Studio Underd0g put a watermelon on the dial.

Studio Underd0g is a lesson in joy as identity. Founded in March 2020 by Richard Benc — a product designer who previously designed watches for Braun — it is an independent British brand, assembled in-house at “The D0ghouse” in Maidenhead (not London).

Its identity is playful, colourful, witty food-concept dials that strip watchmaking of its stuffiness — serious watchmaking, minus the pomposity. The founding hit is the “Watermel0n” chronograph: a pink-to-green dégradé dial with a green tachymeter and black watermelon-pip indices. The whole brand carries a gaming-style “0” (zero) in place of the “o,” running through model names — Mint Ch0c Chip, Desert Sky, Go0fy Panda. Early pieces used a mechanical Seagull movement; later chronographs moved to mecaquartz.

(Honest notes: it’s based in Maidenhead, not London, and was founded in 2020 by Richard Benc. The panda model is “Go0fy Panda” — not a fried egg (that’s a separate Wristcheck “Uneggspected” collab). We omit the unverified “M0naco.” Design is in-house (no external studio), and there’s no official brand hex, so these tones are an unofficial interpretation.)

Studio Underd0g lives in a watermelon-pink-and-green palette. Click a swatch to copy the hex.

Studio Underd0g’s identity is playful, bright and witty — an ink, a watermelon pink, a watermelon green, a mint, and a cream. The palette reads like a slice of watermelon — pink and green — the register of joyful, food-concept design. It signals fun and irreverence rather than restraint. The honest caveat: with no published brand hex, these tones are an original, unofficial interpretation, not first-party values.

The lesson is watermelon pink and green signal joyful, food-concept design. Studio Underd0g’s world is a fruit slice on a dial. For designers, it is a reminder that bright, playful colour reads as fun and memorable — right for a brand that mocks watch-world seriousness. The takeaways: pick a joyful concept (food); go bright and witty; carry a device through (the “0”); and — because bright hues fail as small text — keep type dark and let colour fill the fields; treat any single hex as unofficial.

The register is a playful sans — bright, witty, joyful.

Studio Underd0g’s identity carries a bright, witty, joyful spirit — food dials and a cheeky “0.” A playful sans captures the mood: it is rounded and fun, the register of irreverent design. Set in a watermelon-pink-and-green palette, the playful sans feels bright and joyful — exactly the personality Studio Underd0g carries. It is witty rather than serious, mirroring a watermelon dial. (Studio Underd0g’s real dials and wordmark are works we describe but do not reproduce, and the exact typeface is not ours to use.) Because it is not ours to use, the honest description is “a playful sans spirit,” shown here in a stand-in. The type behaves like the brand: bright, witty and joyful.

Studio Underd0g stands for watches that don’t take themselves seriously.

Studio Underd0g is a lesson in making fun the identity. A watermelon-pink-and-green palette, a playful sans and food-concept dials make joy the whole brand — bright, witty, distinctive. The fun is the differentiator. The differentiator is a playful, food-dial identity.

For designers and brand-builders, Studio Underd0g offers a clear takeaway: make people smile. The lessons: pick a joyful concept (food); carry a signature device (the “0”); go bright and unashamed; and keep the craft real underneath. It is also a reminder to stay accurate: it’s based in Maidenhead, the panda isn’t a fried egg, and the palette here is an unofficial interpretation. Studio Underd0g made fun the brand — proof that joy can be the difference.

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