Uhrenrekursion (EN)

The Angles DiscOne 39 is the second generation of the DiscOne. However, the DiscOne 39 isn’t just a reissue—it was redesigned from the ground up, even though the basic design has remained the same. Personally, I found the first version too large, even though I thought it was very interesting. But with the 39mm version—which is also significantly thinner and lighter—Angles has won me over, and I’ve ordered the watch. I’ll update this article and post an honest review here as soon as I receive the watch. But until then, let me introduce the watch to you.

The Angles DiscOne 39 is a jump-hour watch. This means that the hour doesn’t move continuously but jumps to the next hour after 60 minutes. The watch has no hour or minute hands; instead, it has two discs, with the minute disc rotating continuously and the hour disc jumping at the top of the hour. The only hand is the second hand in the center of the watch. I find the name “DiscOne” a bit confusing, since the two discs are precisely what define the design. But before I go on about that, let’s take a look at the watch first. As soon as I have the watch, I’ll replace the renderings with my own real photos.

The Angles Discone 39 is a watch with a very industrial-cyber-brutalist design, and some say it’s a copy of the old, now-discontinued Otsuka Lotek No. 5 — and the resemblance certainly can’t be denied. But personally, I wouldn’t call it a copy or an homage; rather, I’d describe it as an inspiration. The watches have a similar vibe, but you wouldn’t confuse the two at first glance. Moreover, the Otsuka Lotek by Jiro Katayama is in a completely different league. Angles is a microbrand from Hong Kong, and Otsuka Lotek is an independent brand from Japan—and the latter’s watches are about ten times as expensive as those from Angles. So I think there’s a market for both watches, and their buyers are unlikely to overlap much. For me, this is the first step in that direction—all my watches so far have been more classic or sporty styles. I’d already considered buying the Baltic x SpaceOne Seconde Majeure, but ultimately decided against it. With the Angles, the dimensions, design, and price are just right for me. For a little over 500 euros, I can see if this style of watch is for me or not. And who knows—maybe I’ll like it so much that I’ll want an Otsuka Lotek someday after all.

Another thing I really like about the DiscOne is that it’s easy to read. With many watches of this type, I always have to look three times, and even though I fully understand and appreciate the appeal of these kinds of watches—such as the Freak by Ulysse Nardin — I still don’t want to compromise on the basic function of the watches I wear every day.

I was pretty torn between the two color options. At first, I was certain I wanted the watch made entirely of stainless steel, but the photos of it on the wrist and a few review videos (here, here, and here) of the first generation made me change my mind. In the photos, I actually find the silver version to look even more industrial—and thus have an even stronger character—than the champagne-colored one, but on the wrist, I find the champagne dial more striking because you can see the two discs better and they stand out from the case. This makes the watch look even more special to me. So I ordered the champagne DiscOne and will be reviewing it as well. I’m really curious to see how it’ll look on my wrist.

The watch is still available for pre-order and is expected to ship in November 2026. Of course, that could be pushed back a bit—you just have to be a little patient with microbrands. I’d love to take it with me to MicroPraha at the end of November, but we’ll see.

Below, I’ll list the watch’s specifications. As expected for a watch in this price range, it features the Miyota 8215 movement. I hope the build quality lives up to the design and that it not only looks high-quality but also feels that way.

In any case, I can’t wait to hold the watch in my hands. In the meantime, I recommend checking out the review on Oracle Time and the videos linked above. I hope there will be some videos of the new 39mm version soon, too. Feel free to let me know in the comments what you think of the Angles DiscOne 39.