Anicorn: where Hong Kong watchmaking meets pop culture

Step into the world of Anicorn, the Hong Kong watch house that turned the wristwatch into a graphic playground rather than yet another exercise in conventional styling. Founded in 2014 inside a design studio, the brand built its reputation on one simple, radical idea: a watch is not merely an instrument for measuring time, it is a cultural object, a storytelling device, a collectible on a par with a rare sneaker or a limited-run figure. Every Anicorn release works like a drop: numbered quantities, packaging designed as an experience, collaborations with institutions and artists you would never expect to see in watchmaking. NASA, Kojima Productions, Daniel Arsham, Philip Colbert, Staple Pigeon, M/M Paris and, most recently, PlayStation: Anicorn's partner list reads more like a streetwear label's than a traditional watchmaker's, and that is precisely the point. At MTHOR, we curate these pieces for collectors who want something on their wrist other than one more watch, and every single example is authenticated by our team of experts before it ships.

The story behind a one-of-a-kind brand: Joe Kwan and the birth of Anicorn

Anicorn was founded in 2014 in Hong Kong by Joe Kwan, a trained graphic designer. The starting point had nothing to do with watchmaking: Kwan was working as a designer for clients, a routine he found frustrating, and he wanted to prove that his creations had value in their own right. The watch quickly emerged as the ideal format — a tiny, tightly constrained object where every millimetre counts and where a strong graphic idea is instantly visible. Where a classic watchmaker starts with a movement and builds a dial around it, Anicorn starts with a visual concept and engineers the mechanics to serve it. That reversal explains the highly distinctive look of the house's watches: dials that read like posters, indices that vanish, concentric discs rotating where you expected hands.

The turning point came in 2018, when the brand signed an anniversary piece with NASA to mark 60 years of the American space agency. For a four-year-old Hong Kong upstart, securing the licence to one of the most recognisable logos on the planet was a genuine coup — and it moved Anicorn from designer curiosity to a name followed by collectors worldwide. Next came the Mars Mission series, then collaborations with Hideo Kojima's studio (Kojima Productions), with artist Daniel Arsham, with Philip Colbert and his pop lobster, with Paris-based studio M/M Paris for the “2BUSY” piece, and with New York label Staple Pigeon. Each project is treated as a complete editorial object, often accompanied by lifestyle products, bespoke packaging and staging that reaches far beyond the watch itself. It is this approach — watchmaking told in the language of streetwear — that has given Anicorn a unique position at the crossroads of product design, contemporary art and geek culture.

A technical signature: how do you read an Anicorn watch?

What sets Anicorn apart is the way it deconstructs the reading of time. The Series 000, the house's first icon, replaces the usual hand-and-index pairing with concentric dials reminiscent of a speedometer stripped of its needle: the information rotates, and the eye learns a new language. The Trio of Time collection pushes the idea further still, swapping numerals for motifs — tiny clock hands, stacked dots, or a gradient disc with the figures printed directly onto the crystal. The Series K452, meanwhile, draws on potentially habitable exoplanets: the Luna and Nemesis variants translate planetary landscapes into dial textures, wrapped around an automatic movement visible through the caseback.

Mechanically, Anicorn favours reliable, proven Japanese calibres over the race for complications. Miyota movements appear regularly — the automatic 9039 on the higher-end mechanical pieces, with roughly 42 hours of power reserve, or the 2035 quartz on more accessible models. Three concrete benefits follow: everyday reliability, with straightforward servicing and a parts network available worldwide; an unbeatable value-to-design ratio, because the budget goes into finishing, case construction and packaging rather than decorative mechanics; and genuine durability, with 316L stainless steel cases, sapphire crystals and water resistance typically rated at 5 ATM (50 metres), more than enough for daily life.

The collection's signature models and collaborations

The Anicorn galaxy revolves around a handful of core families and a long run of collaborations that have become collector benchmarks. On the in-house side, the Series 000 remains the founding piece, instantly recognisable by its concentric discs; the Series K452 — with its K452 Luna and K452 Nemesis variations — embodies the brand's automatic, space-facing side; the Trio of Time line and Time Flies-style models carry the most radical graphic minimalism.

On the collaboration side, four families dominate the secondary market. The Anicorn x NASA editions, starting with the 2018 60th Anniversary Limited Edition and the Mars Mission series, are the most sought-after: they combine a rare institutional licence with very short production runs. The Kojima Productions x Anicorn projects, including the three-way Kojima Productions x NASA x Anicorn collaboration, crystallise the interest of video game collectors and Death Stranding fans. The artist pieces — Daniel Arsham, Philip Colbert, M/M Paris — speak to the contemporary art market as much as to the watch world. Finally, the Anicorn x PlayStation collaboration closed out 2025 by celebrating three decades of Sony's console. It is now one of the most in-demand gateways into the brand, and you will find it in our PlayStation collection.

Anicorn x PlayStation: the watch for the console's 30th anniversary

Launched in December 2025, the collaboration between Anicorn and PlayStation pays tribute to the console that reshaped the video game industry in 1994. The centrepiece, The First PlayStation Limited Edition, is a numbered limited-edition mechanical watch. Its 316L stainless steel case measures 42.8 × 48.0 mm and 11.8 mm thick, protected by a sapphire crystal and fitted with a display caseback that reveals the automatic Miyota 9039 calibre and its roughly 42 hours of power reserve. Water resistance reaches 5 ATM (50 metres) and the strap is made from FKM, a comfortable, hard-wearing technical material.

The entire visual vocabulary of the original PlayStation is called up: the controller's four iconic symbols — triangle, circle, cross and square — decorate the dial and the strap, while the hands echo the shape of the Start and Select buttons. The crown, for its part, is engraved with the Power icon. The packaging takes the reference even further: the watch arrives in a screwed metal case that channels the industrial charm of the era's hardware, together with a PlayStation badge and a Memory Capsule fitted with an NFC chip — a direct nod to the original memory cards, under the motto “SAVE. LOAD. OVERWRITE.”. The collection also includes two quartz variants, Play Symbol Dark Mode and Play Symbol Light Mode, powered by a Miyota 2035 calibre and recognisable by their oil-injected display in which the symbols appear to float.

Why buy your Anicorn watch from MTHOR

MTHOR Shop specialises in selling genuine pieces. Every watch in our Anicorn collection goes through a rigorous inspection carried out by our team of experts: we check the consistency of the packaging, the numbering and the documentation, the quality of the case finishing, the sharpness of the engravings, the dial printing, the alignment of the indices and hands, as well as the strap, the buckle and every accessory supplied. On display-caseback models, we also verify that the visible movement is correct. For the most demanding checks, we rely on specialist tools such as a UV lamp or a microscope. Every order ships with a seal, tangible proof that quality control has been completed and authenticity confirmed. Read more about our authentication process.

We offer worldwide delivery in 2 to 8 days, to your door and signed for, with real-time tracking by email and WhatsApp, interest-free payment in 4 instalments via Klarna or Scalapay, and a France-based customer service team available Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm. Should anything go wrong, our 14-day return policy protects you. Buying a limited-edition Anicorn is an investment: we make it a point of honour that the piece arriving at your door is exactly the one you ordered, in the condition in which it left the manufacture.

FAQ — Anicorn at MTHOR

How do you check that an Anicorn watch is genuine?

Every Anicorn watch sold on MTHOR is inspected by our team of experts before shipping: consistency of the packaging and numbering, sharpness of the case and crown engravings, dial print quality, alignment of the hands, conformity of the strap and accessories, and verification of the movement when the caseback is transparent. Where needed, we use a UV lamp or a microscope, and every order leaves with a seal. The full details of the procedure are explained on our authenticity page.

Which movement powers Anicorn watches?

Anicorn mainly uses Japanese Miyota calibres. The higher-end mechanical models, such as The First PlayStation Limited Edition, carry an automatic Miyota 9039 with around 42 hours of power reserve. More accessible models rely on a Miyota 2035 quartz. These calibres are known for their reliability and for being easy to service anywhere in the world.

Which case size should I choose for an Anicorn?

Anicorn cases generally sit between 38 and 43 mm. The The First PlayStation Limited Edition measures 42.8 × 48.0 mm and 11.8 mm thick: it is a watch with real presence, ideal on wrists of 17 cm and above, though its contained thickness keeps it wearable every day. The quartz models in the same collection are noticeably slimmer and suit every wrist.

What comes in the box with my watch?

You receive the watch in its complete original packaging, exactly as designed by Anicorn. On limited editions, that packaging is an integral part of the collectible: The First PlayStation Limited Edition, for example, comes in a screwed metal case inspired by the original hardware, with its PlayStation badge and its NFC Memory Capsule. No accessory is ever removed during quality control.

Is an Anicorn watch water resistant?

Most Anicorn models, including the PlayStation collaboration, offer water resistance of 5 ATM (50 metres). That comfortably covers splashes, rain and hand washing. A 5 ATM watch is not, however, designed for extended swimming, diving or sauna use: you should also avoid operating the crown while the watch is wet.

How long does delivery take?

We ship worldwide, with signed-for home delivery within 2 to 8 days. You get real-time tracking by email and WhatsApp, wherever your destination is.

Will I have to pay customs fees?

No, you pay no customs fees at all. MTHOR covers all customs fees and duties in full, wherever you are in the world. The price shown on the site is the final price you pay: no nasty surprises on delivery.

Can I return my watch if it is not right for me?

Yes. You have 14 days from receipt to return your watch to us, provided it is in its original condition (never worn, packaging intact, seal not removed). Refunds are processed within 24 hours of the return arriving.

Go further

Explore all of our watches, our PlayStation collection, and the Seiko, Casio and Swatch x Omega MoonSwatch worlds to continue your search for limited-edition timepieces. To learn everything about the quality of our products, see our detailed authentication process or the page dedicated to the MTHOR seal.