When I first saw the April Fool's Day joke a couple of years ago regarding Studio Underd0g's Pizza Party watch, I simply smiled and moved on with my day, thinking nothing much of it. Then, in 2024, the brand announced it would be possible to purchase these watches at events from either Richard Benc, the great man who founded Studio Underd0g, or Andrew McCutchen, the esteemed chap who runs Time & Tide.
The Pizza Party initially came in only a Pepperoni flavour, although the decisive Hawaiian option was introduced in the later months. An in-person drop-only model saw it go viral, piquing my interest again, and it also saw the piece listed on auction sites for way over its asking price.
At this point, I'd considered purchasing a Studio Underd0g Series 1 model when they next opened a pre-order window as I'd been a long-distance admirer of their more fun and playful attitude to the watch business, and the funky designs that went along with it. Then, I found out they were present in the newly-opened Time & Tide showroom in London, and endeavoured to venture down there at some point in time to have a look, and potentially make a purchase.
Christmas 2024 rolls around, and sitting in front of me upon opening an unassuming box is indeed the Pepperoni flavour Pizza Party. I was stunned. Unbeknownst to me, my parents had gone to London, into the Time & Tide Showroom that had only been open for a few weeks at this point, and somehow managed to acquire the watch (which was notably a display model that required authorization to be sold) along with a signed poster from Richard Benc, and a set of Studio Underd0g coasters that now take pride of place around the house. Certainly a very cool thing to receive over the holiday season.
Now, with the Pepperoni Pizza Party on my wrist, I've got to try and formulate some thoughts on it without consistently smiling and looking at the dial. Right, that's enough grinning – let’s get some words down…
In short, it's even better than in the pictures. The Pizza Party is wonderfully quirky and fantastically finished, too. There's a lot of thought, care, and time (pun intended) that has gone into its fit and finish, from its polished and brushed case to a raised crystal, not to mention both the bicompax dial and the movement inside.
The 38.5mm case diameter is ideal for my 18.5cm wrist, and combined with its compact 44.5mm lug-to-lug and reasonable 13.6mm thickness, it’s made especially wearable. It's a suitable petite size that works well with its perhaps more retro-inspired look. The strap comes courtesy of The Strap Tailor, and feels excellent, with its dark tan leather colour pairing well with the pizza dial, while its combination of an Epsom leather upper and vachetta leather underside feel great and make it a comfortable strap, too. It does have a handy quick-release function, and with 20mm lugs, you can easily find other options to pair it with if you want to.
The 316L stainless steel case comes with a mix of polished and brushed finishing, with the former on top, and the latter on the underside. Polishing the top side means the Pepperoni catches the light wonderfully, alongside its raised sapphire crystal. The quality of the finishing is second to none for a watch at this modest £550 price point.
The most striking thing here is the dial, though. Of course it is. It's a naffing pizza. In the Pepperoni variant, the toppings are pepperoni, mushroom, basil and olives, adding welcome pops of colour to an otherwise orangey-dough-coloured base. It's an eye-catching dial on its own, although its slight fume quality adds an extra bit of texture and depth to it, too.
The Pepperoni, as other Series 1 Studio Underd0g pieces are, is a chronograph and comes with subdials at the three and nine o'clock positions. The nine o'clock subdial is a second counter, while the three o'clock option is a 30-minute counter, which harks back to more traditional chronograph arrangements. In addition, the two rectangular pushers keep the Pepperoni on a classical looking track, with the top one activating the second hand, and the bottom one resetting the second hand and 30 minute subdial. Its action is snappy, and it is a genuinely useful complication, too.
The underside of the Pepperoni reveals an exhibition caseback where you can gaze upon the Seagull ST-1901 movement that powers the piece. Some may scoff at the inclusion of a Chinese calibre, but it is a well-regarded manual-wound chronograph movement that offers 50 hours of power reserve with origins stemming from the Swiss-made Venus 175 movement. This Swiss column-wheel movement was made during the mid-20th century for chronographs of the time, and Seagull acquired their tooling and put the ST-1901 into production themselves. It's a pleasant movement to look at and see working, especially as a chronograph.
As well as the movement itself, there is also a selection of writing around the edge of the caseback, detailing the fact the Pepperoni is a collaboration piece between Studio Underd0g and Time & Tide, as well as that it's a hand-delivered piece and is assembled in Great Britain. The Pepperoni also has 50m of water resistance, so will withstand use by the sink or in shallower depths of water.
The Studio Underd0g Pizza Party Pepperoni, then. As the proud owner of one, I can faithfully say that Safie was right in her calling it one of the best microbrand watches of 2024. It's a funky and quirky piece that proves the value of fun within the watch industry and how powerful viral marketing can be. Behind the hype though is a genuinely quality product with exemplary finishing, a fantastic dial, solid movement and one of the most complete packages for its £550 asking price. It might be hard to get one these days, but it's well worth your time if you can stand the inevitable constant craving of pizza.
Studio Underd0g Pizza Party
Technical Specifications:
- Model: Studio Underd0g 01 Series Pepper0ni
- Case: 38.5mm diameter (44.5mm lug-to-lug) x 13.6mm height, polished stainless steel
- Water resistance: 50m (5 bar)
- Movement: Seagull calibre ST-1901, manual-winding with a silver coloured Swan Neck regulator, 23 jewels
- Frequency: 21,600 vph (3 Hz)
- Power reserve: 50h
- Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, chronograph
- Strap: Brown or beige Epsom calfskin leather from The Strap Tailor
- Price: £550, in person only
