VELOCE Discovery Series
Time is a slippery beast - always running, never waiting. Most try to tame it with lifeless machinery... Not Mad Hudson Watches! They're developing a bending experiment disguised as a watch company. Founded by designer Mad Hudson, creative Connor Hudson, and online provocateur Brad Podray, they build watches that glitch the system - wearable collisions of art, chaos, and storytelling. Each watch is designed with a partnering artist to ensure they don't look like anything else out there. Mad leads design. Connor drives the vision. Brad keeps it weird.
Welcome back to the VELOCE Discovery Series. Today, we dive into the creative minds behind Mad Hudson Watches to discuss their latest collection release. We wanted to get the lowdown on the inspiration, the specs, and the story behind these unique timepieces. We kept things down to earth so any collector can dig into what makes this microbrand tick.
The Design & Inspiration
Are these models named after specific people, places, or characters?
A little bit of everything. The Eddie is named after my late Grandpa, who wore square watches like this one all the time. The Marshall is named after Mad's grandparents' hometown. Miami is named because someone said "This one reminds me of Miami" and we really liked hearing it out loud.
The Eddie: Classic design, personal history.
The clean lines of the caseback.
Strap detailing featuring the Mad Hudson logo.
Square watches are experiencing a renaissance. What drew you to this shape?
Like a lot of people, we've been enamored by tank and square watches for a long time. They have a timeless quality to them, and from a creativity standpoint, the square case gives us a unique canvas to paint on.
We originally developed the case that Marshall and Miami are in, to look like a frame on a piece of artwork. The Eddie has some softer lines but is still boxed out. A couple things we had pinned during development of that case were those medical Pulsometer USSR watches and Timex T80s.
The Marshall: A framed piece of art.
Close-up detail of the Marshall dial.
The Marshall caseback view.
Your marketing has a distinct retro energy. How does that translate into the dials?
One of the things we love about these new designs, is that they feel pretty time period agnostic. I think that it's just as likely that you'd see a watch kind of like The Eddie in the 1950s as you would in the 80s.
We wanted it to feel like these watches were found in an old video, you just don't quite know where or when it's from.
We tried to nail that vibe with our first phase of marketing. We wanted that nostalgic energy to translate directly into the colors and the overall feel of the collection.
The Miami: Period agnostic, nostalgic energy.
Close-up of the Miami's vibrant dial detail.
The Miami caseback.
THE SPECS - THE FIT
For the collectors who need the nitty-gritty details, here is what is happening under the hood and on the wrist.
- Under the Hood: All of our watches currently use the Miyota 2035 Quartz Movement. We're looking at introducing new movements in future designs, but right now this movement provides us with a great blend of reliability and affordability that allows us to make new watches at a higher rate, and get our current collection on wrists at an accessible price point.
- Wearability: I've been wearing the Eddie for the last few months, the feel is virtually the same to your standard round watch. There’s a bit of a curve to the glass that makes it even more comfy and familiar.
- Straps: All 3 of these watches come with quick release bands, allowing for easy swapping and styling. The Eddie comes with our classic 20mm black leather band, and we’re also sending out a stainless steel linked band as well. Miami comes with a 18mm black leather band, and the Marshall comes with a beige leather band that matches the accents of the watch.
- Versatility: These three watches are extremely versatile in our opinion. They complete any type of fit. The band options for Eddie just scratch the surface of how you can dress these watches up or down. All three are truly unisex, and look great with a suit or a hawaiian tshirt.
- Limited to 100: We will never rule anything out in terms of returning colorways, especially if people truly love them. What I will say, is that we are constantly in the lab coming up with new designs. We want our brand to be able to consistently deliver fresh, original watches to the world. If you’re into one of our designs, it’s probably best to jump in early. We can’t guarantee if or when they’ll be back!
Roadmap
We are almost sold out of our first run of merch. we have a really fun brand. and we feel like we've just started to scratch the surface of how we can put that out into the world.
Very tactically, and in the immediate future, we want to get new band options... and definitely (!) more watches with more cool artists.
We might also make some clocks, or other fun wearables. We are locked into creating constant collisions of art and chaos.
