Speake Marin’s New Openworked Sandblasted Ti is a Sign that the Early 2000s Indie Favorite is in the Midst of a Comeback

Don’t look now, but it appears that one of the great names of early 2000s independent watchmaking is back with their feet under them, fully invested in making interesting and beautiful watches. Speake Marin, founded by Peter Speake-Marin in 2002, was one of those gateway brands for many collectors coming of age at around the time the brand got its start, thanks in no small part to the founder being one of the most well liked and enthusiastic spokespeople not only for their own brand, but for indie watchmaking in general, of that era. Speake Marin (the brand) has had some ups and downs since the departure of its founder in 2017, but recent efforts like the Dual Time (in a host of festive colors) and the Ripples (their oddly named but quite striking entry in the integrated bracelet sports watch genre) have garnered more attention than the brand has seen in quite some time. Their most recent release, the Openworked Sandblasted Ti.

The One & Two Openworked line has become a signature in the larger Speake Marin catalog, consisting of, well, evocatively openworked dials that show off some seriously high level manufacturing. They also do a great job of calling attention to the intricately finished movements and the unusual geometry and layout of Speake Marin watches, which is the underlying factor in what makes this watch so striking. The running seconds between 1:00 and 2:00 is, of course, deeply unusual, as is the visible barrel from the dial side with an engraving of the brand’s core values placed front and center (for the record, the text reads: “RESPECT, INDEPENDENCE, LIBERTE, UNIQUE, AUTHENTICITE, GENEVE, CREATIVITE, MODERNITE”). 

The watch gets its name, naturally, from the sandblasted finish of the dial, which takes the form of a fine grain that is meant to appear rough in texture but is actually completely uniform. The sandblasted finish here serves a few different purposes beyond simply being aesthetically pleasing. First, it provides a contrast to handwork done to the movement finishing (visible both from the dial and caseback) which includes polished beveled edges throughout the bridges. Secondly, it serves to lay a foundation for the matte black minute track and black polished handset. 

It’s impossible to talk about Speake Marin without spending some time on the case. The Piccadilly case (seen here in titanium) has been a Speake Marin hallmark for years, fearuting a strong lug design that is immediately recognizable to anyone who is even somewhat well versed in the world of indie watchmaking. As a brand signature, it’s an effective love-it or hate-it proposition, always sure to garner a strong reaction. It’s been tweaked and refined over the years (the current version is the result of redesign by Eric Giroud), but it remains an iconic bit of Speak Marin history. 

The watch is powered by the SMA01 caliber, a micro rotor movement that allows the watch to come in at a height of just 10.5mm. The movement was developed in-house through Speake Marin’s “Le Cercle des Horlogers” arm in La Chaux-de-Fonds. According to the brand, they have a total of eleven movements developed in-house, part of a strategy that began in 2015 to move away from modifying (sometimes drastically) off-the-shelf calibers. 

Speake Marin is making the new Sandblasted Openworked in two case sizes, 38mm and 42mm. The smaller version carries a retail price of CHF 22,200, while the larger is CHF 22,600. There is also a version in red gold starting at CHF 34,000. Speake Marin