Hands-On Taking A Bite Out Of The Cauny Ando, An Architectural Concept Watch

Photos by Georgia Griffiths

Every enthusiast space has its lauded class of mythologised designers. In the world of cars, there’s Gandini and Giugiaro; furniture design undoubtedly has the Eames’, and in the watch world I trust there’s no need for me to tell you who Gérald Genta is. Architecture is no different, and circling its high altar is the Japanese architect Tadao Ando. For those unfamiliar with Ando’s game, his architectural style is best described as Concrete Minimalism, favouring the clean material to create zen-like spaces with an emphasis on geometric form and space, motivated by how light and shadow play in the building. 

Chances are you’re familiar with his designs with Bulgari, including a quartet of seasonally-inspired Serpentis and a trio of special edition Octo Finissimos – which rank as arguably some of the best special edition Octos to date. Yet with these Bulgaris, Ando’s pencil didn't reach beyond the watch’s dial. That’s where the Cauny Ando steps in, the first watch Ando has designed in its entirety.

It’s part of the Portuguese/Swiss brand's well-designed but also rather tepid Architects of Time series, where Cauny hands the sketchbook over to famous architects to design a watch. This rather plain collection of minimalist watches was shaken up in mid-2025 when Tadao Ando designed this wild watch in the image of a green apple. Why an apple? Ando has quite the history with them, often placing giant green apple sculptures outside his buildings. He sees them as a metaphor for his designs, saying “This watch reflects the spirit of the green apple - unripe, a little sour, yet full of promise”.

The Cauny Ando retails at €198 (approx. AU$300) – a price that aims its crosshairs at Swatch. It’s retailed online and globally in select design stores and art gallery gift shops, including Paris’ Bourse de Commerce (where Ando now has a building inside), which is where I stumbled across this example and snapped it up.

It’s 37.5mm, powered by a slim Ronda quartz movement, cased in green-coated stainless steel with its white hour and minute hands shaped like an apple's stem and leaf. For those who find the green is a little too green, there’s also a monochromatic brushed steel reference, and both these variants are also available in a shrunken 31.5mm model.

The case is perfectly circular and lugless, so the case diameter matches the lug-to-lug. It’s a symmetrical UFO shape with a domed sapphire crystal that smoothly intersects with the lines of the case, and the shape of that crystal's dome is mirrored in the shape of the caseback. The result is a perfectly smooth, perfectly symmetrical pebble-shaped case. The snap-on caseback is the only part of the case that isn’t green, mirror-polished stainless steel, featuring the usual caseback text plus Ando’s signature engraved at the centre, and the watch’s individual number (each watch is limited to 9,999 pieces).

I love the clean dial, sparse of any markers and only featuring the brand and model signature at 6 o’clock. Ando is a master of minimalism, knowing the perfect moment to stop stripping things back, and that’s the case with this watch. The dial is colour-matched to the case in a flat finish with a very fine grain to it, likely a result of the colour application, but I find this gives it an organic, appleskin look.

There’s attention to detail that you simply don’t expect from a ‘fashion watch’ brand at A$300, including the dramatic curve to the dial that matches the curve of the sapphire crystal above it, matched by the handset, which is equally curved to maintain a uniform clearance over the dial. These details add up to a surprising depth for such a thin, simple watch, and looking down at it on the wrist, the dial simply looks like a green apple trapped inside the case.

So where have Cauny cut corners to make the Ando this affordable? It certainly isn’t the dial or case, which look and feel much more premium than the price would lead you to expect. Nor is it the movement, a Ronda 751 (one step up from the Ronda 1062 used in the Dennison ALD, for example). I’ll point my finger at the strap and buckle, which does the job but could definitely do it better. It’s an Italian leather that’s fine enough quality (it’s soft and wears in nicely), though its green colour comes from paint, which I’ve already noticed is starting to flake off. It’s the same story with the cheap buckle, which is painted stainless steel.

On a sub-$1,000 watch, I’ve never had expectations that the strap is going to be a home run, and often I’m buying a watch knowing I’m going to immediately swap the strap for a better quality or different style, but with the Ando that presents a challenge. Firstly, you need to colour-match the strap (and buckle) to the case, and that’s where you may find yourself in the realm of a custom strap. Alternatively, the Ando would look great on a smooth rubber strap – either colour-matched or something monochromatic in black or white – though the challenge will be finding a strap thin enough to fit those hooded lugs, curved spring bars and curved case. Additionally, the lug width tapers in diagonally, so getting an exact fit is going to need some customising. All this to say the strap presents a challenge, whilst not insurmountable, which is going to be tricky to solve once the OEM leather strap wears out.

On the wrist, the Ando is a very different experience to what we’re used to in conventional watch design. It wears much smaller than its dimensions would lead you to believe, and feels closer to a traditional 34mm, sitting slightly plumb on the wrist due to its hooded lugs and subducting strap. With that 'disco volante' case, you can draw similarities in silhouette to Ikepod or possibly even a Cartier Pebble, but the design philosophy behind the Ando is something neither of those watches has.

I would go as far as to call it a concept watch (fitting the strict definition that it’s the physical manifestation of Ando’s design philosophy), but it also fits the modern definition as an experimental watch that challenges conventions. It feels like a design object first and watch second, and quartz is a perfectly acceptable choice to get the movement out of the way and let the design take the spotlight. When designing it, I’m sure no one asked Ando, “Looks cool, but what movement is in it?”

In my time wearing the Ando, I’ve been surprised that it attracts more inquisitive gazes than any of my other watches – from both watch nerds and those who couldn’t care less. Having seen its wide appeal, I think its sheer affordability is actually one of its greatest strengths. It has a story to tell, and each time I’ve told that story to someone curious about it, I’ve watched the lightbulb go off in their head. Hearing the price then seals the deal, and everyone instantly ‘gets it’ and wants one.

The design world and the horology world have a shared problem where the most valuable design objects and watches are the only ones to get mainstream news coverage, which perpetuates misunderstandings that “design” is just shorthand for “expensive”. This is a barrier both disciplines struggle to overcome when trying to induct newcomers into these spaces. What the Cauny Ando has done is democratise exceptional design, employing the brilliant mind of Tadao Ando to design a watch that means you don’t need to spend Bulgari bucks to get a piece of Ando’s work. It makes great design, as well as fun and exciting watches, attainable to everyone. 

The Ando isn’t a flex of status, but it’s a flex of taste, and a friendly reminder that great design and great watches don’t have to take things too seriously.

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