Crafted for Mercedes-Benz Romania
Two commemorative timepieces celebrating 140 Years of Innovation.
140 Years of Innovation. Crafted in Time.
Two timepieces created exclusively for Mercedes-Benz Romania.
To celebrate 140 Years of Innovation at Mercedes Studio, UDAIMON was invited to reinterpret one of history’s most influential engineering legacies—not through automobiles, but through horology.
The result is a pair of handcrafted timepieces, each representing a different chapter of Mercedes-Benz history:
- the Motorwagen Pocket Watch, inspired by the world’s first automobile;
- the Mercedes Star Wrist Watch, inspired by the iconic symbol that has defined the brand for generations.
A story where craftsmanship meets engineering.
140 Years of Innovation. Crafted in Time.
When Engineering Meets Horology
Luxury has always been about people who create.
Mercedes-Benz has spent more than a century redefining mobility through engineering.
UDAIMON explores a similar pursuit through handcrafted watches—transforming stories, symbols and heritage into objects that can be worn every day.
When Mercedes-Benz Romania envisioned an anniversary dedicated to innovation, craftsmanship became the common language.
From this collaboration emerged two unique watches, designed exclusively for the occasion.
The First Chapter
The Motorwagen Pocket Watch
Every revolution begins with a first step.
In 1886, Carl Benz patented what would become the world’s first automobile – the Benz Patent-Motorwagen.
Rather than reproducing history, this watch interprets it.
Built around a restored vintage Swiss UNITAS movement, the piece embraces the aesthetics of nineteenth-century engineering while expressing them through contemporary hand-crafted dial art.
Design details
Original vintage Swiss UNITAS hand-wound movement
Hand-designed architectural dial
Illustration inspired by the Benz Patent-Motorwagen
The Mercedes-Benz star as a “seconds hand”
Art Deco influences echoing early industrial design
Individually assembled and finished by hand
The Dial
The dial was conceived almost like an engraved technical illustration.
The Motorwagen sits at its centre, surrounded by architectural geometry, radial structures and layered textures that evoke engineering drawings from the late nineteenth century.
Instead of celebrating a machine, it celebrates the beginning of an idea.
The Second Chapter
The Mercedes Star Watch
Some symbols become timeless.
Few are as instantly recognisable as the three-pointed Mercedes-Benz star.
Rather than placing the emblem on a dial, UDAIMON deconstructed it—allowing the star to emerge from multiple layers of silver, light and shadow.
The result changes with every angle of light.
Design details
Multi-layer silver dial architecture
Three-dimensional Mercedes star
Hand-applied rose-gold foil detailing
Rose-gold finished hands
Handcrafted leather strap made from authentic Mercedes leather samples
Swiss movement
Hidden Details
Look closely.
Inside each point of the star appear subtle references to the original meaning behind the Mercedes emblem:
Air. Water. Land.
The three domains envisioned by Gottlieb Daimler continue to live quietly within the design.
The rose-gold accents are intentionally restrained—appearing only along the outer chapter ring, the edges of the star and the hands—creating warmth without disturbing the monochromatic architecture.
Luxury begins with craftsmanship.
Luxury Cars & Crafted Watches
The two anniversary watches were unveiled during an exclusive evening hosted by Mercedes-Benz Romania at Mercedes Studio.
The exhibition brought together two worlds united by craftsmanship.
Alongside the anniversary pieces, visitors discovered ten additional UDAIMON watches, while another ten became part of the exhibition simply by being worn on the wrists of collectors attending the event.
The evening became less about displaying objects and more about celebrating the people who appreciate the time, patience and artistry behind them.
UDAIMON explores a different form of innovation—one measured not in speed, but in meaning.
