Sō Labs, And the Layer Two

I challenge you to find any watch quite like a Sō Labs.

- Zen Love

In fact, can you even think of anything it compares to? Or an existing watch category to which it belongs? The brand’s signature look is unusual, to say the least.

“Obviously, it’s not a watch for everybody,” says Andrew Perez, one half of the duo behind Sō Labs. And he’s completely fine with that.

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’.