Mr. Jones Continues to Expand their Mechanical Collection with the Release of The Accurate, A Clever Take on the Memento Mori

Mr. Jones, the brand whose slogan is “The Most Unique British Watches,” continues to update their eclectic collection with mechanical versions of their most popular and talked about quartz watches. Back in April, we told you about the mechanical release of “A Perfectly Useless Afternoon,” a watch that told time via a display that brings one of the laziest activities imaginable – floating aimlessly in a pool – into fluid motion on the wrist. That design is a perfect example of the Mr. Jones ethos, which is to use a watch dial as a blank canvas to tell a story in a highly specific way, and to get people talking. Their watches, while certainly not to every taste, are undeniably full of ideas, and remarkably creative in a way that most watches simply aren’t, as the brand isn’t inspired by traditional watchmaking. The newest watch in their mechanical collection actually does take an idea that has existed in watchmaking for just about as long as the practice has existed, the memento mori, and puts a uniquely Mr. Jones spin on it. “The Accurate” doesn’t use traditional memento mori iconography, but it is, as the brand says, the most accurate watch ever made. 

The Mr. Jones collection is full of visual puns, and The Accurate is a good example. The words “remember you will die” appear spread across the hour and minute hands, such that whenever you read the time, you get a not-so-subtle reminder of your own mortality. This, of course, is the point of a memento mori, but usually the idea is conveyed in a more visual fashion. The skull is the classic example, and one that we’ve seen used on watch dials plenty of times before. A more literal approach is very much in line with Mr. Jones’s sense of humor, and also makes it remarkably easy to commit to the Bhutanese idea of considering death five times per day.

The Accurate has a clean, unfussy design, that allows for the focus to naturally be placed on the message in the handset. There are no numerals to speak of, and a brightly colored seconds hand gives an otherwise monochromatic dial a bit of life and spark – something that is welcome in a somewhat death obsessed watch. 

The case is 40mm in stainless steel, about 3mm larger than the quartz version. It’s powered by the STP1-11 automatic caliber, a Swiss made movement that should be familiar to fans of Zodiac divers, watches in Serica’s collection, and many more. The retail price is $595, and the watch is available now via the Mr. Jones website.