Toledano & Chan Introduces the B/1.2, a Follow-Up to One of Last Year’s Breakout Independent Hits
If 2024 was defined by the rise of shaped cases and stone dials, it appears that 2025 is starting off with more of the same. Last year, Toledano & Chan had an unexpected hit with their debut watch, the B/1, which was a contemporary riff on the classic Rolex King Midas and similar avant garde designs, with a Brutalist inspired case shape and on-trend lapis lazuil dial. Now, for the brand’s second serialized release (they produced a pair of one-offs for auction last year with cases crafted from carbon and meteorite) they’ve made a handful of subtle refinements to the original idea, added a mother-of-pearl dial, and introduced a dramatic, faceted crystal. It’s a more complex idea but shows in clear terms how the brand might grow with future releases, showing that they have plenty of tricks left up their sleeve and intend to keep their momentum going.
The new watch, dubbed the B/1.2, prominently features an asymmetrical sapphire crystal that echoes the lines of the angular case. Faceted and asymmetrical crystals are rare in watchmaking. Production of crystals in unusual shapes, particularly when made from sapphire, is challenging and expensive. Perhaps even more importantly, a crystal with facets will distort, to some degree, whatever is viewed through it, which is not ideal for time telling. It’s perhaps especially not ideal for time telling on a watch with a dial that does not include markers or numerals of any kind, like the B/1.2. But that underscores the whole point of the thing – this is a design and aesthetics oriented watch for which chronometry and even the simple viewing of the time is not necessarily the primary concern.
The dial is Tahitian mother-of-pearl, a darker and more dramatic take on the alternative dial material that has been having a major moment over the past few years. I’ve become a pretty big fan of mother-of-pearl dials relatively recently – as I type this article, I’m wearing my own Fears Brunswick Aurora, which for me was the watch that sent me down a MOP rabbit hole from which I have not escaped. The magic of these dials to me is in how they shift in tone depending on the light and have an almost three dimensional quality to them. The multiple colors present in any one piece of mother-of-pearl seem to have a way of swirling around each other – the dial itself appears to be in motion at times. Mother-of-pearl is traditionally used in watches aimed at women, but there are so many varieties of the material and so many colors and effects that can be achieved with how the dials are finished and treated, it would be a mistake to dismiss it as being appropriate only for one gender.
The case of the B/1.2 is still in stainless steel and has the same asymmetrical, sloped shape and measures 33.5mm across. The watch runs on a Sellita SW100 with 42 hours of power reserve, and is water resistant to 5 ATM. The price has increased on the B/1.2 to $5,700 (the original B/1 carried a retail price of $4,000).
While the B/1.2 has been warmly received in the roughly 24 hours since its unusual Sunday unveiling, it’s worth noting that some have clocked the somewhat significant price increase while pointing out (in a derisive way) that the watch uses components sourced largely from China. Regarding the price point, there are a myriad of factors that could potentially be at play when it comes to the increase, including, and I’m speculating here, increased production costs and the looming threat of tariffs that could impact the next Toledano & Chan release. It’s also conceivable that Toledano & Chan saw the enthusiastic response and above-retail secondary market prices of the first release and have chosen to price the B/1.2 at what they believe their market will support. The watch is only priced too high, after all, if people refuse to pay for it at the price for which it is being offered. The B/1.2 has yet to go on sale, but based on the initial reaction it seems as if they will have many more enthusiastic buyers at nearly $6,000 than watches available.
As for the sniping at Chinese made watches, in 2025, it really ought to be completely extinct. To be fair, the comments I’ve seen on this particular topic are not coming from outlets that traditionally cater to the enthusiast world, but rather high end luxury almost exclusively. Fans of microbrands and small independents are, for the most part, well aware that Chinese made components are often made with a great deal of skill and to very high standards. The microbrand world would simply not exist without Chinese manufacturing, and as it continues to improve, it shouldn’t be a shock that prices, too, will go up. Our friends at Collective recently devoted an entire episode to the topic, and it’s worth a listen for anyone who buys enthusiast oriented watches.
Back to the watch itself, I think the B/1.2 represents a logical extension of the concept Toledano & Chan introduced almost a year ago. The addition of a new crystal design might seem like a small thing, but it ought to fundamentally change how the watch is experienced in the real world, and it works as yet another throwback to the funky designs of the 1970s that helped to inspire these watches in the first place. Watches like those made by Toledano & Chan are clearly not meant for everyone, but I think it speaks to the overall strength of the enthusiast watch world that a limited run of a watch so objectively strange could garner so much attention.
The B/1.2 will go on sale via the Toledano & Chan website in March.
The post Toledano & Chan Introduces the B/1.2, a Follow-Up to One of Last Year’s Breakout Independent Hits appeared first on Worn & Wound.
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