Apiar, a young British watch brand founded in 2023, is pushing mechanical watch design into new territory through additive manufacturing. In January, the company began delivering its Gen 1.0 model, described as the first watch in the industry to feature both a 39-millimeter titanium case and dial produced using 3D printing. While managing director Matt Oosthuizen believes printing movement components is technically possible in the future, he acknowledges the industry is not yet ready to take that step.
The New York Times tells that the Gen 1.0 reflects extensive simulation and structural optimization to achieve a balance of geometry and texture. Inspired by natural honeycomb structures, the brand name Apiar references an apiary, underscoring its design philosophy rooted in biomimicry. The dial, developed with London-based designer Max Resnick, features a ring-based layout reinforced by a spider-web motif to support its thin, intricate structure. An anodized aluminum disc backs the dial, offered in Dawn and Dusk colorways.
Production relies on laser powder bed fusion, executed by Apex Additive Engineering in Wales. Compared with traditional milling, which removes material from solid blocks, this layered titanium process reduces waste. The finished watch weighs just 38 grams, significantly lighter than typical titanium models of similar size. It houses a Swiss-made La Joux-Perret mechanical movement and retails for £1,875 in the United Kingdom and $2,618 in the United States.
Industry observers have praised the ambition and detailing, though some note room for refinement in surface finishing. Apiar positions itself as a champion of British manufacturing, working with domestic suppliers and producing between 70 and 100 watches annually. Without a legacy design language to constrain them, the founders see freedom to experiment, including future carbon-fiber concepts and further technological adaptations from broader engineering fields.