Colour Venn
Image: Mr Jones Watches. Used for editorial review under §9.
The designer made a gift for the Queen. Then he put color theory on a watch dial. You've never heard of either.
Mark Champkins studied engineering at Cambridge, designed gifts for the Queen and Stephen Hawking, and gave a TEDx talk alongside Hawking. Then he put the CMYK printing model on a watch dial.
Three transparent discs rotate over matte silver: cyan for hours, magenta for minutes, yellow for seconds. Where they overlap, new colors emerge. Never the same twice.
Hand-printed in South London by art graduates. Swiss Sellita SW200 visible through the caseback.
We don't earn if you buy · Why this matters
Colour Venn ($950). Swiss automatic replacing hands with three CMYK color discs. Science Museum Inventor in Residence designed it. TechCrunch featured
The argument
Why We Chose the Colour Venn
Every watch at $950 competes on the same things: movement finishing, case materials, bezel engineering. The Colour Venn ignores all of it.
Three transparent CMYK discs rotate over a matte silver dial, replacing hands entirely with subtractive color theory. Cyan tracks hours, magenta tracks minutes, yellow sweeps seconds. Where they overlap, new colors emerge. The pattern is never identical twice.
Watchfinder called it a design that 'beautifully explains subtractive colour in the CMYK printing process without a single word.' The Slender Wrist reviewer, who has a background in graphic design and printmaking, chose the Colour Venn as one of two watches to review. Watches.com described it as 'an entirely cool new way to show time in an emotional as well as technical fashion.'
The competitive edge is categorical, not comparative. The Sellita SW200 inside is the same reliable Swiss engine used by brands at twice the price. But no other brand on earth puts a color theory lesson on a dial.
The fit
Who'll Love This
Someone whose favorite detail about anything is how it was made. Graphic designers who know CMYK intimately will recognize their professional color model on a wrist. Art directors, architects, and science teachers who treat accessories as conversation pieces rather than status markers. People who'd genuinely enjoy explaining subtractive color theory at a dinner table.
Perfect for someone who
- works in graphic design or print and knows CMYK by heart
- explains how things work at dinner parties
- collects watches for concepts, not brand logos
- wears accessories that invite questions
Skip for someone who
- needs to read time at a glance without a learning curve
- wants traditional watch-brand recognition from Rolex or Omega
- has wrists under 6.5 inches (50mm lug-to-lug wears long)
- expects product-specific customer reviews (only brand-level Trustpilot available)
- prefers a date complication on every watch
The only CMYK color theory watch with a Swiss mechanical movement
AdventurousHas a point of view
The Verdict
Our recommendation
Mark Champkins studied engineering at Cambridge and design at the Royal College of Art before becoming the Science Museum's first Inventor in Residence. He designed gifts for the Queen and Stephen Hawking. When Mr Jones Watches commissioned him, he translated the CMYK printing model into three rotating transparent films on a Swiss mechanical platform.
Every dial is pad-printed in London's Forest Hill workshop: each color hand-mixed from 100+ inks and applied layer by layer through a silicone pad.
1,209 Trustpilot reviews at 4.8 stars. TechCrunch, Dezeen, Watchfinder, and aBlogtoWatch have all featured the brand.
What People Say About Mr Jones Watches
No reviews yet for this specific product. Here's what customers say about Mr Jones Watches's other products:
Brand-level reviews only. No direct reviews for the Colour Venn specifically. Across 1,209 Trustpilot reviews for Mr Jones Watches (4.8 stars, 91% five-star), customers praise unique artistic designs as talking points, quality craftsmanship, and fast shipping. Repeat buyers are common. Negatives relate to shipping delays and strap sizing, not product defects. Brand maintains 100% reply rate to negatives. Hands-on editorial from The Slender Wrist confirms Sellita SW200, sapphire crystal, and build quality for the Colour Venn specifically.
"More than a watch -- a piece of art. The whole experience feels one of a kind. From the design to the unboxing and how it feels on the wrist, everything exceeded my expectations."
"I have had 2 watches from MJW now. Very well made, totally unique and a good talking point. If you're after a very well made watch that's different from all the rest, get one."
"I found this company by accident. I was drawn to the unusual timepieces and selected one for my partner's birthday. The watch arrived quickly and beautifully packaged. She loves it."
"The Ricochet is right now by far the best value watch you can buy first hand. The finishing meets high standards. Ordering, communication and processing time are excellent."
"Quality of the watch exceeds all expectations and reviews. Strap and box quality are top notch. Always looked at Mr Jones watches as art, but in reality, it's magic."
Recognition
Featured in TechCrunch, Watchfinder and The Slender Wrist
“It's a fun piece with a noble goal. Designed by Mark Champkins, Inventor in Residence at the Science Museum in London.”
“The Colour Venn beautifully explains subtractive colour in the CMYK printing process without a single word. The thinking behind it is the real essence of a Mr Jones piece.”
“A gorgeous watch. The Sellita SW200 is a solid Swiss-made movement. Mr Jones Watches are a breath of fresh air from the snobbery that pervades the watch hobby.”
The Moment
Six weeks in. He glances at the dial during a meeting and notices a green he hasn't seen before, where cyan and yellow converge at a time of day he hasn't checked before. The Colour Venn rewards repeat attention because the CMYK pattern genuinely shifts with every passing second.
The Gift Scene
Two leather straps sit in the box before the watch appears, one calfskin and one grey suede, both from Britain's only remaining oak-bark tannery. Then the dial reveals itself: three colored circles on white with no numbers and no hands.
He holds it closer, searching for some indicator of time, until the yellow disc sweeps past marking seconds. The magenta sits near the 4 for minutes while the cyan hovers at 7 for hours, and where the discs overlap, colors merge into greens and purples.
The sapphire dome bends the shifting palette at every angle. Through the caseback window, the Sellita SW200 balance wheel beats eight times per second.
The Message
You see the world differently. This watch proves it, one shifting color at a time.
Who are you buying for?
The worry
Another watch he respects but doesn't love. Something safe that confirms his taste instead of expanding it.
Birthday
For a husband who'd rather explain CMYK than flash a logo
He owns watches with complications. He's never owned one with no hands, from a Science Museum Inventor in Residence.
Mark Champkins studied engineering at Cambridge before becoming the Science Museum's first Inventor in Residence. He designed gifts for the Queen and Stephen Hawking. When Mr Jones Watches commissioned him, he translated the CMYK printing model into three rotating transparent films on a Swiss mechanical platform. Each watch is pad-printed in Forest Hill by art graduates who hand-mix each color. For a husband who values how things are made, this rewards the curiosity she loves about him.
Three CMYK discs create secondary colors at every intersection: green where cyan meets yellow, purple where cyan meets magenta. For a husband who appreciates both engineering and art, the Sellita SW200 handles precision while hand-printed transparent discs handle beauty. Beautiful objects trigger quality assumptions in under 500 milliseconds. The abstract color circles communicate 'exceptional' before he checks the specs or learns about the designer's Cambridge degree.
The Sellita SW200 is the same engine family used by Tag Heuer and Oris, serviceable by any watchmaker worldwide. 19 years in business. 1,209 Trustpilot reviews at 4.8 stars. Sapphire crystal. Five-year warranty.
Two leather straps first, calfskin and grey suede. Then three colored circles on white, no numbers. He searches for hands. The yellow disc sweeps. He holds it under the lamp and the sapphire dome bends the palette.
The worry
A predictable gift from a brand he'd pick himself. Something that says 'I Googled gifts for men' instead of 'I know you.'.
Anniversary
For a boyfriend who values design thinking over brand logos
Most watches add complications. This removed everything: no hands, no numbers. CMYK color theory, Swiss platform.
Champkins took the CMYK subtractive colour model, the system behind every printed page, and translated it into rotating transparent films. Cyan for hours, magenta for minutes, yellow for seconds. Where two overlap: new colors. Where three overlap: near-black. The palette shifts every second. For a boyfriend in design or tech, this is art and engineering made wearable. The oak-bark leather develops richer patina each month, marking time alongside the CMYK dial.
Most $950 watches compete on case finishing and movement decoration. The Colour Venn competes on concept. For a boyfriend who values design thinking over brand recognition, that matters. The hand-printed transparent discs and sapphire crystal trigger what researchers call the effort heuristic: visible craft signals invested care. The J&FJ Baker oak-bark leather, tanned 12+ months at Britain's only remaining traditional tannery, develops character only his wrist creates.
Sellita SW200: 26 jewels, hacking seconds, 38-41 hour power reserve. Sapphire crystal. Featured in TechCrunch, Dezeen, Watchfinder. The concept is unconventional; the engineering underneath is standard Swiss watchmaking.
He stares. Three colored circles on white. She watches him search for hands. 'The colors ARE the hands,' she says. The yellow disc sweeps. Then the caseback: Swiss movement through glass.
The worry
Another object he politely thanks her for and never uses. Something that joins the drawer of well-intentioned gifts.
Birthday
CMYK discs, no hands, and a designer who made gifts for the Queen
Every watch ad: ceramic bezels, titanium, moon phases. This is a science experiment with a Swiss engine.
The brand started because a sculptor got tired of eating Pot Noodles. Crispin Jones made one-off art-watches for exhibitions, including a functioning lie-detector, but couldn't pay rent. He ordered 500 watches, sold out in two months. Eighteen years later: three London spaces and one Cambridge-trained inventor who designed gifts for the Queen. That inventor put the printed page's color model on a mechanical dial. For a best friend who has everything: this is what he's never seen.
The Colour Venn occupies a category of one. No other watch tells time through CMYK color theory. No amount of browsing would lead him here. The pad-printed discs, assembled on watchmakers' benches in a former convenience store in Forest Hill, trigger preservation instinct: visible craftsmanship earns careful treatment because the effort shows. The exhibition caseback gives him a second story to tell. Two straps in the box extend the discovery.
Sellita SW200: same movement family as Tag Heuer, Oris, Baume & Mercier. Sapphire crystal. 1,209 Trustpilot reviews at 4.8 stars. Art concept outside, Swiss reliability inside.
He opens it and laughs. Three colored circles on white. She hands him the grey suede strap. The yellow disc moves. He holds it to light. She mentions the designer made a gift for the Queen.
The worry
A safe gift from a predictable place. Something correct but forgettable that says 'I tried' instead of 'I know you.'.
Just Because
Every printed page uses cyan, magenta, yellow. This watch wears that palette.
'Remember to have fun with your time.' The founder made lie-detector watches. This is Swiss-made color theory.
Champkins wanted 'something colourful and simple.' Three transparent films rotate at different speeds over a matte silver dial. Where two overlap: secondary colors. Where three: near-black. Each watch is pad-printed in London by art graduates who hand-mix colors from 100+ inks. A visiting journalist described the workshop as 'a little slice of Switzerland in Zone 3.' For a friend who values how things are made: this is wearable proof of careful choosing.
Unusual enough to signal genuine discovery: nobody browses for Mr Jones Watches. Credentialed enough to signal legitimacy: Science Museum Inventor in Residence, Swiss Sellita movement, TechCrunch and Dezeen coverage. Research shows design impact matters more than brand name for surprise gifts, and brand familiarity actually matters less. The Colour Venn is exactly this: unknown brand, unmistakable design, wearable conversation piece.
Sellita SW200, serviceable by any watchmaker worldwide. 19 years in business. 100% reply rate to negative Trustpilot reviews. Sapphire crystal. Handwritten Christmas cards to customers. 1,209 reviews at 4.8 stars.
The box opens at dinner. Three colored circles, no hands. Someone asks: 'Is that a watch?' The yellow disc sweeps visibly. The conversation about CMYK printing and the Science Museum lasts the rest of the evening.
The worry
The polite thank-you followed by the object never appearing again. A gift absorbed into a collection without a mark.
Christmas
There are watches in the collection. Nothing like this.
The watch industry spends billions on branding. This comes from a sculptor and inventor in a convenience store.
Time and Tide visited the Forest Hill workshop and called it 'a little slice of Switzerland' in Zone 3 London. Art graduates at watchmakers' benches. Pad-printing each color through silicone pads. The founder's philosophy: 'We're not trying to be prestigious technical developments, just the opposite.' For someone with prestigious technical watches: this is anti-establishment horology with a Swiss heart. 19 years in business. Handwritten Christmas cards. Production since 2016.
No other watch uses CMYK subtractive color theory. No other $950 Swiss automatic was designed by a Science Museum Inventor in Residence. The Sellita SW200 and sapphire crystal are legitimate Swiss specs, so this isn't novelty. Visible craftsmanship triggers preservation instinct: the hand-printed CMYK discs earn careful treatment because the effort shows. The J&FJ Baker oak-bark leather develops patina only the wearer creates.
Sellita SW200: Swiss industry standard used by dozens of respected brands. Five-year warranty. Sapphire crystal, exhibition caseback, 316L steel. The concept is unconventional; the construction is entirely Swiss-grade.
The Sellita SW200 through the caseback: familiar. Then confusion: abstract color circles where hands should be. No logo. The sapphire dome bends cyan into a shade that wasn't there a second ago.
The bottom line
The Sellita SW200 is serviceable by any watchmaker worldwide. The J&FJ Baker leather develops richer patina each month. In continuous production since 2016, now with Swiss movement and sapphire crystal. Mr Jones Watches: 19 years, three London spaces
Where it's made
London, England
Two workshops in London. Every watch hand-printed and assembled in-house. Shop in Covent Garden.
Each colour hand-mixed and printed layer by layer onto transparent discs. Leather strap from J&FJ Baker, Britain's only remaining oak-bark tannery.
From our research
"I didn't want to spend the next 20 years living off Pot Noodles," Jones told WatchPro. He'd been making art watches for exhibitions. He ordered 500 production watches. Sold out in two months.
The brand's first watch read 'Remember you will die' on its hands. It sold out instantly. The tagline became 'Remember to have fun with your time.' The Colour Venn is the fun version of that same idea
A journalist visited the Forest Hill workshop and called it 'a slice of Switzerland' in Zone 3 London. The watchmakers are art graduates.
The score
Three translucent CMYK discs on matte silver dial. Sapphire crystal refracts shifting colors. Exhibition caseback shows Swiss Sellita movement.
Time through color theory, not hands. Designed by Science Museum Inventor in Residence. No other watch does this. Genuinely unknown to most.
Confusion gives way to understanding as colors shift. Second reveal: flip to see Swiss movement. Two leather straps in box extend the unboxing.
4.8 stars from 1,209 Trustpilot reviews. TechCrunch, Dezeen, aBlogtoWatch featured.
The evidence
Why we trust this
Brand Trust Protocol (4/4 criteria). 1,209 Trustpilot reviews at 4.8 stars, 91% five-star, 100% negative reply rate. Brand-level reviews across all models. Verified by TechCrunch, Dezeen, aBlogtoWatch, Watchfinder, WatchPro. Hands-on review from The Slender Wrist confirms Sellita SW200, sapphire crystal, build quality. Designer Mark Champkins verified via portfolio. Founded 2007, two London workshops, Covent Garden shop. Negatives: shipping delays and strap sizing, not product defects.
The research behind this
20 verified claims from this product's record - last verified May 13, 2026
Rating and review data from
Quick facts
- Price
- $950
- Feels Like
- $1,400 Swiss Sellita SW200, sapphire crystal, hand-printed CMYK discs, Science Museum designer credentials.
- Brand
- Mr Jones Watches
- Category
- Jewelry & Accessories
- Aesthetic
- Bold & Expressive
- Great For
- Anniversary, Birthday
- Gift Type
- Adventurous
- Type
- Keepsake
Value
Swiss Sellita movement, sapphire crystal, hand-printed CMYK discs. Concept watch, not fashion.
Common Questions
How are the CMYK colour discs printed?
Each Colour Venn is pad-printed in the Forest Hill workshop in London. Colors are hand-mixed from 100+ inks and applied layer by layer via silicone pad. The cyan, magenta, and yellow discs are printed separately, then assembled on a Swiss Sellita SW200 movement. Designer Mark Champkins is the Science Museum's first Inventor in Residence.
Why does the Colour Venn cost $950?
Swiss Sellita SW200 movement (same family as Tag Heuer/Oris), sapphire crystal, hand-printed CMYK discs assembled in London. Two straps: calfskin from J&FJ Baker oak-bark tannery plus grey suede. Earlier versions with a Seagull movement sold for $177. The Swiss mechanical and sapphire upgrade accounts for the price.
Who is the Colour Venn designed for?
Graphic designers recognize CMYK instantly, making this deeply personal. It works for anyone who values concept over brand recognition. Reading time requires learning (cyan=hours, magenta=minutes, yellow=seconds), ideal for people who enjoy explaining things. The brand calls it 'made for the artist in your life.'
Does the leather strap develop patina?
Yes. The calfskin strap from J&FJ Baker, Britain's only remaining oak-bark tannery, is tanned 12+ months using natural oak bark and zero chemicals. It develops unique patina with wear, molding to the wrist and darkening. The Sellita SW200 is serviceable by any watchmaker, with a five-year warranty from Mr Jones Watches.
Will the Colour Venn fit a large wrist?
The Colour Venn measures 40mm across and 50mm lug-to-lug, 11mm thick. Labeled 'Large/Unisex.' The 50mm lug-to-lug may wear long on wrists under 6.5 inches. Two straps included: calfskin and grey suede. For $13 extra, a blank caseback with personalized engraving is available.
Is the Colour Venn practical for daily wear?
The Sellita SW200 automatic winds through wrist motion, with 38-41 hour power reserve. Sapphire crystal resists scratches. 5ATM water resistance handles rain and handwashing. The CMYK discs have a learning curve, but owners report fluency within a day. 316L stainless steel case with screw-down caseback.
No more questions? Buy it for $950
How We Validated This
Last updated- Press The Slender Wrist TechCrunch Dezeen Watchfinder aBlogtoWatch WatchPro
- Reviews Trustpilot
- Social WatchCrunch
