When the British watch brand Paulin launched its OH No model last year - with free-form bespoke numerals designed by with the San Jose type foundry of the same name - it was not expected that it would become a best-seller.
“That it has suggests typography on a watch dial matters more that the watch industry perhaps allows for, especially given that otherwise a watch can just be a circle with 12 dots on it,” says Lewis Heath, the founder of Paulin and AnOrdain watch brands. “I think typography is likely under explored as a point of distinction on ‘proper’ watches, and this is something new smaller brands [arguably less weighed down by heritage or convention] are tuning in to. And I think watch consumers are really starting to paying attention to typography now”.
