Second look: Mark Carson Kailua watch with matching steel bracelet

A few years ago I reviewed the Mark Carson Kailua watch. The Kailua is an elegantly designed square design watch from an independent watch designer and collector/community enthusiast from Hawaii Mark Carson. He released a few watches before the Kailua, but I think he really hit the jackpot with this model because it combines both originality and familiarity in a way that appeals to other enthusiasts. The Kailua is named after a beautiful part of the city of Honolulu where he lives, and the clock’s square theme is a shape profile that has interested Carson for some time. Following the bracelet version of the Kailua, Mark Carson now offers a matching steel bracelet that can be adapted to any dial version.

The polished bracelet has a nice taper and a blocky shape that goes well with the square case. Attaching a bracelet to this case was probably harder than it looks. Getting the thickness and proportions right, as well as the right shape, probably gave him a significant headache. You can see that the bracelet is wider than the lugs, meaning it has to be specifically designed for this purpose and is unlikely to be an “off the shelf” bracelet available from other brands. The polished links match well with the mostly polished surfaces of the Kailua watch case.

A bracelet component that you can also find on other watches is the folding clasp. It’s nice that Mark Carson wanted to choose something that offered a little more functionality than just opening and closing, so he chose a trigger with a sliding micro-adjustment system. The only problem with this particular system is that the micro-adjustment system is noticeably open when extended and doesn’t look as good as it does when closed. Since this is not a sports watch, perhaps a more elegant solution would have been to use a thinner profile trigger mechanism with a comfort adjustment (one or two “open” positions), as opposed to a full diver’s extension system used on watches , which go beyond wetsuits and outerwear.

The review linked above has more information on the Kailua watch, and I think Mark Carson did well with the overall shape. I also discuss more context on the historical challenges designers faced in developing square or angular watches. The Kailua holds up pretty well in my opinion. I like the eye-catching wearing style and the easy-to-read dial, which overall has a very American feel. The small turtle logo elements are a fun reminder of the tropical home of the Mark Carson brand.

The Kailua watch case is made of steel, 40mm wide and 11.3mm thick, and is water resistant to 50 meters. Inside the watch there is a Swiss Made ETA 2824-2 top grade automatic movement, which you can view through the sapphire glass window in the case back. I don’t think any new dial colors have been added outside of the original selection (which includes this lovely blue model) in the few years since Mark Carson released the Kailua, but there is a slightly more expensive model that uses Hawaiian koa wood The dial is used, which also looks pretty neat.

Although the Kailua watches are not limited editions, they are serialized individually, which is a nice artisanal touch and makes sense since Mark Carson isn’t exactly a high volume producer. The personal attention you receive from the brand owner is part of the familiarity people enjoy when doing business with small companies like this. The steel bracelet option for Mark Carson Kailua watches costs a reasonable $200. Most three-hand versions of the Mark Carson Kailua are priced at $1,499 (on the bracelet). $1,699 on the bracelet. For more information, visit Mark Carson’s watch website.