UNDONE x Popeye & Friends Limited Edition: A terrific treat for fans of the cartoons

UNDONE x Popeye & Friends "Destro" Popeye Limited Edition

Leading the pack is none other than the one-eyed sailor himself. Leftys who love to stand out from the rest of the crowd and wear their timepieces on the right will love it. You see, the “Destro” Popeye has its screw-down crown on the left flank of the caseband.

The overall aesthetics remains the same as with the Boxset Edition, but there are subtle differences that we like better here. Instead of the all bronze theme of the former, which extends to the engraved bezel, this one touts a navy blue bezel insert.

Not to worry as the natural patina of the metal as it oxidizes will still form on the rest of its 40-mm case. Over time, you’ll end up with a weathered look that will be unique to each watch. It’s not all bronze all the way, however, as the caseback is 316L stainless steel.

This actually gives the Destro” Popeye Limited Edition a nice contrast that also draws attention to the crystal. Printed on the open caseback are the character’s name and its serialized number in the lineup.

Of course, the true star here is Popeye himself on the dial with his two hands telling the time. The snowflake hour makers do light up in the dark courtesy of the lume. Still, since the hands do no illuminate, this seems to be an odd yet welcome choice, to say the least.

Nevertheless, with a classy watch like this, owners will want to show it off in better lighting conditions anyway. To complete its profile, the Destro” Popeye Limited Edition is paired with a navy blue Cordura fabric strap and a bronze pin buckle.

UNDONE x Popeye & Friends 34 Olive Limited Edition

Popeye may be the protagonist, but let’s not forget that Olive Oyl is also a regular fixture throughout the show’s run. Following the formula of classic animation, she plays the damsel in distress and our hero’s main love interest.

UNDONE pays homage to the leading lady with the 34 Olive Limited Edition. At first, we did not immediately notice the contrast between this and the Boxset Edition variant. Upon another close-up inspection, it appears the rose gold PVD of the latter is no longer there.

Still, the 34-mm 316L stainless-steel case with its mix of polished and satin surfaces remain an elegant combo. Another discreet change is on the crown as the blue sapphire inlay is no more.

As you can see, these are all quite minor and do not take away from UNDONE’s impressive craftsmanship of the 34 Olive. Although it runs on a Japanese TMI VH31 quartz movement, it still flaunts an open caseback just to show off what lies within.

We pointed out earlier that each “Destro” Popeye develops a patina on the bronze case over time. This concept of distinctiveness carries over to the mother of pearl dial on the 34 Olive. The surface, texture, and iridescence will be one of a kind for each of the 250 units the watchmaker will ship out.

This beautiful material becomes the backdrop for Olive Oyl as she indicates the time along a track of Breguet numerals. Each timepiece ships with a regular leather strap and a double tour strap, which is a welcome extra to have.

UNDONE x Popeye & Friends Aqua Brutus Limited Edition

Now that we’ve given you the lowdown on the two main characters, it’s time to talk about the guy that gives Popeye a lot of trouble. Our titular hero’s nemesis who is persistently vying for Olive Oyl’s affections is also getting his own timepiece.

The Aqua Brutus Limited Edition is by far the most rugged among the three in this collection. We love how UNDONE went with a two-tone scheme for this model. Before we go further, let’s start with what this does differently from the Boxset Edition.

A red Cerakote on the knurled screw-down crown of the latter is the only thing that sets it apart from the base model. Therefore, you’re not really missing out on a lot if you failed to grab the exclusive back then.

With that out of the way, the Aqua Brutus arrives in a chunky 43-mm 316L stainless-steel case. UNDONE went for a stylish blue PVD coating, which looks absolutely cool with the black zirconium dioxide ceramic bezel insert.

This material is supposedly almost impossible to scratch under normal usage. We’ll take the watchmaker’s word for it as we don’t want to subject our sample through a rigorous testing routine.

The black PVD bezel, crown, and exhibition caseback all sport a premium matte finish. Just like the Destro Popeye Limited Edition, and 34 Olive Limited Edition, the name Brutus is printed on the crystal.

Next is the transparent dial with Brutus at the center, scowling at you. The date ring is visible underneath with a date window at 3 o’clock. Other notable elements are a baton marker for 9 o’clock, an arrow marker for 12 o’clock, with the rest as round hour markers.

We also like that UNDONE used a blue lume for the Aqua Brutus. Ticking within is a Japanese TMI NH35A self-winding calibre with a reliable power reserve. Finally, this watch uses a black silicone rubber strap with a black PVD stainless-steel pin buckle.