quality product on your wrist. I’ll be curious to see what Metrical has planned for a second act, and if they pivot at any point to reach a more secular audience. Metrical
Zach Kazan
2025-10-31 14:00:00