Sō Labs watches aren’t exceptionally versatile. They’re not for every outfit, activity, personality, or mood, and they’re not “strap monsters” that pair easily with any old strap. At first encounter, the dials’ crisscrossing semicircles and triangles in bold colours seem to defy all existing watch design expectations. One is temporarily stunned before it even becomes clear how to read the time. 

But this is one of the most interesting and notable microbrands around. There might be all manner of funkiness and retro inspiration in watches today, but something that feels familiar and inviting yet utterly unlike anything you’ve ever seen before? That’s rare, and that’s Sō Labs. Even more noteworthy is that it represents avant-garde watchmaking in an elevated but restrained and reasonably priced package. 

“It was just a natural thing that happened with a watch friend of mine here in Chicago,” explains Perez about how he started Sō Labs with Rick Cosgrove. Friends through a local watch meetup, Cosgrove’s company needed some original gifts for clients, so he contacted Perez who had founded the more traditional watch microbrand Astor + Banks in 2012. 

The fun little watch that resulted from their collaboration featured a transparent plastic case and a dial comprising multiple discs, each element meant to signify his company’s corporate values such as transparency and layers in a relationship. ‘Sō’ in the brand’s name refers to a Japanese word for ‘layer’. 

This sub-$200 quartz watch became the Layer One model and the foundation of Sō Labs as a brand in 2019, and its unique design and whimsical disposition caught people’s attention. The Layer Two came next, in 2022. Rendered with premium features for an overall more serious product, it was an evolution of the original that seemed to fulfill the promise of the design that had initially excited enthusiasts. Sō Labs’ personality and design DNA were thus established. 

The Sō Labs Range
As of 2025, Sō Labs is on its third Layer collection. They all share the basic dial design concept that represents the brand’s identity: A large triangle indicating the hours, counterbalanced by a giant semicircle reminiscent of an automatic movement’s rotor, a narrower triangular hand indicating minutes, and an opening at the top of the dial that echoes the rotor shape.

The Layer One featured a quartz movement and clear plastic case (38 mm) with a traditional watch silhouette. The Layer Two has a more nuanced case design, hands in brass, a steel case (40 mm) and bracelet, and is powered by a Swiss Sellita automatic movement. It also features a unique, aesthetic application of the date wheel. The Layer Three more or less offers similar dial features as Layer Two but in an affordable spherical table clock.

Each collection is like an experiment or project (hence ‘Labs’) that won’t be repeated, according to Perez, and the Layer One is already sold out. But the brand has plans for fun and interesting new products. To us, Layer Two encapsulates Sō Labs perfectly, and the Obsidian Frost version is the most popular. We figured it would be the ideal review model. 

It’s hard not to like the Sō Labs Layer Two—resolutely different, almost baffling, but smile-inducing at the same time. And without giving watch nerds a single spec to nitpick, what’s not to like?  But how does it fare when going from carefully styled photography to a product on your wrist? Is it something you actually want to wear? The answer is: Yes, sometimes. But more than you might imagine.

Some might be able to pull off the Sō Labs Layer Two as an everyday watch as part of their personal style. I’m thinking of, perhaps, “design folks or people in architecture,” who, as Perez says, make up the Sō Labs buyer outside of “the enthusiast world.” For enthusiasts, the Layer Two offers a refreshing antidote to the seemingly endless iterations of traditional styles. 

But novelty wears off, so you might wonder if it holds up to long-term ownership. I’ve had the Layer Two for over a year, and the answer is that it works best (for me, at least) as part of a rotation—I found myself at times needing to return to my down-to-earth tool watches. Unless your daily wardrobe is inspired by, say, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, the Layer Two will likely come out for specific moods, but it also might encourage those moods. It’s perfect for when you specifically don’t want to feel serious. 

There’s a Mexican-themed bar near my house with cheap margaritas and multicoloured fairy lights. It’s a fun spot where the Layer Two’s vibe fits right in. It’s also at home with the surfer-esque hoodie that I’m wearing as I type this. One can imagine taking the Layer Two on a trip to Miami, Las Vegas, Venice Beach in California or, perhaps, Paris. 

When the mood does strike you, the Layer Two’s execution and proportions don’t disappoint. More than just a quirky concept, it’s incredibly cool to see the design come to life when handling it in person, confirming that it can in fact blend into your day-to-day. Sizewise, it’s pretty perfect and highly ergonomic at 40-mm wide and hardly longer lug-to-lug at 42 mm. 

The sapphire crystal brings the 11-mm-thick case’s height to 12.95 mm, and its dome and reflectiveness can confound photographers or Instagramers. Its curve flows into the case’s riverstone-like contours. The steel bracelet design nails the style but will, on rare occasion, pull at a wrist hair. It also comes with a leather strap.

You might only notice the elegant case design and its charmingly flared lugs once your brain has adjusted to the dial. Part of Sō Labs’ appeal is that it’s initially a bit confounding. Perez mentions, “What the hell is that?” as a common reaction. Throughout the day, the dial seems to take on different zany patterns through the hands’ constantly changing configurations, but it’s easy to read the time once you’re used to it. 

The Layer Two’s functional gimmick is that its date wheel, which is visible at the top half of the dial, goes through a gradient of colour changes throughout the month. Even when setting the date wheel, its colour change is very subtle. The seconds hand is equally so: It’s only a small point protruding from the dot that sits atop the hands’ stack, and its movement is hard to detect until you look closely.

Sō Labs has applied certain themes to a watch in a genuinely creative way, but they’re not trying to start an entirely new design movement. (Or, are they?) You might be able to call it out right away, but I’m no art scholar and couldn’t put my finger on where the familiarity and nostalgia in the design was coming from. There was something generally ‘80s or ‘90s about it without looking like an object of the decade itself. I thought of Mondrian or Keith Haring, but that wasn’t quite right. Nor was there a perfect match within watches that its shapes and colours called to mind such as the LIP Mach 3000 or Alain Silberstein’s distinctive style. 

Perez helped me out: He pointed to a design movement called Memphis, prominent in the 1980s. I’m not qualified to explain any design movement, but you’ve seen Memphis’s influence before: Think intentionally clashing colours and shapes. And squiggles. Don’t forget about the squiggles. So- Labs’ interpretation, however, remains mercifully minimalist with its abstract shapes offset by a restrained design. The only branding is found, not on the dial at all, but on the crown, the bracelet’s clasp and as a cutout of the So- Labs wordmark on the Sellita SW200’s rotor seen through the caseback. On the Obsidian Frost model, that rotor is bright pink.

It all adds up to a compelling experiment in watch design. The most impressive thing about Sō Labs, however, is not the design but the Layer Two itself—that it was actually produced. One doesn’t usually expect this kind of abstract concept to be given the respect of a Swiss automatic movement, steel case and bracelet, sapphire crystal, and carefully considered design. 

You can get quirky art watches from Swatch or Mr Jones Watches in the low three figures or less, much like the INR15,000 Sō Labs Layer One. Otherwise, avant-garde, artistic watchmaking is usually relegated to a corner of the industry where the likes of MB&F offer meticulously finished mechanical art with prices starting well into five figures. The Layer Two essentially has no peers or competition.

Sō Labs’ effect of surprise and curiosity easily translates into a conversation-starter. It doesn’t try to justify its unexpected design with sporty purpose or backstory fluff. It simply is, and it’s simply fun. When Andrew Perez is at a watch show with his wares, he tells me, “No one walks by without stopping. Nobody.” It’s no wonder, either, as genuine originality in watches today is otherwise in short supply.