The Time+Tide x Dennison DateNight is the one watch you’re missing from your collection
Russell SheldrakeLet’s be honest: the only time most of us wear a dress watch is when date night rolls around. So, with that in mind, we have teamed up with the most exciting dress watch brand on the market right now, Dennison, to bring you a watch ready for those romantic occasions. The Time+Tide x Dennison DateNight represents a number of firsts for this brand that has existed since the 19th century, but only began life anew last year.
There is a lot to dig into here despite this watch’s Goldilocks dimensions, with a lot of details that help elevate it above a standard dress watch offering, whether it be in the hand-laid Australian mother-of-pearl dial, the Molequin suede strap, or the watch’s origin story… We have followed Dennison’s journey from the very beginning here at Time+Tide, and so it only felt right that we would collaborate with them on this project, with special input from the brand’s owner, Toby Sutton, and legendary watch designer Emmanuel Gueit: the man behind the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore and the Rolex Cellini (among many others) who is now the head of watch design at Tiffany & Co. As the man who helped bring Dennison back from the dead, we had to have his input on this project.
As you will see in the days to come, Andrew, Toby, and Emmanuel worked closely on this project, and it shows in how the concept has come together. This watch combines how Time+Tide has evolved as a company with elements from our roots in Australia, to our new home in London, with a flash of New York glamour hinting at our future plans. So without further ado, let’s take a look at this new collaboration and take in all the small details that make it worthy of being the first dress watch we have ever made.
The dial
This is where all the action is for this watch. Being both the first mother-of-pearl and first marquetry dial Dennison has ever done, the execution of this dial is like nothing else. The Australian mother-of-pearl is cut and placed on the dial by hand, making each dial entirely unique, providing everyone who owns one a singular, yet equally impressive experience. The dial has been laid out in this parquet design to give the most amount of animation possible in the most elegant format we could think of. This means that as you move this watch in the light, you will catch shades of blue, purple, and green spilling across the dial and vanishing again just as quickly.
Stone dials are an art form in and of themselves, and an art form in which Dennison has been a leading light in making accessible. However, when you add in the intricate process of marquetry, you instantly elevate this style into something infinitely more complex and irresistible. By placing these rectangular segments of a semi-precious stone in this repeating pattern, you disrupt the natural texture that we all know and love, and in doing so, you create something more unique. Here, we have created something that has elevated the natural beauty of this natural, beautiful material from Down Under – where Time+Tide was founded.
As Dennison has done since its relaunch, we didn’t want to disrupt this dial’s elegance, and so decided to forgo any markings or furniture, with only the Dennison logo printed on the crystal in the bottom right corner, floating above the exquisite MOP. We have also kept the handset the same, with those lancet hands that recall the origins of the Dennison brand and help bring a sense of historical significance to the watch.
The case
We have been so impressed with the widespread appeal of the Dennison case since its launch that we knew we could not touch it here. The rounded square shape that measures 37mm by 33.5mm has been lusted after by both men and women who’ve come into our Discovery Studios, and that is why we knew this watch would make the perfect date night companion, no matter who got to it first. There is just something about the balance of the rounded square that makes it equally flattering on all sorts of wrists. And when it measures just 6.05mm thick, it is guaranteed to match the elegance of any outfit you dare to throw on.
There is, however, an Easter egg with this watch. If you turn the watch over, you will see the case back has been engraved with a depiction of our London Discovery Studio’s front door. This line drawing has been chosen as it represents the birthplace of the idea of this watch, where Andrew and Emmanuel first met, and where, after the 24-hour online sales window closes, you will be able to purchase one forevermore. (Of course, you will also be able to try and buy them in person in our Melbourne Discovery Studio and, once it’s open, our New York one too!)
The straps
A feature I’ve always loved about the Dennison design is the way the strap seamlessly integrates into the case. Hidden underneath the smooth, polished bezel, the strap seems to appear from nowhere, not disrupting the clean lines sketched by Gueit. I know that so far in this article, I’ve made it sound like we have heard nothing but praise for the Dennison ALD collection since its launch, but we are not blind to its weak points, and we’ve always thought the straps they originally come on could be improved. It’s for this reason that we reached out to our friends at Molequin and asked them to join us in this collaboration, supplying a supple suede strap to make this watch truly date-worthy. And that’s exactly what we got with this dark grey suede number that has a slightly lighter grey stitch on it that ensures the strap doesn’t pull your attention away from the dial.
While a Molequin suede is widely considered the best in the industry, we didn’t want to stop there, and so we are also offering an additional white leather strap that gives this watch an entirely new, vibrant look. Both of these straps come with the classic Dennison buckle that mirrors the curved-square case shape, one of those small details that far too many brands miss out on that helps to elevate your experience with a watch as soon as you notice it. You can swap between both with ease thanks to the quick-release spring bars they are fitted with.
The movement
Inside this watch is a Swiss-made Ronda quartz movement, the perfect accompaniment for a watch that might only see use on date night, as it will keep it ticking and on time with no intervention for up to six years. It also means that it stays super slim: again, just 6.05mm crystal to caseback. There is no running seconds hand on this watch, which not only means it’s not obvious that it’s a quartz watch, but keeps the dial super clean and makes it classically aligned with dress watch aesthetics, which I’m a big fan of. To change the time, the crown is recessed into the case, nearly flush – again, to keep those case lines as clean as possible, meaning you will need to pull it out from underneath.
The verdict
I’ve waxed lyrical about this watch for long enough at this point, and so I want to hand the last word over to two people who were the closest to its genesis.
“This project brought together an up-and-coming brand, a world-famous designer, and one of our own in the most natural way possible,” said Andrew McUtchen, founder of Time+Tide. “The result is a watch that goes into dangerously unknown territory for us. Date nights. Romance. Intense beauty. Emmanuel navigated our young designer Pietro through this perfect storm to arrive at a rainbow that plays across the dial. It’s vivid. It’s gorgeous. It’s DateNight, baby.”
“Partnering with Time+Tide has been a really exciting new chapter for Dennison, building on the fantastic relationship we already have with Time+Tide,” said Toby Sutton, founder of the revived Dennison brand. “The DateNight takes our heritage in a fresh direction – one that honours our past while exploring new materials and techniques.”
The Time+Tide x Dennison DateNight pricing and availability
The Time+Tide x Dennison DateNight will only be globally available for a 24-hour online order window from our web store that begins on the 27th August 2025, at 14:00 CET. The first 200 orders placed will be shipped within 7-14 days, with the remaining orders arriving in early November. After this order window has closed, the only place you will be able to buy this watch will be physically in store at our Discovery Studios in London and Melbourne, and soon, New York. Price: £745/US$995/€895/A$1,450 (suede strap only)
| Brand | Time+Tide x Dennison |
| Model | DateNight |
| Case Dimensions | 33.65mm (W) x 6.05mm (T) x 37mm (LTL) |
| Case Material | Stainless steel |
| Water Resistance | 30 metres |
| Crystal(s) | Flat sapphire front |
| Dial | Australian mother-of-pearl marquetry |
| Lug Width | 20mm |
| Strap | Molequin grey suede, pin buckle White leather, pin buckle |
| Movement | Ronda 1062, quartz |
| Power Reserve | ~6 years |
| Functions | Hours and minutes |
| Availability | 24 hour online global order window from 27th Aug, 14:00 CET from Time+Tide online store, then exclusively in Time+Tide Discovery Studios |
| Price | £745 US$995 €895 A$1,450 |