Online Ceramics’s First-Ever Watch Is Here
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In John Mayer’s estimation, Online Ceramics’ first watch transcends that simple description. “It's just an object of beauty,” he said on a call last month. “Even if you don't wear it on your wrist, you'll just want to put it on the loop of your backpack.”
Online Ceramics has been printing its sunny mantras and tie-dyeing T-shirts since 2016, but the brand has never brought its distinctive look to a timepiece until today. Now, as part of a series curated by watch lover John Mayer in collaboration with Hodinkee, Online Ceramics is releasing a stoned-out version of G-Shock’s 5600.
The watch is reined-in by Online Ceramics standards—meaning it’s nutso by anyone else’s. Cast in a deep forest green, there are OC splashes all over. The most visible is the brand’s logo in white that runs across the entire band. The strap also includes the phrases “Sun Watch, Moon Time” and “Mushroom House Haunted Wagon” in smaller yellow text (Inscrutability is part of the fun with Online Ceramics). My favorite feature is that when the backlight is activated, a sun appears on the dial with the phrase “Love Grows In The Sunshine” at its center. The rest of the face is filled out with yellow and red accents while the caseback carries Online Ceramics’s snail logo. There is absolutely no mistaking this for anything other than a collab with the beloved brand. This piece will go up for sale at Hodinkee’s webshop on 11am EST this Thursday, November 16th.
Over the past few years, Online Ceramics has been the collaborator de rigueur for forward-thinking musicians and filmmakers. The brand creates tees and hoodies for many of A24’s movies and worked on the merchandise for artists like SZA and 100 Gecs. But no relationship is tighter than the one with Dead & Company, a band formed by members of the Grateful Dead,, which Mayer performs with. Mayer frequently works with Online Ceramics for his own merch, too. “Elijah [Funk, Online Ceramics’ co-founder] is so impressive, it just knocks me out,” Mayer said. “He does merch with me and we'll go back and forth on ideas. They’re the most fun texts in my phone. We just jam out.”
Unlike most of the other G-Shock collaborations coming out of the Hodinkee Cinematic Universe, Online Ceramics chose the flatter, rectangular 5600 over the blockier 6900. While the 6900 has historically been a favorite of streetwear brands and musicians like Kid Cudi, Bape, Undefeated, and Billionaire’s Boy Club, the 5600 is recognizable in its own right. The model is the thinking man’s G-Shock, drawing in partners like NASA, the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion, and Gorillaz.
The Online Ceramics G-Shock is part of Mayer’s growing list of watch collaborations. Between 2020 and 2022, he designed and released three of his own G-Shocks. Now, he’s curating a list of partners that includes Ed Sheeran and Online Ceramics. (The third will be announced later this year.) Every one of the projects has sold out immediately. Now, he’s turned to a cult-loved brand, but one that’s an interloper when it comes to timepieces. Mayer was stoked on the result: “The Online Ceramics G-Shock,” he said, “is a whole different level.”
Originally Appeared on GQ
