I had been eying the Arcanaut brand for some time when Thomas (@watchsymmetry) sent me an Instagram story in April of 2022 hinting that a new “made to order” watch in an initial batch of 2 was about to drop – this was the Arcanaut Arc II – Fordite.

I immediately emailed and expressed interest. Over the course of the next two months, they sent over images of the first 10 Fordite dials they had made, and I had to try and figure out which one I wanted. For those unfamiliar, Fordite is effectively overspray paint from automotive factories that build up into this cool unique pattern. Aside from dial choice, there was also the option of a new wider hour hand, and also choice of lume color for the hands – I went with bolder hands, and just white lume to ensure legibility.

As timing would have in, the Arcanaut Arc II – Fordite was ready in October, just in time for the confluence of watch events in New York of Windup, Watchtime and the Redbar Global Meetup. James and Anders of Arcanaut were willing to meet me there to deliver the watch in person.

I invited along three watch friends who were already in NY and had expressed interested in Arcanaut. Of course, I was thinking with my drinking brain as I wanted delicious cocktails so we met at the Raines Law Room for the handoff, but I completely forgot it’d be a very dark place. Despite the dark conditions and the numerous Negronis had, I think everyone could see I was thrilled with the piece. In fact, it must have been infectious as all three of those with me now have a Fordite as well!

It’s in the light that the dial really shines. Certain paints in my dial have metallic flakes in them which really catch the light. Given the nature of Fordite and how it is created, the material itself isn’t perfect. Under a loupe, you can see how there’s some texture to my dial, much like a topographical map where some parts aren’t at the same height as others. Personally, I think that adds to the charm, and of course, these factors vary as all the dials are unique, but it’s also fun as I can always spot my watch at a meet up!

One of the common questions I get is legibility. Due to the way the hands are brushed, and that the hour hand is quite wide, I find that reading the time is actually quite easy..

On the backside, there’s a nice engraving of a Fordite pattern and then the number of the watch – done in a way that reminds of a periodic table element (a carry over from their prior pieces). The movement is a Soprod A10 which is a workhorse and should be easily serviceable anywhere. Given that, I don’t mind the solid casebook at all.

The case is also a little unique. Given all the amazing innovations in dials and movements across the industry, it’s great to see some novelty in case design. The integrated lugs slope downwards enhancing wearability as it hugs the wrist. The crown is a rectangle that carries on the shape of the case rather than disrupting it. There is a recessed thumbnail groove on the bottom of the crown that makes it easy enough to pull and set. However, a unique quirk of this is, to make that crown be able to sit in the right orientation, there isn’t any ability to actually manually wind the watch.

The straps are integrated and held in with screws at each corner. The tolerances are quite tight without any slop on where the strap meets the case. And the rubber itself feels high quality. While it’s fairly thick, it’s sized appropriately for the thickness of the watch, and it has these little ridges that help with bending around the wrist.

Overall, the Arcanaut Arc II – Fordite feels like a piece of art on my wrist, but one that I don’t feel has to be babied and it just a GADA piece. Looking forward to what the team at Arcanaut comes out with next!