Golby Skipping Stone Review: Time on the Wrist
The new Golby Skipping Stone has arrived for review, and I’ve been spending some time with the green dial version. Colourful watches are hardly unusual these days, but standing out takes more than choosing a bright dial and hoping Instagram does the rest. A watch still needs a clear identity, thoughtful proportions and a story that feels genuine.
The new Golby Skipping Stone appears to understand that rather well.
I have been spending time with the Green Seaweed version, which immediately makes a strong impression. Its rich green colour draws the eye, but it is the textured dial and thoughtful smaller details that keep your attention.
Green Seaweed forms part of Golby’s latest Autumn/Winter collection, alongside The Oceans in blue, Dark Night in black and Red Sky in red.
Inspired by the Cornish coast
Golby is a British microbrand run by husband and wife Craig and Sarah Golby. The brand’s watches are inspired by the Cornish coastline, something that has become an important part of its visual identity.
The idea behind the Skipping Stone came from the simple act of throwing stones across still water. Those expanding ripples have been translated onto the dial using an oil pressing process, creating a pattern that spreads out across its surface.
It is a charming bit of inspiration, partly because it is so familiar. Most of us have stood beside a lake or the sea and attempted to get a stone to bounce across the surface. Some of us are considerably better at it than others.
Thankfully, you do not need a particularly impressive throwing arm to appreciate the watch.
That green ripple dial
The dial is unquestionably the main event.
Its surface is covered by a series of flowing ripples, giving it a sense of movement even when the watch is sitting still. In flatter lighting the green can appear relatively restrained, but stronger light picks out the raised pattern and reveals considerably more depth.
This is exactly the sort of dial that works better on the wrist than it does in a clean product photograph. As the angle changes, different sections catch the light and the pattern seems to move across the surface. It gives the Skipping Stone a more tactile appearance than its price might suggest.
There is quite a lot happening here, yet the dial does not feel overly busy. The hour markers are formed through cut outs in the layered dial, revealing BGW9 Super-LumiNova beneath. This allows the ripple pattern to remain largely uninterrupted while still providing useful visibility in low light.
Golby has fitted the watch with skeletonised lighthouse hands, another subtle reference to the coast. These are joined by a contrasting seconds hand, also treated with BGW9 lume. The seconds hand supplies a small flash of additional colour without distracting too much from the dial beneath it.
A colour matched date window sits at six o’clock. Placing it here preserves the symmetry of the dial, while the matching date wheel helps it blend into the overall design. Date windows can sometimes look like an afterthought on highly textured dials, but this one has been incorporated neatly.
More than a pretty dial
Surrounding the dial is an internal rotating chapter ring marked from one to twelve. It is operated using the crown at two o’clock and can be positioned to display a second time zone.
This is a simple and useful complication. There is no additional GMT hand, so it does not add another layer of visual clutter. Instead, you rotate the chapter ring to the required time difference and read the second time zone against the regular hour hand.
The watch has the familiar dual crown layout associated with compressor style cases, although the upper crown controls the chapter ring rather than an internal dive timer. The main crown at four o’clock handles winding, time setting and the date.
Both crowns screw down, contributing to the watch’s 100 metre water resistance. That should be more than sufficient for swimming, holidays and the general knocks that come with daily wear.
Well judged proportions
The Skipping Stone measures 39mm across, 45mm from lug to lug and 10.5mm thick. On paper, those are very sensible dimensions. On the wrist, they translate into a watch that feels compact without appearing too small.
The relatively short lug to lug measurement helps the case sit neatly, while the slim profile prevents it from feeling top heavy. The twin crowns add some visual presence on the right side of the case, but their positioning means they do not dig awkwardly into the wrist.
The case is made from 316L stainless steel and has been hardened to 1,000 Vickers. That added surface hardness should make it more resistant to the scratches and marks that inevitably arrive once the honeymoon period is over.
A flat sapphire crystal sits above the dial and receives five layers of internal anti reflective coating. With a dial this textured, good clarity matters. There would be little point creating all those ripples only to hide them beneath a reflective sheet of glass.
Bracelet and everyday comfort
The Skipping Stone is supplied on a fully brushed, hardened stainless steel bracelet with curved end links. The finish complements the case and allows the dial to remain the star of the show.
Golby has also paid attention to the practical details. The bracelet uses screw pins for sizing, with a screwdriver included in the box. Quick release spring bars make removing it straightforward, while the clasp offers 6mm of push button micro adjustment.
That last feature is especially welcome. Wrist size can change considerably during a warm day, and being able to loosen the bracelet without reaching for a tool is one of those small conveniences that quickly becomes difficult to live without.
The watch also comes with a choice of leather or suede strap, giving you another way to wear it. The green dial should prove particularly enjoyable to experiment with, although the steel bracelet gives the overall design a more versatile and slightly more restrained character.
A familiar engine
Inside is the Miyota 9015 automatic movement. It is a well established Japanese calibre offering a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour, hacking seconds, hand winding and a power reserve of approximately 42 hours.
Golby quotes an accuracy range of minus 10 to plus 30 seconds per day. It might not be the most glamorous movement in the world, but it is slim, dependable and relatively easy to maintain. More importantly, its compact dimensions have helped Golby keep the entire watch to just 10.5mm thick.
The movement can be viewed through a sapphire exhibition caseback, complete with a custom designed rotor. A decorated Swiss manufacture movement was never going to appear in a watch at this price, but the personalised rotor provides something more interesting to look at than a completely standard Miyota.
Watch Brothers Thoughts
The longer I spend with the Golby Skipping Stone, the more the name begins to make sense. The dial does not simply feature a generic wave pattern. It has a point of origin, with each curved line appearing to move away from an imagined impact somewhere on the surface.
Most importantly, the idea has not come at the expense of practicality. The 39mm case is easy to wear, the Miyota 9015 is a sensible movement and the internal chapter ring gives the twin crown design a genuine purpose. Add sapphire crystal, 100 metre water resistance, a hardened case and a bracelet with quick adjustment, and the specification is competitive too.
At £495, the Skipping Stone sits in a very busy part of the microbrand market. Buyers have a huge amount of choice, so specifications alone are no longer enough. A watch needs character, and this one has it.
The green ripple dial is bold without feeling like a novelty, while the coastal details give the design a coherent identity. It feels cheerful, distinctive and refreshingly free of unnecessary seriousness.
After all, watches are supposed to be enjoyed. Sometimes it is good to wear one that reminds you of something as simple as standing beside the water, choosing the flattest stone you can find and giving it your best throw.