Review: Ikepod Seapod

The first thing you need to know about Ikepod, is that it takes a design-first philosophy to everything it does. That’s true of the Ikepod Seapod and it may be obvious even at a quick glance at the brand’s watches (as soon as you see that they made a pair of sneakers). It becomes more evident, though, as you handle the brand’s watches. There are small decisions where it’s clear that design was favored over what could be called traditional functionality. This never seems to lead to true a loss of functionality, just a lack of what some might expect from a specific type of watch.

The Ikepod Seapod a perfect example of the brand’s philosophy in action. It’s a dive watch that lacks a lumed second hand. It has a gripless bezel. Its strap is practically fixed and there’s no option for a NATO or any extension. All of these things might be issues if you’re part of that remarkably small niche of watch buyers that actually use their dive watches to dive. You probably aren’t though, in which case what the Ikepod Seapod is as a crazy cool dive watch that’s full of surprises.

Your eye may be immediately drawn to the case, but what caught mine was the depth of the dial, especially the applied blue indices. That said, I won’t lie and say the bezel wasn’t the initial appeal of the Seapod.

The Case

There it is. The big, bold case of the Ikepod Seapod. The way the bezel and the case create a single form is entirely new for a dive watch to my knowledge. Certainly, monocoque cases exist, like the Seiko MarineMaster and others—including some older Ikepod models—but none that I know of exists as a single shape. The discus of the Ikepod is such a design. It speaks to the ethos of Ikepod, a design-driven approach to watches. The screwdown crown—which features the hemipode logo—sticks out a bit awkwardly, and is admittedly too small visually, but it’s just big enough to get a hold of and, once unscrewed, is easy operate.

With such a design, you’d expect an unwieldy wrist presence, but you’d be surprised. While the specs suggest an enormous watch, the reality on the wrist is different: it wears more at a height of 14-15mm, the wide bezel and sloping profile diminish the width of the case, and the connection of the strap within the edge of the case allows it to hug the wrist. The bezel itself its exceptionally legible with those black-filled indices (the lack of any minute hashes is an intentional aesthetic choice). The bezel’s lack of grip makes turning it more difficult than traditional dive bezels and makes it nearly impossible with any moisture involved.

The Dial

The high-contrast dial of the Ikepod Seapod makes for exceptional legibility in all conditions, at almost any angle. While the colors are striking, equally engaging is the depth of the dial created by the chapter ring and the hour plots.

You’ll note the seconds hand is not lumed as one might expect on a “proper” diver. This is one of those intentional form-over-function decisions: the hands all feature the same shape and luming the seconds would create visual confusion with the minute hand. Maintaining the design was prioritized over meeting ISO standards; it didn’t bother me once while I was wearing the watch, because I don’t have much need for seeing if my watch is running in the dark.

Here’s that depth, in all its glory. A tall chapter ring dominates the periphery, creating a well of a dial. While the rotated 5-minute markers in the bottom half may seem awkward here, check the other photos and you’ll see that’s not the case. The sandwich dial has tab cutouts which expose lume and have what I’m calling button markers placed within. Also, check out the crisp brushing on the bezel!

Lume is excellent in design and performance. Even a short exposure to a UV torch (as seen here) or to an overcast day will light the dial up brightly, and it’s all even, including the bezel pip.

The Rest

Model number and water resistance—what more do you need on a caseback? Nothing, that’s what. You can keep your caseback art and slogans. I never have much need for display casebacks on run-of-the-mill movements, but the curved display crystal mirrors the top crystal and facilitates the overall form. Further, given that this is a design-forward timepiece, I imagine there’s a decent portion of “non-watch” customers who would appreciate seeing “the little spinny thing,” as my friend calls it.

The Seapod comes with a bright blue silicone strap that seems to repel dust (or perhaps jsut hide it well). The buckle is simple but sturdy and the softness and flexibility of the strap facilitate the surprising wearing experience I spoke of earlier. It’s attached with a single screw through the lug and can be swapped for a steel bracelet with a butterfly deployant clasp, which is available for $350 extra. If it’s not clear, you won’t be doing much strap changes with this unless you go full custom.

The Ikepod Seapod was a surprise for me. I know I loved the overall design but assumed, as I think many do, that the fit on the wrist would be a challenge. Perhaps more than any watch I’ve ever handled or reviewed, the Seapod is proof that you can’t judge how a watch will wear simply by its spec sheet. The watch’s shape and proportions, along with the placement of the lugs, let the watch scoff at and defy its own dimensions. Rounded out with genuinely cohesive and appealing design, and you’ve got a winner in my book.

The Ikepod Seapod is also available with orange accents (instead of blue) on a black band, or a murdered-out PVD version ($100 extra). You can learn more and order directly from Ikepod.