Relax Watches: The Cheekiest Homages In Watchmaking
There are homage watches, and then there are homage watches that look you directly in the eye, nick the design of one of the most recognisable watches on the planet and then call themselves something like Yuck Master.
Welcome to Relax.
Relax by Atelier Perpetuel is quite possibly one of the most gloriously cheeky brands in the watch industry. It takes familiar designs from some of the biggest names in horology, gives them deliberately ridiculous names, throws in a healthy dose of humour and then sells them for a fraction of the price of the watches that inspired them.
The important thing is that Relax isn't hiding what it is. The brand openly describes its watches as parody watches and makes absolutely no attempt to convince you that you are buying the real thing. In fact, the entire point is that you know exactly what you're looking at and, hopefully, have a little chuckle when you realise it.
When Homage Becomes Comedy
The homage watch industry can sometimes be a slightly awkward place. There are brands producing watches that are obviously inspired by famous designs, but which still give themselves very serious names and act as though they have just reinvented horology.
Relax has taken the opposite approach.
Why bother pretending?
If you are going to make something that looks remarkably familiar, you might as well admit it and have some fun.
So the Rolex Explorer becomes the Exploder. The Yacht Master becomes the Yuck Master. The Explorer II gets the Ex Troller treatment. There is a range called Who Cares I'm Already Late, while the Submariner inspired models are known as Diver Substitute.
It is wonderfully childish.
And we mean that as a compliment.
The sheer audacity of putting "Exploder" on a watch that looks like an Explorer is precisely what makes it work. You cannot really accuse Relax of trying to fool anyone when the brand is practically waving a flag saying, "Yes, we know what this looks like."
The People Behind The Madness
Relax is the project of Atelier Perpetuel, an American microbrand operated by a couple of French and American watch enthusiasts somewhere in California. According to the brand, the founders have been collecting watches for more than 15 years and also have a background in art collecting.
That connection to art is actually rather important to understanding Relax.
The founders say the project is their response to the increasing hype and artificial exclusivity surrounding parts of the watch industry, drawing inspiration from artists such as Marcel Duchamp and Banksy who weren't exactly famous for taking the establishment too seriously. They also make it very clear that they aren't affiliated with any Swiss watch brands.
In other words, Relax isn't simply selling cheap watches with funny names.
There is a deliberate idea behind it.
Luxury watch culture can be absurd, so why not make watches that are absurd too?
The Exploder Is A Particularly Good Example
The Exploder is perhaps the perfect introduction to the brand.
Available in both 36mm and 39mm versions, it is unmistakably inspired by the Rolex Explorer. But rather than give it some sophisticated sounding name involving mountains, expeditions or vaguely Scandinavian words, Relax simply called it the Exploder.
Prices currently start at $289, with different versions and configurations reaching $338. The watches use Seiko automatic movements, sapphire crystal and are assembled by hand in California.
The 36mm option is particularly appealing because it gives you the classic proportions of the smaller Explorer style without having to spend Rolex money.
And, obviously, you get to tell people you're wearing an Exploder.
Which is considerably more entertaining.
Relax Does GMTs Too
The GMT collection is arguably where Relax could have been tempted to become a little more conventional.
Thankfully, it didn't.
There are Evergreen GMTs, Red & Black GMTs, Leftie versions, Green & Black GMTs, White GMTs, Grey & Black GMTs, yellow gold versions, two tone versions and plenty more. Prices currently sit around $449 to $498.
These aren't just different dial colours thrown into a single model either. The collection includes enough combinations to make choosing one surprisingly difficult.
And that's the dangerous part of Relax.
You arrive at the website because you think the watches are funny.
Ten minutes later you're comparing the Evergreen GMT with the Red & Blue GMT and wondering whether you really need another automatic watch.
You don't.
But that has never stopped us before.
The Funny Bit Is Actually Quite Good
This is what makes Relax work particularly well.
The humour gets you through the door, but the watches themselves have enough substance to stop them being novelty purchases.
Relax says its watches are built using high quality Seiko movements, with NH34 movements used for its GMT models and NH35 movements used for its divers. The brand also specifies 316 stainless steel cases, ceramic bezels on applicable models, sapphire crystal on most watches and 100 metre water resistance. Every watch comes with a two year warranty.
The watches are also assembled by hand in California by the small Relax team. The company deliberately keeps production relatively limited because it says it wants to focus on build quality and quality control rather than simply churning out enormous quantities.
This Is Actually A Commentary On The Watch Industry
And perhaps this is the cleverest thing about Relax.
The watches are funny, but the target isn't necessarily another watch brand. It's the culture surrounding watches.
The industry has become obsessed with scarcity, waiting lists, exclusivity, investment value, celebrity endorsements and the idea that owning the right watch somehow says something profound about who you are. Relax looks at that and essentially says:
Calm down.
Hence the name. The founders openly describe the brand as a response to hype and artificial exclusivity, and the parody approach makes the watches feel almost like wearable satire.
You Can Even Make Your Own
If the standard level of cheekiness isn't enough, Relax offers customisation too.
The company accepts requests for different bezels, bracelets, dial colours and text, date wheels and hands. Custom caseback engraving is also available, with prices quoted depending on the work required.
Which means that, theoretically, you could buy a parody watch of one of the most recognisable watches in the world and then have something even more ridiculous engraved on the back.
At this point, we should probably apologise to anyone at Relax reading this who now has several terrible ideas.
The Specifications
Case sizes vary depending on model, generally from 36mm to 40mm
Seiko NH35 automatic movement used across many models
Seiko NH34 automatic GMT movement on GMT models
Sapphire crystal on most models
316 stainless steel cases
Ceramic bezels on applicable models
Up to 100 metres water resistance
Two year warranty
Hand assembled in California
Current prices range from around $289 to $498 depending on model and configuration
Winding Things Up
There is something wonderfully refreshing about Relax. It doesn't pretend to be something it isn't.
It doesn't claim 150 years of Swiss heritage. It doesn't invent some grandiose story about a founder spending seven years perfecting the curvature of a crown guard in a monastery in the Alps. It doesn't ask you to join a waiting list before you are deemed worthy of purchasing one of its watches.
Instead, it takes some of the most recognisable designs in watchmaking, gives them names like Exploder, Yuck Master and Ex Troller, puts reliable Seiko movements inside them and sells them for a few hundred dollars.
And somehow, it works.
The watches are funny enough to be conversation pieces, but the specifications are good enough for them to be genuine watches rather than novelty toys. That combination is what makes Relax so much more interesting than the average homage brand.
There is also something rather satisfying about wearing a watch that looks like a Rolex from across the room, only for someone to get closer and realise that it says Yuck Master on the dial. That isn't trying to fool anyone. That's the joke. And in an industry that occasionally takes itself far too seriously, perhaps we could all do with a little more of it.
Relax. - Discover more.
