Ember launches to great heights with their debut time-only Rocket
Tom AustinIt’s no secret that starting a small watch brand is a challenge; there are numerous elements to consider before even beginning to delve into the nuances of the watch’s design. Some brands set out by revisiting themes from a bygone era, while others aim to solve problems faced by professionals. Or, perhaps their goal is to disrupt the often-stuffy watch world with something new and exciting. But one element which is usually harder to pick up on, unites the best microbrands and helps forge ahead with success: passion. At the recent WatchIt! fair, I stumbled across a brand I hadn’t seen before, and being the inquisitive soul that I am, I proceeded to bombard the founder, John Glinister, with questions about his new watch brand, Ember. After chatting with John and his wife, I was genuinely struck by how they overflowed with passion about the watches, with John poring over the small details, like any good designer would, and his wife being the supportive and ambitious voice.
Ember is John’s passion project, which began inadvertently during the COVID pandemic. With his experience in bespoke furniture design spilling over into his passion for watches, he began to sketch watch design concepts based on his own tastes, with the goal of creating something genuinely different. Four years later, the final result of his designs had launched on Kickstarter, raising almost $27,000 in 21 days to get things started. And now, the Ember Rocket, which started life as a sketch in a notebook, is unleashed into the world of British microbrands.
Complex, but not overdesigned
Aside from the bright colours, the most striking aspect of the watch is its case. Finished in bead-blasted stainless steel, the 40mm case features a multitude of angled surfaces, not only reminiscent of a wrist-mounted stealth fighter jet, but also evoking a hint of vintage Zenith Defy. I’d say its form is octagonal, but upon closer inspection, it’s not, because the case has around 27 surfaces, all intersecting in different directions.
The only polished surface on the front of the watch is around the edge of the subtle bezel, which provides a nice reflective surface to break up the subtle finish. The bead-blasted finish is excellent for preventing micro scratches too, which adds to the case’s functionality, offering 100 metres of water resistance thanks to a screw down crown and case back. The caseback itself is also interesting, featuring a mirror polish that contrasts with an Ember logo motif machined into it.
The case is incredibly comfortable to wear, with muscular, angled lugs that follow the curve of your wrist, resulting in a 47mm lug-to-lug measurement. When paired with a 12mm thickness, this leads to reasonably sized proportions for most wrist sizes, and the case’s design doesn’t make it feel overly thick. One slight criticism would be that when worn on the bracelet, the watch feels heavy at 160g, but it’s only marginal, and far from uncomfortable. For comparison, it’s around 4 grams heavier than a steel Submariner, which doesn’t sound like a lot, but it’s somehow noticeable here.
Initially, the Rocket was released with colourful, dial-matching rubber or leather straps, but not content with how the standard options blended with the meticulous design of the case, Ember recently launched a full stainless steel bracelet, designed with the same level of intricacy.
The quick-release H-link bracelet is crafted from bead-blasted stainless steel, just like the case, and features clean bevels on its edges, making it a joy to handle. The links have very little play in them, meaning there is zero annoying rattle. And another neat feature is that they’re also secured with screws, rather than the typical pins often found in watches of this price level. This makes sizing the bracelet a simple task, especially when you consider that the perfectly sized folding clasp features a hidden micro-adjust, another excellent feature.
A sandwich worth savouring
Considered design didn’t end with the case. John ran through multiple iterations of the look before finalising on this sandwich-style dial for the finished product. First, a deep, angled rehaut sits around the outside, here in vibrant sunset orange against a contrasting blue dial plate. The rehaut contains five-minute markers at twelve points around its circumference, which are clear enough to read easily without cluttering the dial up too much. These marks align with slots in the dial plate, which reveal the lower layer of the dial sandwich, where the dial’s lume uniquely shines through.
Bright, polished, and lume-filled pencil hands sit above the dial, paired with a contrasting seconds hand. The white details follow through in the simple dial text, and a perfectly sized Ember logo is positioned at 12 o’clock. There are five different variations of the Rocket, including: black and blue “Midnight Neon”, white and green “Glacial White”, pink and black “Skyline Pink”, “Sky Blue”, and the featured “Sunset Orange”. This wide variety is unusual so early on in the days of any watch brand, and it makes picking a favourite a good problem to have.
No-fuss movement, no surprises
The Rocket is a time-only watch, which helped keep costs down when it came to selecting the movement. Ember opted for a Seiko NH38A automatic, importantly a true no-date movement, so there’s no phantom crown positions to worry about. It’s a solid, no-frills workhorse that beats at 21,600vph, with a 41-hour power reserve. As it’s unlikely to win any beauty awards, Ember chose to keep it hidden behind a cool-looking solid caseback, another solid design consideration.
That said, in addition to the value you get from the case, the Ember would truly stand out with an upgrade to a Miyota 9000, as it would bring it in line with some of the best value propositions under US$1,000. It might also have helped Ember shave off a millimetre or so off the thickness.
Closing thoughts
It’s always exciting to be introduced to a new watch you didn’t know existed, and it’s even more impressive to discover that the watch has been developed with a passionate eye for detail. The Rocket is not some off-the-shelf made up of a bunch of off-the-shelf, catalogue components; it’s the result of hours of diligent work and thoughtful consideration, which has resulted in a cohesive design that not only makes sense to wear, but looks fantastic, too.
The Rocket is also just a fun watch to wear, and eye-catching for all the right reasons. It’s bright and vibrant in all of its colourways, but especially in this orange and blue version. It’s not trying to be anything it isn’t, either, just being the result of an enthusiastic designer’s ideas. At under £500, the Rocket is an exciting prospect, and packed with value in places where I didn’t expect to find it.
Ember Rocket price and availability
The Ember Rocket is available now. Price: £359 (rubber strap), £449 (bracelet)
| Brand | Ember |
| Model | Rocket |
| Case Dimensions | 40mm (D) x 12mm (T) x 47mm (LTL) |
| Case Material | 316L stainless steel |
| Water Resistance | 100 meters |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire |
| Dial | Blue and orange, white and green, blue and black, black and pink, sky blue |
| Lug Width | 20mm |
| Bracelet | Stainless steel, folding clasp and micro-adjust Rubber or leather strap, pin buckle |
| Movement | Seiko NH38a, automatic |
| Power Reserve | 41 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, seconds |
| Availability | Available now |
| Price | £359 (rubber strap) £449 (bracelet) |