A cult watch brand influenced by Dalí shut down in the ’90s. Now it’s back

As watch shapes go, this one is completely unique. Pinching inward at what should be the widest point on the circumference, the dial looks a lot like Spanish artist Salvador Dalí’s iconic melting clocks from his painting ‘The Persistence of Memory’.

This is microbrand Exaequo’s hero timepiece, the sensuously curvy Melting Watch. Originally introduced in 1990 as the Softwatch, it was a cult hit. Back then, the Beatles’ frontman Paul McCartney and wife Linda even gifted an engraved gold version to their sound engineer, Geoff Emerick, which then sold at auction in 2019 for $4,480. Of course, the brand went out of business long before that—in 1998, for using Dalí’s signature without permission.

But given its unique shape, build quality, and resemblance to one of the holiest of grail watches—the Cartier Crash—it’s been on several want-lists on the secondary market.

“About 10 years ago, [the Cartier Crash] was really niche. Some people thought it was too different, too quirky. Back then the Crash was €30,000,” says Andrea Casalegno, the 27-year-old Italian watch influencer, Exaequo brand ambassador, and the man generally credited in the watch community for almost single-handedly bringing the brand back from obscurity.

“I feel the Crash is special because of its design more than its story. So, I’ve always looked for a watch that had a similar aesthetic. Like, not a copy, but a similar watch, with the same vibe. In 2015, I spent a lot of time browsing the internet for such a watch. 
And I felt Exaequo’s Softwatch was interesting because, somehow, it was legit—a very well-made watch that just looks like another watch,” says Casalegno.

He subsequently bought it on eBay for €280 (approx ₹28,500). At 4 am. On a night bus home from someone’s 18th birthday party. Watch number two was bought for just €35 (approx ₹3,500). Eventually, he built a collection of 40 watches. Several of these he sold to friends. “I dug up the brand’s story and started posting videos about these watches [on Instagram and YouTube]. 
A lot of my friends in Milan wanted one,” he says.

“Once, I was on a train to Rome with literally no money and I sold the first one ever for over €1,000. That paid for my trip. I’m not a dealer. I don’t sell watches for a living, but this really kickstarted my career [in the watch world],” he says. Over a year and a half, Casalegno was able to drive the price of the Softwatch up from €200 (approx ₹20,404) to €3,000 (approx ₹3,06,000). Features in British GQ and The New York Times no doubt contributed to this price rise. In November last year, auction house Sotheby’s sold a gold-plated timepiece in 1995 for €6,000 euro (approx ₹6,12,000 today). “I got shit for that, because there’s a guy in the US that basically told me off for bringing the watch to such a high value,” says Casalegno.

“With the marketing Andrea has done for Exaequo, he changed the whole game for the brand,” says Punit Mehta, India head of the Red Bar watch community and a friend of Casalegno. “It’s a nice, fun watch brand and the next best alternative to the Crash when it comes to shapeless watches,” he adds.

Though Casalegno hoped to acquire the brand, it was bought over by watch entrepreneur Chris Zocchi (who is CEO) and his friend and business partner Italo Fontana, founder of the niche watch brand U-BOAT. In 2024 they relaunched Exaequo, and the Softwatch was dubbed the Melting Watch. “I saw Exaequo watches in the ’90s for the first time, when I was a teenager. I’ve been working in the watch industry since I was 18; and I saw that the media never stopped writing or talking about it. Then the prices of the second-hand market increased, demand increased. So, when I heard that the brand was available, I bought it,” says Zocchi.

The refreshed watches were presented to the world last year; and they come with a two-level dial that is curvier, more fluid, and water-resistant up to 30 metres.

But the timepiece to keep an eye out for is the Melting Watch Polyhedron, says Zocchi. Echoing the design of the Exaequo Classic, it features 62 faceted surfaces and is handcrafted in sterling silver. “The production of just one Polyhedron requires at least two days, not including the production of other parts and assembly,” says Zocchi. “It’s a piece of art and a piece of jewellery,” he adds.

A perfect conversation-starter. “I’ve always told my friends this is the only watch that got me talking to girls. Why? Because it looks so surreal. So, it’s something cultural in the popular way and not just for watch lovers,” concludes Casalegno.

Exaequo watches will be available at Just in Time stores in Mumbai, Surat, and Ahmedabad; Swiss Paradise, Mumbai; CT Pundole, Pune; The Collective in New Delhi, Gurgaon and Lucknow