Celebrating The 1920s With The New Semicolon Anachron

It is safe to say that the past 12 months have been all about the renaissance of the jump-hour watch. With the Cartier Tank à Guichets, Audemars Piguet Neo Frame Jumping Hour, Christopher Ward C1 Jump Hour Mk V, Maen × Nico Leonard Jump Hour, and Louis Vuitton Tambour Convergence Pink Gold, we have seen quite a few striking examples. What these watches have in common is a creative freedom that traditional watches with dials and hands often don’t allow. Semicolon is a new brand that took that freedom to develop the Anachron. Let’s check out this inaugural release from a new Hong Kong-based brand launching on Kickstarter today.

Something immediately intrigued me when the two Semicolon Anachron watches landed on my desk. Jump-hour watches always have that effect because of their unusual time display. But it was more than that with the Semicolon Anachron. The case’s asymmetrical shape was even more striking. Once I started reading about the watches, it quickly made sense. Semicolon channeled the 1920s for its inaugural release’s design. One major inspiration for the creation of the Anachron was the Cartier Tank à Guichets, unveiled in 1928. But it didn’t stop there. The case shape is modeled after the melting clocks in Salvador Dali’s famous painting, The Persistence of Memory. When you see the watches, these two main influences make complete sense.

Details of the Semicolon Anachron

The watch has an asymmetrical 38mm stainless steel case with an 11.75mm profile and a 45.5mm lug-to-lug. It is a well-proportioned case, though I would have liked it to be slightly slimmer.

The classy, dressy style calls for a slim overall profile, which would make the watch more comfortable to wear and easier to slip under the cuff. That said, the overall shape is nicely executed. It’s unusual enough to stand out but comfortable enough that it doesn’t feel strange.

The case features brushed sides, a polished stepped bezel, and a brushed face with two apertures and the brand’s logo. The upper of the two apertures displays the hours, while the lower, larger aperture displays the minutes. This opening displays a total of 20 minutes for visual context. While it is not necessary, it is also comfortable to refer to and opens up the face a bit more. And if you look from a little further away, the two apertures reference the brand’s namesake punctuation mark, the semicolon.

Zooming in

If we look a bit closer, we find that the two apertures show white numerals printed on black rotating discs. The numerals look rather classic, matching the 1920s Art Deco style. As the hour aperture narrows, many of the numerals also get bolder on the bottom, which gives them a fun effect I quite like. The one that stood out, though, was the 8. It looks upside down, with a heavier top than bottom, giving the numeral an unnatural balance. Especially using the 3 as a reference, I feel this could have been executed better.

The numerals for every five minutes are similar in overall style but lack any bottom- or top-heaviness. Underneath the numerals, you will see a railroad track for the minutes. It lets you set and read the time precisely with the arrow-shaped marker.

Now, as you can see in the pictures, Semicolon sent us two versions of the Anachron for review. The first is a stainless steel version on a black leather strap, and the second is a gold-colored version with a matching mesh bracelet. Stylistically, I understand the fun factor of the gold-tone version, but the unplated steel one is easier to take seriously, and I naturally gravitated to it.

On top of that, I prefer the combination of the case and a leather strap with a folding clasp. It looks good, and it’s easy to size and wear. The gold-colored bracelet is somewhat trickier, as the holes are much larger than the folding clasp’s sizing pin. Additionally, the bracelet’s quality is mediocre at best. It feels flimsy, and that’s not what you want from a mesh bracelet. The alligator-style black leather strap is of decent quality and makes the watch fun to wear.

The Miyota caliber powering the Anachron

If you turn the watch around, you will get a good view of the movement. Semicolon states it’s a modified Japanese caliber, and with a loupe, it is easy to see that it has the same architecture as the Miyota 8215. This automatic movement operates at 21,600 vibrations per hour, features 21 jewels, and offers a 42-hour power reserve. The latter corresponds with the official number the brand states in the press materials. The base caliber was modified to fit the watch’s jump-hour display.

A nice detail on the case back is Albert Einstein’s quote, “the distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.” It refers to the block universe theory in physics, which suggests that time is a dimension like space, in which all events — past, present, and future — exist simultaneously rather than flowing linearly. It’s a nod to the idea that a watch is more than an instrument that displays the time traditionally.

Wearing the Semicolon Anachron

When I had the chance to wear both watches, I quickly noticed a strong preference for the non-plated stainless steel version. After my critique of gold-colored Anachron’s bracelet, that should come as no surprise. On top of that, I prefer solid-gold watches over gold-colored ones, so it’s easy to understand which version I wore more. Once on the wrist, the Anachron feels nicely proportioned, the build quality is solid, and there are plenty of nice little details to check out.

I was also pleasantly surprised by how easy on the eye the case shape is. It just feels and looks natural on the wrist, which is a big compliment for the design of an asymmetrical case like this one. Additionally, the watch’s face, with its two apertures, is interesting. Reading the time is fairly easy, though the hour and minute discs lie fairly deep in the watch’s face.

Speaking of which, the vertical brushing on the stainless steel front combined with the polished bezel provides plenty of visual detail to draw your eyes again and again. Another detail is that the crown is not only perfectly shaped and proportioned but also easy to use to set and adjust the time. It feels solid and turns without any play.

Final thoughts on the new Semicolon Anachron

All in all, I enjoyed my time with the Semicolon Anachron quite a bit. This was somewhat surprising, as I prefer a classic time display with hands over a jump-hour display. But Semicolon ensured the Anachron is nice to admire on the wrist. On top of that, it’s easy to read, which isn’t true for all jump-hour watches, despite their handsome looks.

So I give Semicolon a big compliment for creating a standout product in a time when more and more brands are hopping on the jump-hour trend. It can be difficult to make truly distinctive watches of this type, and while the Anachron is not necessarily original as a concept, it is a creative take on the jump-hour watch.

Additionally, it is very affordable, and the Kickstarter campaign to launch the watch is live now. You can secure your Super Early Bird version of the Anachron for US$459, though quantities are limited. If you are looking for an affordable jump-hour watch, this could be a perfect pick. On top of that, the brand offers special Kickstarter deals for people interested in buying multiple Anachron watches. After the campaign ends, the regular price for the Semicolon Anachron will rise to US$699.

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As with any Kickstarter campaign, it’s worth remembering that you are backing a project rather than purchasing a watch in the traditional retail sense. While we’ve had the opportunity to handle pre-production samples and can comment on what we’ve seen firsthand, production timelines and final execution ultimately are the responsibility of the brand. As always, do your research, make sure you’re comfortable with how crowdfunding works, and only pledge if you’re confident in both the project and the process.