Ikepod Watches

Originally founded in 1994 by Oliver Ike and designer Marc Newson, Ikepod was all about a pod-like design that encased highly useful mechanical movements. The concept of the brand, which was re-introduced just a few years ago, remains the same, but the new lines offer quartz movements and completely different, affordable pricing. Ikepod collections include the Duopod and the Chronopod. The Ikepod automatic is also back – in the same design but with new prices.

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History of Ikepod

Ikepod was founded in 1994 by Oliver Ike and Marc Newson and became famous for its disc-shaped design watches, launching several new trends in the years after. The very first Ikepod watch was called the Sea Slug and set the fresh and different tone that the brand was going for.

The famous Hemipode saw the light of day in 1997. A retro design watch, “lugless” case, and in contrast to the watches of that time, a whopping 47mm in size. March Newson was an early fan of big watches, and Ikepod was among the first watch brands to start the wave of big case watches. The average size for a man’s watch at the time was 38mm or less. Each watch or work of art, as Ikepod referred to them, came in limited editions only. The brand achieved something of a cult status until 2003, when the watch bubble burst and the brand filed for bankruptcy. It was bought by Perficio Group and continued for a short while before also declaring bankruptcy.

Kickstarter – a New Beginning

Christian- Louis Col relaunched Ikepod on Kickstarter in 2018. With the mission to revive the brand, he decided to make it more widely available by making Ikepod more affordable. The first watches, the Chronopod and Duopod, were designed by legendary watch designer Emmanuel Gueit. With more than 700 buyers around the world, the first editions were a resounding success. To ensure that the prices remain affordable yet maintain the equivalent ‘Swiss quality’, the watches are assembled in Hong Kong in a workshop used by Swiss watchmakers.

In 2020 Col brought back the Megapod with the long-awaited automatic movement. He turned to watch designer, Alexandre Peraldi, to bring this icon from the 90s into the new 2020 collection.

Who owns Ikepod?

The Ikepod name officially went dormant until Christian-Louis Col, a fan of Ikepod since the beginning, bought the brand and its designs in 2017. 

Fun Fact

The designer of the original Ikepod watch, Mark Newson, was later involved in the design of the Apple Watch.

Ikepod Collections

Chronopod

The watch retains its original 44mm size straight from the Hemipode line while still feeling like 41mm on the wrist with its integrated lugs. The Chronopod is available in seven variations, all powered by a Japanese Chronograph Quartz movement.

Duopod

Descendant from the Horizon collection, the Duopod is available in seven different variations, all powered by a quartz Miyota movement. The timepieces come in a 42 mm case size but really feel like 39 mm once on the wrist.

Megapod

Based on the iconic Megapode design from 1997, the new Megapod is powered by an automatic Miyota movement with 42 hours of power reserve. The case is in stainless steel and has a water resistance of 30 meters. As usual with Ikepod, the 46 mm case feels a lot smaller on the wrist.