Richard Benc has built a home for Studio Underd0g, and you’re all invited inside

Tom Austin

Studio Underd0g has spent the last five years building one of the most recognisable identities in modern independent watchmaking. The watches have always felt like they belonged to a world of their own, populated by watermelons, desserts, playful colours and an unwillingness to take themselves too seriously, especially when it comes to pizza. With the opening of The D0ghouse in Maidenhead, Richard Benc has turned that world into a place you can actually visit. At a passing glance, it might sound like Studio Underd0g has simply opened a new assembly facility, and that’s certainly part of the story, but it’s definitely not the full picture. Bringing watch assembly in-house is a bold move for any young watch brand, particularly one operating in Britain. Yet it quickly becomes apparent that Richard’s ambitions stretch far beyond creating a more efficient way to build watches or presenting them at traditional watch fairs. The D0ghouse feels more like a physical manifestation of the Studio Underd0g universe, a place where customers can step inside the brand they’ve previously experienced only on a screen or on their wrist.

Even the building itself sets the tone. Tucked away in Maidenhead, its distinctive flint-covered exterior gives little indication of what’s waiting inside, aside from the suspiciously recognisable aubergine-coloured, very British Georgian front door. Visitors are greeted by a frosted D0ghouse window, hidden passageways, velvet curtains, and a carefully curated collection of objects that feel as though they’ve been pulled directly from Richard’s imagination, such as a delightful Connect-4 set, complete with Underd0g dials as tokens.  The atmosphere is intimate rather than grand. Unlike the sprawling visitor centres and museums built by major Swiss brands, this is deliberately small-scale. The result feels personal, almost like being invited into somebody’s home rather than visiting a watch manufacturer.

That intimacy is entirely intentional. The showroom is designed for just a handful of guests at a time and serves as a showcase for the full Studio Underd0g collection. There are playful details throughout, including a custom-built seating area decorated with objects from the brand’s journey so far, such as the infamous Cl0ning Machine from 2025’s homage to the homages, or the wonderful “Where’s Wally”  style poster depicting some important figures and events from the brand’s past. Richard reportedly compared the concept to Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory, and it’s surprisingly difficult to come up with a better description. Every corner seems to contain another detail waiting to be discovered, reinforcing the feeling that you’re exploring a miniature world rather than a conventional retail space.

Of course, there is a serious side to all of this. The D0ghouse represents a seven-figure investment and marks the culmination of a long-term strategy to bring assembly operations under Studio Underd0g’s direct control. In an era when many microbrand business models remain almost entirely virtual, Richard has gone in the opposite direction. Rather than stripping costs out of the process, he’s invested heavily in creating infrastructure, employing watchmakers and establishing a physical destination for customers to visit. It’s an unusual move, but then Studio Underd0g has never built its reputation by taking the obvious route.

The significance extends beyond the brand itself. British watchmaking has experienced something of a revival in recent years, yet the infrastructure supporting it remains relatively limited compared with that of Switzerland, Germany, or Japan. The D0ghouse provides not only assembly capacity for Underd0g’s growing volumes, but also a potential pathway for training and developing future watchmaking talent. That might not be the most immediately obvious aspect of the project, but it could ultimately prove to be one of the most important.

For visitors, however, the biggest attraction is likely to be the D0ghouse Assembly Experience. Rather than simply observing watchmakers at work, guests are invited to take part in the process themselves. Under the guidance of Studio Underd0g’s team, participants assemble their own watch, performing tasks that many enthusiasts have only ever seen carried out under a loupe on social media. Fitting hands, securing dials and working with components measured in fractions of a millimetre quickly provides an appreciation for the dexterity and patience required to assemble even a relatively simple mechanical watch.

What makes the experience particularly compelling is that it doesn’t shy away from the reality of watchmaking. This isn’t a simplified exercise designed to make everyone feel like a master watchmaker after half an hour. Some of the tasks require genuine precision and a surprisingly delicate touch. Aligning hands correctly, securing components without damaging them and making tiny adjustments all demand concentration. By the end of the process, most participants will likely leave with a newfound respect for the people who do this work every day.

The reward is a watch you can’t just buy like any normal drop. Guests can build and purchase the D0ghouse-exclusive Guava edition, a fresh take on the brand’s popular 01SERIES. Featuring a guava-inspired colour palette that feels perfectly at home within the Studio Underd0g family, it’s available only to visitors of The D0ghouse. The only slight drawback is that the Guava is currently offered exclusively on a Milanese mesh bracelet, with no alternative strap options available at launch. Those taking part in the assembly experience do get to leave with a caseback engraved “Assembled By Me”, creating a connection to the watch that’s difficult to replicate through any traditional purchase. Plenty of brands can sell you a limited edition. Very few can hand you a watch and genuinely say you helped build it.

What’s particularly impressive is how naturally all of these elements fit together. The showroom and workshop, the hidden details, the assembly experience and the exclusive watch all serve the same purpose. They’re helping transform Studio Underd0g from a watch brand into a destination, and in doing so, make it one of the most ambitious activations in British watchmaking for years, especially in a world where we’re now mostly limited to experiences on a screen.

Plenty of companies talk about building communities and creating experiences, but very few commit to doing so in such a tangible way. Richard has effectively taken the character that made Studio Underd0g successful in the first place and turned it into something people can physically walk through and interact with. At a cost of £700, including the watch you walk away with, the overall experience feels like insanely good value, given what’s on offer.

Whether it’s viewed as a bold investment in British watchmaking, a clever piece of brand-building, or simply an enjoyable day out for enthusiasts, The D0ghouse feels unlike anything else currently offered by a brand of this size. The only downside is that experiencing it may not be easy for long. With appointments intentionally limited and assembly sessions accommodating only a small number of guests each week, availability is likely to disappear quickly. If you’ve ever wanted to build your own Studio Underd0g, see where the watches are assembled and experience one of the most unusual visitor experiences in modern watchmaking, you’d be wise not to leave it too long.