Quirky brand Ikepod is a design-first company that puts form over function in many instances. The Ikepod Seapod is 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 the Ikepod Seapod is a crazy cool dive watch that’s full of surprises, and the Ikepod Seapod S003 Camo Pixel brings a special spin to the already fascinating design.
The Camo Pixel dial is almost an entirely new design. Aside from the teardrop handset, the dial has been completely changed. The forest camo colorway features a pixelated design, but it’s not just the color blocks that get the low-res effect. The minute track and its pips are also pixelated, as is all the dial text. Going further, the hour plots, which are typically applied dots, are not blocks with sandwich cutouts for the lume. The lumed areas feature Super-LumiNova, as does the bezel. Regrettably, the bezel hasn’t been pixelated, which I think would’ve been nifty.
The Ikepod Seapod S003 Camo Pixel is housed in a black PVD stainless steel case that measures 46mm. My experience is that these watches wear a bit smaller, as the rubber straps are attached closer than the 46mm case dimension, and allow the watch to be quite comfortable. In this case, the watch is delivered with both a black rubber strap and a matching camo pixel rubber strap. The watch features 200 meters of water resistance and has a domed sapphire crystal that follows the curve of the bezel. The bezel maintains the pod-like profile of the case, and from my time with the Seapod, isn’t very easy to operate, given it lacks any meaningful grip points. Ikepod is aware of this and, frankly, it isn’t bothered; remember, the brand is about design above all else, and while it may not operate well, the bezel is usable. The crown is quite small, and I would’ve liked to see something more stylized (and grippable).
Powering the Ikepod Seapod S003 Camo Pixel is the trusty automatic Japanese Miyota 9039. There are many watches at this price point that offer Swiss movements, but dismissing this for the movement ignores the value that design and uniqueness have. The Miyota is a reliable, proven movement with a solid 42-hour power reserve at 28,800 vph and frankly, that’s sufficient for me. Frankly, I think at this level of watch enthusiasm — where off-the-shelf movements are used — there’s not a lot of room for being picky (at least not in a rational way). Ultimately, you may be able to get a Miyota 9039-equipped watch cheaper, and you may be able to get a similarly priced watch with a Swiss movement, but the watches with this level of build and novel design are few and far between without getting very expensive.
Having spent some time with an Ikepod Seapod, I can only encourage you to keep an open mind and trust me that while it may not be offering the functionality of other divers, it’s a blast to wear. I can only imagine this new edition is equally if not more fun (the one I had was just a plain blue dial). This watch is Ikepod through and through, and it’s great to see the brand — any brand, really — so earnestly sticking to its guns. The Ikepod Seapod S003 Camo Pixel is limited to 50 pieces and priced at $1,795 USD. For more information, please visit the Ikepod website.
