Arcanaut has brewed up the ARC II D’Arc Roast, a tasty watch with a dial made from real coffee beans
Jamie Weiss- Experimental pan-Scandinavian watchmaker Arcanaut’s latest playful creation boasts a ground coffee bean composite dial.
- This hygge-inducing dial is flanked by X3 SLN Lumicast blocks, mounted within a microblasted steel case, and is complemented by a playful luminous caseback.
- Like many Arcanaut watches, each ARC II D’Arc Roast dial is unique, with production further limited to 33 individually numbered pieces.
One of the biggest pleasures of working out of the Time+Tide Discovery Studio in Melbourne is the sheer array of watches that I can get hands-on with – as well as being a stone’s throw from some of the best coffee and cafes in the world (plus unfettered access to the store’s Nespresso machine when I can’t be bothered leaving the Studio – we journalists live off stress and caffeine, don’t you know?). The velocity and variety of pieces in our Studios have expanded exponentially over the last few months with the launch of our Hot Drops program, which sees diverse independent brands offered for a limited time on a rotating basis. The latest brand we’ve had in as a Hot Drop has been Arcanaut, who is known for making watch dials out of very innovative materials, notably fordite. Arcanaut’s latest trick? Making a watch dial out of coffee. Now that’s hot.
By any metric, the Nordics are proper coffee addicts. Finland has long held the title as the world’s biggest consumer of coffee per capita, with Arcanaut’s home of Denmark also ranking as one of the world’s top coffee consumers. Arcanaut also reminds us that four of the first seven Barista World Champions (yes, that’s a thing) were Danes, joking that Denmark has produced more top baristas than watchmakers (sorry, Christian Lass). This is all to say that it makes a surprising amount of sense for a Danish company to make a watch with a dial made from coffee.
The timepiece in question is called the ARC II D’Arc Roast, which is very punny, and has a dial made from a single piece of ground coffee bean composite. Arcanaut explains that “this material uses specially selected beans, ground to a fine powder before being introduced to an ultra-hard, UV-resistant binding agent and [turned] into millable blocks under intense pressure”. Like many Arcanaut watches, each ARC II D’Arc Roast dial is unique. Due to the construction of the composite, each dial will have a subtly different array of grains, pits and colours. Indeed, the dial looks a lot like an espresso puck ready to be fed into a machine and turned into a delicious hot cup of coffee.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a watch with components made from the humble coffee bean. Actually, Arcanaut’s Chief of Materials Development, James “Black Badger” Thompson – who’s responsible for creating this coffee composite – previously partnered with Bamford and TAG Heuer back in 2020 on a 20-piece limited edition run of Carrera Calibre 5 models with dials made from a coffee composite. I mentioned Nespresso earlier, too: in 2023, Hublot collaborated with the capsule coffee brand, creating a Big Bang Unico with an aluminium case made from recycled Nespresso pods, plus fabric and rubber straps made partly from coffee grounds. We’re surprised Brew Watch Co, with its explicit coffee inspiration, hasn’t tried to do something similar…
In my opinion, the composite that Thompson’s came up with for the ARC II D’Arc Roast is much more impressive than the coffee dials he made for Bamford. Unlike those dials, which were simple discs (not to undersell how cool they are, and how much of a challenge producing a dial that slim out of coffee is), the ARC II D’Arc Roast’s dial is multi-dimensional and more complex. Because it’s a tougher material that can be milled without snapping, it’s allowed Arcanaut to add a drilled hour and minute track plus a logo at 12 o’clock, as well as a recessed chapter ring in which blocks of lume (a proprietary mix) have been set. Above this toasty brown dial, two skeletonised ‘Grand Paw’ hands tell time, which have been heat-treated to an appealing bronze tone.
Arcanaut elaborates further that the colour scheme of the ARC II D’Arc Roast aims to evoke the Scandinavian concept of hygge, which the Oxford English Dictionary describes as “a quality of cosiness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being” that’s regarded as a defining characteristic of Danish culture. Imagine snuggling under a blanket on a comfy sofa next to a roaring fire as snow falls outside while warming your hands with a hot cup of coffee. That’s the vibe Arcanaut is going for here.
All this cozy coffee dial goodness is housed within a space-age-looking microblasted stainless steel case that measures 40.52mm wide and 49.90mm long, with the ARC II design’s case featuring a subtle curve that hugs the wrist, fastened with an integrated FKM rubber strap. Powering the ARC II D’Arc Roast is a no-nonsense Soprod M100 automatic movement with a 42-hour power reserve – somewhat humdrum, but Arcanaut makes no apologies about being design-forward with its watches. Speaking of design, a final touch is a cute “Coffee Time” cartoon Glowpatch graphic on the watch’s caseback. Try not to give yourself the jitters.
Arcanaut ARC II D’Arc Roast pricing and availability
The Arcanaut ARC II D’Arc Roast is a limited edition of 33 individually numbered pieces. We have secured 5 of these to offer to our community through our Hot Drops program at our Melbourne and London Watch Discovery Studios as well as online. Price: US$4,400 (excl. taxes, including shipping), A$7,590, £4,200
| Brand | Arcanaut |
| Model | ARC II D’Arc Roast |
| Case Dimensions | 40.52mm (D) x 13.00mm (T) x 49.30mm (LTL) |
| Case Material | Stainless steel |
| Weight | 110 g |
| Water Resistance | 100 metres (10 ATM) |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire |
| Dial | In-house real ground coffee composite |
| Lug Width | Integrated |
| Strap | Integrated FKM rubber strap, steel pin buckle |
| Movement | Soprod M100, automatic |
| Power Reserve | 42 hours |
| Functions | Hours and minutes |
| Availability | Limited to 33 individually numbered pieces |
| Price | US$4,400 A$7,590 £4,200 |