Arc II – Fordite "Ymir's Pop"
For the best experience, we recommend opening the configurator on a laptop or desktop computer.
Fordite dials are crafted from real 'Motor City Agate', a byproduct of the automotive industry. The inimitable testaments to time you see before you, is handcrafted by Arcanaut co-owner James Thompson (AKA Black Badger) in his workshop in Gothenburg, Sweden.
He carefully mills, shapes, and finishes these cured paint blocks by hand to reveal their hidden patterns, transforming the remnants of an historic industrial process into watch dials that are as individual as fingerprints.
This piece, 'Ymir's Pop', comes from the Groovy type of Fordite dials, cut across the grain to reveal beautiful psychedelic patterns.
Each Fordite watch we make is a one-of-a-kind piece unique, built to order, assembled in our Copenhagen workshop. The watches are powered by Swiss automatic movements from La-Joux Perret, which we regulate in-house to ensure their accuracy.
This watch is assembled to order, the current time to completion is 6-8 weeks
ABOUT ARCANAUT
Arcanaut is an independent Danish watchmaking studio redefining contemporary horology through material experimentation.
We explore unconventional materials, methods and designs, developing new dial-making techniques, crafting each dial by hand in small batches.
Every watch is assembled in our Copenhagen workshop, with a significant share of components produced locally across Denmark and Sweden.
Our watches are defined by bold, expressive dials, distinctive Nordic case design, and characterful casebacks.
ABOUT FORDITE
What is it?
FORDITE 2.0 is an evolution of our most famous model line, which puts a unique slice of automotive history on your wrist.
Made from genuine Detroit Fordite, every dial is one of a kind and impossible to replicate. Choose the one that speaks to you and begin your configuration journey.
Why is it important
For years, Fordite was regarded by those who worked with it as a waste material. Now, nothing could be further from the truth.
Cured into a rock-like form after multiple exposures to high temperatures, these nodes of encapsulated endeavour are worked on by hand by our very own James Thompson, otherwise known as Black Badger.
James has spent the best part of a decade working with Fordite on a near-daily basis. His ability to "read" the material, to "feel" his way through these unknowable blocks of time is unmatched.
These dials are not made; they are revealed. The process is slow and fraught with risk. James works on the edge, mere microns from disaster at all times. Failure is always an option and the rate is perilously high. When it works, however, we're left with something permanent and irreplicable.
What's New With Fordite 2.0?
Fordite 2.0 puts you in the driving seat. Previously, watches were presented as finished pieces with little option for customization. That's no longer the case (or, should we say cases...).
You can now choose between two case sizes: 40.5 mm and 37 mm. Eight strap options remain, in all the best colours of the rainbow (including brown). You can choose between two handsets (Grand Paw and Spear), and from up to nine lume colours. To increase legibility further, we've also introduced the option of a chapter ring with either rhodium plating or 9-carat gold plating.
If you do so desire, you can add your own custom case back engraving, which will sit around a new, frosted sapphire window, decorated with a monochromatic Fordite design. Simply select that option during the configuration process and we'll be in touch after the order is confirmed to discuss the custom text and layout.
About Ordering
This is a bespoke unique piece, made to order.
Delivery timeline
Orders are assembled chronologically. Projected dispatch time currently stands at 6-8 weeks.
Shipping, duties and tariffs
Before dispatch, an Arcanaut representative will contact you to confirm delivery details, including shipping timing and final destination.
All prices include international shipping and insurance. However, for orders shipped outside the European Union or the United States, any applicable taxes, duties, tariffs, or customs charges are not included. Within the European Union and The United States the prices you see will include local VAT and/or all duties.
All shipments outside the European Union or the United States are sent DAP (Delivered at Place), meaning that any import-related charges remain the responsibility of the recipient.
Please note that Arcanaut reserves the right to decline refunds for watches that are returned, refused, or destroyed due to unpaid taxes, duties, tariffs, or other customs-related charges.
Payment
We take all international cards through Stripe and PayPal, but you are also welcome to pay via wire transfer (and if you do, you’ll receive an additional strap of your choice for free).
For some international transactions, your bank or card issuer may require additional authorization before approving the payment. If your payment is declined, we recommend contacting your bank or using an alternative payment method.
Payment options are available at checkout.
Should you have any issues completing your order, please contact us directly at info@arcanaut.dk or +45 61264316.
For customers inside the EU: We collect VAT and local duties when selling to countries within the EU, this means the price you'll see on the product page includes VAT and local import duties.
For customers inside the US: The price you see includes tariffs and custom duties.
Size
Our updated version of the Arc II – Fordite is available in two diameter sizes (excluding the crown). You can choose between 40.5 mm and 37 mm.
Important note: Because of the unique case shape of the Arc II, the wearing experience is highly specific. Measurements on paper do not translate in the same way for everyone. We therefore recommend using our visual size guide for reference to see the two cases on different wrist sizes. Our recommendation is:
15–17.5 cm wrist: 37 mm
17.5–22 cm: 40.5 cm
Dimensions:
40.5 mm/49 mm lug-to-lug/12.8 mm thick (including crystal).
37 mm diameter/45 mm lug-to-lug/12.8 mm thick (including crystal).
Technical information
Name: Arc II – Fordite 2.0
Assembly: Regulated and assembled in Copenhagen Denmark
Dimensions: 40.5 mm diameter/49 mm lug-to-lug/13.8 mm thick (including crystal).
OR:
37 mm diameter/45 mm lug-to-lug/12.8 mm thick (including crystal).
Case: Micro-blasted stainless steel case
Water resistance: 100 m
Dial: Genuine, hand-finished Fordite
Hands: Grand Paw OR Spear: Hour, minute, and seconds indicator
Movement: La-Joux Perret G101, Swiss Automatic
Functions: Time only
Power reserve: 68 hours
Limitation: Every piece is unique
FAQ
Do you ship wordwide?
Yes, we do.
Will my watch be individually numbered?
Every Arc II – Fordite is engraved with a 3-digit unique number. These are assigned randomly.
When can I expect the watch to ship?
Our watches are made to order and the shipping date depends on the amount of assemblies we already have in the queue. The current shipping time will appear under the product if you scroll up this page.
How will my watch be delivered?
Your watch will ship in an Arcanaut-branded leather watch roll, protected by a traditional riveted box hand-made here in Denmark. A screwdriver for changing straps is included. If you order additional straps, these will be shipped within the box.
What is the total price of the watch delivered?
For customers outside the EU and the US the retail price you see excludes import duties, tariffs and VAT, but includes free international shipping and insurance from Denmark.
For customers in the USA, we ship DDP (Delivery Duty Paid). This means that the price you see online includes shipping, tariffs and custom duties, which will be paid on your behalf at customs.
Please note that sales tax may still apply in some cases, but as this is dependent on your local state and county, we advice you contact your local tax authority to get a correct estimate of sales taxes in your case.
What is Fordite?
Fordite, also known as Detroit or Motor City Agate, is a byproduct of late 20th-century American car manufacturing.
Before modern paint systems, cars were spray-painted by hand. Excess paint built up on factory racks, layer-by-layer, day after day. Each pass added a new colour. Each cycle in the oven cured it.
Over time, these layers hardened into dense blocks of colour — sometimes hundreds of layers deep.
Most of the material we use dates from the 1970s to 1990s. The chemistry from this era produced stronger contrasts and more vibrant layers than anything made today.
What was once considered waste was occasionally taken home by factory workers. Today, it’s a finite material, no longer produced due to changes in modern paint composition, and therefore impossible to synthesise.
The art of restraint
Working with Fordite is a process of removal, not construction.
We begin by selecting the right piece of material. Not every piece is suitable. Many are rejected before the process even starts.
From there, layers are gradually sanded down by hand to reveal what lies beneath.
The critical skill is knowing when to stop.
Go too far, sometimes less than a tenth of a millimetre — and a complex pattern collapses into something flat. Stop too early, and a masterpiece remains hidden.
There is no way to reverse that decision.
All dials are hand made by James Thompson, our Chief of Materials Development, who has spent over a decade working with the material.
A single dial can take anything from a few hours to several days to complete.
As ever, failure is always an option.
Layered time
Fordite is not just layered paint — it’s layered time.
Each layer represents a car.
A moment. A person. A life.
A car that carried a family.
A car that marked a special occasion.
A car that became part of a person's life.
These moments are compressed into the material. Not visible in a literal sense, but present nonetheless.
That’s what gives Fordite its depth — it holds both automotive history and human history at once.
As unique as a fingerpint
No two Fordite dials are alike.
Even cuts taken millimetres apart from the same piece can produce entirely different patterns.
Each dial tells its own story.
Some feel structured, others chaotic. Some subtle, others intense.
Like a Rorschach test, interpretation varies. What one person sees immediately, another might not.
Each dial is therefore treated as an individual object — given its own name, its own imagined backstory, and its own identity.
Sized for you
Fordite 2.0 is now available in a new 37 mm case, bringing the same distinctive architecture and material-driven character to a more compact format.
Each Fordite dial can now be configured in either 37 mm or the original 40.5 mm case, allowing you to choose the proportions that feel most natural to you.
What is Fordite?
Fordite, also known as Detroit or Motor City Agate, is a byproduct of late 20th-century American car manufacturing.
Before modern paint systems, cars were spray-painted by hand. Excess paint built up on factory racks, layer-by-layer, day after day. Each pass added a new colour. Each cycle in the oven cured it.
Over time, these layers hardened into dense blocks of colour — sometimes hundreds of layers deep.
Most of the material we use dates from the 1970s to 1990s. The chemistry from this era produced stronger contrasts and more vibrant layers than anything made today.
What was once considered waste was occasionally taken home by factory workers. Today, it’s a finite material, no longer produced due to changes in modern paint composition, and therefore impossible to synthesise.
The art of restraint
Working with Fordite is a process of removal, not construction.
We begin by selecting the right piece of material. Not every piece is suitable. Many are rejected before the process even starts.
From there, layers are gradually sanded down by hand to reveal what lies beneath.
The critical skill is knowing when to stop.
Go too far, sometimes less than a tenth of a millimetre — and a complex pattern collapses into something flat. Stop too early, and a masterpiece remains hidden.
There is no way to reverse that decision.
All dials are hand made by James Thompson, our Chief of Materials Development, who has spent over a decade working with the material.
A single dial can take anything from a few hours to several days to complete.
As ever, failure is always an option.
Layered time
Fordite is not just layered paint — it’s layered time.
Each layer represents a car.
A moment. A person. A life.
A car that carried a family.
A car that marked a special occasion.
A car that became part of a person's life.
These moments are compressed into the material. Not visible in a literal sense, but present nonetheless.
That’s what gives Fordite its depth — it holds both automotive history and human history at once.
As unique as a fingerpint
No two Fordite dials are alike.
Even cuts taken millimetres apart from the same piece can produce entirely different patterns.
Each dial tells its own story.
Some feel structured, others chaotic. Some subtle, others intense.
Like a Rorschach test, interpretation varies. What one person sees immediately, another might not.
Each dial is therefore treated as an individual object — given its own name, its own imagined backstory, and its own identity.
Sized for you
Fordite 2.0 is now available in a new 37 mm case, bringing the same distinctive architecture and material-driven character to a more compact format.
Each Fordite dial can now be configured in either 37 mm or the original 40.5 mm case, allowing you to choose the proportions that feel most natural to you.
Example: 17.5 cm wrist (6.9")
case 37 MM/40.5 MM
case: 37 mm
case: 40.5 mm
Technical information
40.5 mm diameter (excluding crown), and 49 mm lug-to-lug.
37 mm diameter (excluding crown), and 45 mm lug-to-lug.
Micro-blasted 316L stainless steel case
100 m (10 ATM)
Hours, minutes, seconds
La-Joux Perret G101, Swiss Automatic
68 hours
Fordite
Unique Piece
Integrated ergonomic rubber strap
Add-ons
