Now you see it. Okay, now you definitely see it. But hiding isn’t the point of this camouflage.
Have you ever played the game of hiding a World War I battleship? For most people, the answer is no, unless you happen to imagine yourself navigating the landlocked expanses of the United States Midwest and Great Plains, surrounded by the metaphorical giant bodies of water in places like Nebraska and South Dakota. Of course, hiding massive naval warships was a deadly serious, high-stakes proposition during the First and Second World Wars. Yet, for a brief and fascinating period from around 1917 to 1918, military tacticians adopted a counterintuitive approach: instead of trying to make ships blend into the horizon, the goal was to completely distort their appearance. That bold philosophy inspired Toledano & Chan to create their latest timepiece, the b/1 "Dazzle," a watch designed to obfuscate rather than obliterate.
If the concept of "dazzle camo" sounds familiar to watch enthusiasts, it is likely because Bulgari recently showcased its own interpretation of this disruptive pattern material, commonly known as DPM in military and industrial design circles, just a few months ago. Furthermore, the horological community caught its first glimpse of the Toledano & Chan creation when it was officially nominated for a prestigious GPHG award. To understand the aesthetic lineage of the watch, it is worth looking back at the origins of the pattern itself.
The strategy traces its roots to 1914, when British zoologist John Graham Kerr proposed a disruptive pattern material to Winston Churchill. The design was intended to alter the perceived outline, size, distance, and direction of ships at sea. The underlying concept mirrored nature, specifically borrowing from the way zebras use bold stripes to confuse predators regarding their exact distance and numbers. The proposal was convincing enough that a significant number of naval vessels were painted with striking, high-contrast geometric schemes. While some German U-boat captains later noted that the unconventional patterns made targeting difficult, the true military efficacy of dazzle camo remains a subject of historical debate. Ultimately, the rapid advancement of radar technology rendered optical camouflage largely obsolete. Today, outside of the automotive industry where manufacturers use similar wraps to hide prototype car designs from prying eyes, dazzle camouflage remains a striking historical oddity.
And yet, despite its checkered military utility, dazzle camouflage possesses an undeniable, striking visual appeal. In the case of the Toledano & Chan b/1 "Dazzle," this unique aesthetic is rendered entirely in Grade 5 titanium, featuring alternating and irregular compositions of frosted and satin-brushed finishes that stripe dynamically across both the case and the dial. The complex pattern is achieved through precise CNC engraving, followed by meticulous diamond-frosted and brushed treatments.
The timepiece retains the distinct design language established by the original b/1 model, incorporating a "destro" crown positioned on the left side of the case, along with a faceted crystal and overall architectural geometry heavily inspired by the iconic Marcel Breuer building in New York. Formerly home to the Whitney Museum and later the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Brutalist structure now serves as the home of Sotheby’s auction house. Instead of treating the dial and case as separate entities, the sharp geometric lines flow seamlessly from the case directly onto the dial surface. Due to the angular, unconventional shape of the watch, traditional measurements can be challenging to pin down precisely, but the case measures approximately 33.5mm in width and ranges from 9.10mm to 10.40mm in thickness depending on the measurement angle.
Beating inside the titanium shell is a reliable Sellita SW100 automatic movement, which drives the hours and minutes while offering a power reserve of 42 hours. For collectors seeking an even more dramatic aesthetic departure, Toledano & Chan has also prepared a variant dubbed the "Double Dazzle," which elevates the disruptive pattern by incorporating 350 natural pavé-set diamonds.
Production numbers for the collection will be strictly limited. The standard edition of the b/1 "Dazzle" is restricted to 188 pieces with a retail price of $7,700, while the diamond-set "Double Dazzle" is an ultra-exclusive run of just 12 pieces priced at $9,700. The watches become available for purchase directly through the brand’s official website, as well as through select global retail partners including Antoine de Macedo in Paris, Collective Horology in California, The Turkish Watch Guy in Istanbul, Bernardini in Milan, and Exquisite Timepieces in Florida.
For anyone who appreciates the rich history of obscure military textiles—such as Oman’s intense red desert camo or the encyclopedic collections documented in Hardy Blechman’s legendary book "DPM: Disruptive Pattern Material"—camero-themed watches occupy a fascinating and delicate space. Camouflage as a fashion tool has historically been difficult to execute with genuine taste. One can largely trace its modern sartorial roots back to the post-Vietnam era, when disaffected soldiers integrated items like the M-1965 Field Jacket and the Tropical Combat Jacket, affectionately known as the "Jungle Jacket," into their everyday civilian wardrobes. Today, these surplus garments are enduring staples of classic menswear.
However, leaning too heavily into overt militaria or wearing camouflage patterns from too recent a historical timeframe can easily veer into the realm of cosplay. That is precisely why more abstract, historically removed patterns tend to succeed in high-end design. Dazzle camouflage is inherently impractical; no one will wear this watch to genuinely trick an observer into miscalculating how far away their wrist is or which direction it is moving. Instead, it serves as a bold, uncompromising design statement.
The technical specifications of the Toledano & Chan b/1 "Dazzle" and "Double Dazzle" begin with a Grade 5 titanium case measuring 33.5mm in width and between 9.10mm and 10.40mm in thickness, featuring an integrated titanium bracelet, a water resistance rating of 50 meters, and an absence of indexes and lume to keep the focus entirely on the geometric surface work. Powering the watch is the automatic Sellita SW100 caliber, operating at standard frequencies to provide hours, minutes, and a 42-hour power reserve. The standard titanium edition is limited to 188 pieces priced at $7,700, while the 12-piece "Double Dazzle" features 350 pavé-set diamonds and retails for $9,700.
