I am fascinated by watches that imagine themselves to actually exist in fantasy worlds. Whether the inspiration is a movie, video game, or other entertainment universe, there is a growing niche of enthusiast timepieces that could be roughly bulked into the cosplay (“costume play”) category. That said, the watches I am talking about are not mere costume pieces, but daily-wear wristwatches with a physical design meant to connect to a place that only exists in our minds. That is exactly what novelty watch brand Anicorn did (with a few models, actually) and the video game universe of Death Stranding.
Until relatively recently, most watches inspired by entertainment universes simply acted as souvenirs for that universe. That meant a design would slap a logo or character from that entertainment universe on a dial and call it a day. One of the most successful “souvenir” watches of all time are the Mickey Mouse dials where the Disney character’s hands are the watch hands. Mickey Mouse himself would probably not logically wear a timepiece with his likeness on the dial, and what I am suggesting is that a watch meant to inspire Mickey Mouse, or any other character from an entertainment universe, be designed to look like something that character might actually wear. I’ve used the term “imagined in” (as in they imagine they are in the universe) to refer to the design focus of such watches, as opposed to mere souvenir watches, that act to merely remind wearers that they like something.
Ever since my LACO RAD-AUX design project in which Matt Smith-Johnson and I designed a timepiece that was meant to exist in the Fallout video game universe, I feel especially compelled to review other similar watches out there that combine an interesting in timepieces with video game art and appreciation. That was an incredibly fun project and I was utterly delighted with the outcome because the RAD-AUX really felt like it was plucked from Fallout’s post-apocalyptic world. It makes total sense to me that other design teams would find the creative exercise just as fulfilling. Nowadays I keep a lookout for any watches that fit within this artistic timepiece category. A bit more recently, I reviewed this digital watch meant to be in the Cypherpunk 2077 video game universe.
Like Fallout, Death Stranding is another post-apocalyptic video game universe – only a lot weirder. The original Death Stranding video game has been out for a few years and the studio behind it recently announced that a sequel (“Death Stranding 2: On The Beach”) will be released in 2025. Death Stranding was developed by the Japanese studio Kojima Productions, founded by Mr. Hideo Kojima. He is most well-known for being the personality behind the “Metal Gear” video game series which began life on the original Nintendo Entertainment System. What makes his video games a bit different is the intense level of art direction and novelty he and his team put into them. This has resulted in a wide array of merchandise fans can get for Death Stranding including clothing, figurines, and, of course, watches.
Anicorn has developed multiple watches inspired by the Death Stranding universe and worked directly with Kojima Productions. This particular watch is called the Death Stranding x Anicorn Fragile Express Time, and it is meant to be a watch worn by an employee of a delivery company in the game, Fragile Express. It does not help that a character in the game, who is part of Fragile Express, is also named “Fragile.” In the game, the female character sports a pretty hip outfit including a detailed black leather “Fragile Express” jacket. This in-game outfit is the inspiration for the Anicorn Fragile Express Time watch. Even though the character is female, the enthusiast market has produced a number of real-life versions of this jacket (and the entire costume for that matter) that both men and women wear. Thus, this watch is meant to fit that costume, and even though it isn’t a “play watch” per se, you can understand how I roughly bulk it in the cosplay product category. Maybe I should refer to it as “lifestyle cosplay.”
If you aren’t familiar with the Death Stranding game and story, I will not be able to go into it much here, since it is very convoluted to explain. Suffice it to say that in large part the actual gameplay is a delivery service simulator, one that takes place in a post-apocalyptic wasteland with a lot of weird creatures. Nevertheless, the core gameplay isn’t just about fighting monsters, but also about how to carry a lot of objects (without dropping them) from point A to B. When it comes down to it, Death Stranding is like one very sophisticated FedEx delivery person simulation engine (with really impressive art direction and a “trippy” story).
The Death Stranding x Anicorn Fragile Express Time Limited Edition is the third part Anicorn has created in collaboration with Kojima Productions related to the Death Stranding game. The first was an entirely different model (that randomly also said “NASA” on the dial) known as the Space Ludens by Kojima Production x Anicorn watch. Then, this current watch case and theme were introduced for the Death Stranding x Anicorn Reverse Trike Time Limited Edition watch. The price came down by $200 for this third model, the Death Stranding x Anicorn Fragile Express Time. With that said, I encourage fans of Death Stranding to see the $2,340 collector’s set Anicorn came up with for the Reverse Trike Time watch that includes a cargo case and watch winder that all similarly imagine themselves as being part of the Death Stranding universe.
Now let me discuss the watch itself. The Fragile Express Time is a fun, but overall simple timepiece that will certainly be of interest to some enthusiasts. The watch begins with an angular black PVD steel case that is 43mm wide, 12mm thick, and with a 48mm long lug-to-lug distance. The case is water resistant to 50 meters and has a flat sapphire crystal over the dial. There is another crystal over the caseback offering a view of the mechanical movement on the inside. Time is displayed on the dial via two discs, one for the minutes and one for the hours. An upper window offers a “wandering view” of the passing hours, while the middle disc has a hand printed on it and indicates the minutes. The dial is certainly minimalistic, but overall does a good job being both legible and expressing the Fragile Express theme.
I think that a good upgrade for the watch would have been a slightly more domed and AR-coated sapphire crystal. I wouldn’t per se suggest that glare is an issue on the dial, but the flat nature of the crystal can reflect as one large area and thus affect legibility. A slightly domed and AR-coated crystal would not only provide a better viewing experience from many angles but also overall improve the reading of the time.
The case itself is comfortable and stylish. Inside the watch is a Japanese Seiko NH35A automatic movement which is basic, but used in a lot of timepieces. It operates at 3Hz with about two days of power reserve. While this watch is a bit more expensive than most of the watches with the NH35A movement – there is the collaboration with Kojima Productions and other artistic details to consider when taking the final price into consideration.
I really like that Anicorn supplies two straps with the Fragile Express Time watch. One is a black rubber strap with a blue and white racing stripe down the middle (that nicely integrates with the similar stripe down the middle of the watch face – though I worry about the coloring wearing off over time with extended wear), and also a leather strap which is inspired by the above-mentioned leather jacket from the in-game Fragile, who wears her hip-looking Fragile Express outfit in the Death Stranding game. In all, while people can have different opinions about the style and value proposition of these watches, I think they are a great example of an “imagined in” timepiece that seeks to be a real-world item that is meant to exist in a fantasy universe. For fans and collectors – artistic watches like this provide a lot of emotional value and interest. Anicorn has also not mentioned the specific number of these watches it will produce as part of the limited edition – which is something they should probably do. Price for the Death Stranding x Anicorn Fragile Express Time Limited Edition watch is $740 USD. Learn more at the Anicorn watches website.
