Skip to main content

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

Mr Jones Watches release: Mechanical version of popular ‘Beam me up!’ edition

Whimsy now comes in mechanical

Beam me up! watch
Mr Jones Watches

If you want something interesting on your wrist and don’t take things too seriously, then you may want to consider Mr Jones Watches’ new mechanical option. The London-based watchmaker has released an automatic version of its popular “Beam me up!” watch, which features illustrations from French artist and author Xavier Broche.

Like its quartz equivalent, the new “Beam me up!” features a cartoon pig doing its best to escape a tractor beam shot out by a flying saucer. The beam doubles as the minute hand, while the confused swine acts as the hour marker. The rest of the face is a two-tone green and features a cow, a fence, and a small flock of birds. The mechanical variant of the watch is a little bigger than the quartz one. So expect the scene to take up 40 mm of wrist space instead of 37. It’s also 11 mm thick.

Recommended Videos

In terms of longevity, it comes with a year’s warranty as standard — though the company says it’s “happy to help” if problems arise after that. It can also tolerate five atmospheres of pressure, which equates to roughly 164 feet of depth.

When describing what inspired him to daub the watch’s design, Broche said:

“I wanted to describe an alien encounter in a playful way. I imagined how it would be for a simple pig to be at the heart of this historic event. I found it funny to imagine the alien traveling endlessly across space searching for intelligent life, only to encounter a bewildered pig at the end of this epic journey! Don’t worry about the pig though — he’ll outwit the alien in the end!”

Mr Jones Beam me up watch back
Mr Jones Watches

Mechanical watches are already a talking point

If we’re judging things on accuracy or practicality, mechanical watches are inferior to those with quartz movements. A quartz watch keeps time by running a small electrical charge through a piece of quartz crystal. The crystal then vibrates at a frequency of 32,768 hertz, and this can be broken down to measure a second. As a result, even cheap quartz watches are accurate to within 1 second per day. On the other hand, a COSC-certified chronometer, which is an excellent mechanical watch, can lose up to 4, or gain up to 6 seconds per day. You don’t have to wear or wind a quartz watch either.

So why are we obsessed with men’s watches with mechanical movements? Well, they’re more technically impressive. Especially when a watchmaker designs something particularly accurate, adds complications, or develops a different way of doing things. They’re a talking point, and they’re absolutely beautiful to look at.

As for the movement Mr Jones is using, we don’t know much. But we do know it is Swiss, automatic, and uses 26 jewels. We discerned this by looking through the back of the watch, and you can, too, thanks to the glass case back. Said case back also includes an illustration of the pig, which seems to have been trapped by the tractor beam. You can grab the automatic “Beam me up!” from the Mr Jones Watches website. At the time of this writing, it’s retailing for $595.

Dave McQuilling
Dave has spent pretty much his entire career as a journalist; this has included jobs at newspapers, TV stations, on the…
Frederique Constant Classic Moonphase Date is a limited edition watch with a gorgeous dial
All about the Frederique Constant Classic Moonphase Date
green malachite dial on new Frederique Constant watch

Although it seems as if there are no more firsts for Frederique Constant when it comes to their watch designs, they still manage to innovate and create new pieces that will entice any collector. In their newest Classic Moonphase Date watch, Frederique Constant utilizes a new resource to create a refreshing new dial color. An update to their previous Classic Moonphase Date manufacture, this iteration comes with a mixture of high-quality and luxury materials that set it apart from its predecessors. While the concept isn’t new, this new release is a special limited piece that will only see a few pieces sold. There’s no doubt that the green dial steals the show, but the in-house caliber is a show-stopper on its own. For anyone looking for a traditional dress watch, the newest Classic Moonphase Date deserves a spot. 
Introducing the new green malachite dial

There are plenty of details to marvel at when it comes to a Frederique Constant Moonphase Date Manufacture, but there’s no doubt that the green dial steals the show. Housed in a 40mm polished, three-part 18k white-gold case, the watch comes fitted with a green malachite dial with streaks of black and light green throughout. With a size of 40mm, this timepiece also contains an anti-reflective convex sapphire crystal.  The green malachite dial contains a moonphase and pointer date sub-dial which sits on the 6 o’clock mark. In contrast to the natural green stones are silver-applied indices and alpha hour/minute hands. 

Read more
Frederique Constant’s latest limited-edition watch is a celestial beauty
A timepiece that looks like artwork on the wrist
Watchmaker putting together classic tourbillon manufacture

If one watch company knows how to bridge the concept of aesthetic design and luxury craftsmanship, it's Frederique Constant. In honor of the recent Geneva Watch Days, the company has once again stunned watch enthusiasts with its latest piece that is nothing short of art.

With its new Classic Tourbillion Manufacture, Frederique Constant has once again elevated its collection of watches with a celestial-inspired piece that’s one of the most limited-edition timepieces available. Apart from looking like artwork, this watch has all of the characteristics of a Frederique Constant watch that’s technically ahead of its time. Created to uphold the highest of Genevan standards, this Classic Tourbillion Manufacture will have its few pieces picked up sooner rather than later.
The new Classic Tourbillion Manufacture

Read more
H. Moser & Cie, Studio Underd0g’s first watch collab is a bold, limited-edition duo
two watches from the passion project sitting on table

As far as watch collaborations go, the result of H.Moser & Cie and Studio Underd0g’s pairing is nothing short of bold and youthful. These new timepieces, aptly named Passion Project, are a wonderfully modern and innovative design that mixes unique aspects of both companies into two watches. The collaboration between an icon in watch design like H.Moser & Cie with the UK brand Studio Underd0g is a limited edition set that takes an impactful timepiece that gives users a unique colorway and characteristics. With only 100 pieces for sale, there’s no doubt that this limited edition piece will sell out quickly. Besides its enticing color scheme, this watch contains all the features that make H.Moser & Cie a favorite among watch enthusiasts. Making this collaboration even more exciting is that users will get double the fun, with both watches in this partnership being sold as a set.  
The Passion Project

At first glance, the Passion Fruit piece catches your eye with its interesting mix of gold and purple colorways that adds fun and liveliness to your wrist. And for users who enjoy having more options, this collaboration brings us two unique watches that share the same zest. The first of the set, the H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour Perpetual Calendar Passion Fruit, emphasizes H. Moser & Cie’s most iconic characteristic, the perpetual calendar. This piece features the iconic mix of the purple lacquered sunburst dial and Maracuja fumé Grand Feu enamel dial on an 18-carat yellow gold base that shines. The star of the show here is the HMC-800, H. Moser & Cie’s recognized Perpetual Calender movement, which contains a large date display and month indicator via the central hand. 

Read more