Studio Underdog Founder Richard Benc On Design, Playful Twists And Bringing His Watches To India
Richard Benc started Studio Underdog during the COVID lockdowns. Five years later, the British brand is making the watch world stop and take notice
Avocados. Lemons. Watermelons. Diamonds. Pandas. Pizza toppings. Mint choc chip. Champagne and caviar. Richard Benc and Studio Underdog can find inspiration and notes for a premium wristwatch from pretty much anywhere and anything.
Since 2020-21, the British brand has found and stayed true to its knack of making quirky timepieces. Benc started Studio Underdog during the COVID lockdowns. The idea was to create a bit of mischief in an otherwise strict world of luxury watches. Function, but also fun. Detail, but also a whole lot of design. The results have been some eye-catching designs that have made people in the world of watches stop and take notice.
Like Benc, the brand is also not afraid to spread its wings and collaborate when the time is right. In recent months, Studio Underdog has collaborated with watchmakers H Moser & Cie and Fears, and other names like Massena Lab. Benc vouches for the “playful twist” that the brand brings to these collaborations.
Esquire India spoke to Benc on the sidelines of Dubai Watch Week 2025 to understand more about one of the exciting independent watch brands around and its plans for the upcoming year. Edited excerpts.
You are closing in on five years in March. Do you think you've gone in the design direction that you wanted to follow with Studio Underdog?
I think so. I think the business has grown at a much quicker rate than I expected. But in terms of my core principles, it’s been a design-led brand. I've literally put ‘Studio’ in the name. That was based on me being a design studio. I'd certainly say we're staying true to that. At Dubai Watch Week, the experience we're offering people as a design lab – it’s something that not too many other brands seem to be offering.
You pick such interesting colours and things from day-to-day life to inculcate into your design: avocados, watermelon. What goes behind that thinking?
The first thing is that we came into an industry that tends to be quite a stuffy, serious industry. We wanted to do something fun and playful. That obviously ties into colour, in terms of the use of colour that we have. But more so than that, our design approach is looking for objects or images or even feelings that someone can resonate with. Whether that's something like: oh, my daughter's favourite ice cream is mint chocolate chip. We'll take that inspiration. We'll be able to create a beautiful watch from that palette. Then it creates more of an emotional connection. Watermelon is something that is instantly recognisable when you put those two parts together. But it's something that you don't tend to see in the luxury space. There's a lot of trial and error that goes through it, but it's a fun experience.
You've also done a lot of interesting collaborations. How do you decide which one’s good for you?
So far, we've been quite fortunate… I believe all the people that we've collaborated with have come to us. One thing that we bring to the table when it comes to collaboration is that creativity in terms of design. The collaborations that we've worked on, often we'll be able to work with some amazing brands. Last year we did a collaboration with H. Moser. We've most recently done a collaboration with Massena Lab.
We're able to come and add our playful twist, a bit of British humour, to some of their amazing watches. And, watches that we probably wouldn't be able to do in our own assortment. Last year we had, as with the Moser project, the opportunity to design their perpetual calendar. That's not something that we could introduce in our core collection as a brand that is less than five years old.
You told me about the Indian market and how you're quite excited about it. Do you have any plans for the Indian market or have interest from there?
Yes, we have a lot of interest from India. I think there's been a few Indian celebrities, some Bollywood stars, some cricket players that have discovered the brand. I think that's really helped the visibility within India. The challenge that we have at the moment is there's very high tariffs and import fees for individual customers. And as we sell direct to consumer, suddenly your US$700 watch, by the time it's arriving on your doorstep, is well over $1,000. So, that's not great. However, there are some agreements in place coming in next year that will make that a much more seamless process. Next year, I'm really excited about the potential of the market in India. It's one of the fastest growing markets, especially within the luxury space and watches specifically. It's great to see already the passion, the level of engagement. From next year, we'll actually be able to do something about that as well.
How has 2025 been for you? Which are some of the best launches you think you've had with Studio Underdog?
Oh, it's been a whirlwind. One thing that we've done is we've really looked to elevate and level up the brand as much as we can. I think a lot of people walking past the booth here today would be surprised to hear that we're not even five years old.
We've disrupted in our own kind of way. I'd say in terms of projects, we did a collaboration with Fears, and we launched that in New York earlier this year. That was remarkable. We had people queuing out the door from the early hours of the morning. And for what is typically an online-only brand, it was just so exciting to see that online world brought into reality.
Lastly, any exciting plans for the new year?
Absolutely. The first thing, as we build up to Christmas, I'm very much looking forward to putting my feet up and relaxing for a few weeks. That's priority number one. But into the New Year, we're a British brand. We do all the final assembly in the UK. We're going to start communicating that a bit more, not just through product, but through experience. As I said, we're here in Dubai doing a design lab where people are getting creative. I'd love to welcome collectors and enthusiasts to see our space, to see the work that we're doing in the UK and give them a bit more of an understanding into who we are and what we do.