

You might not recognise the Golden Concept name, but you'll definitely recognise the names of some of its clients: it makes high-end, custom phone and watch cases for celebrities including Cristian Ronaldo and various Kardashians. By their usual standards the new Golden Concept X Mastermind JAPAN case for the Apple Watch Series 8 is pretty restrained, but it's the usual mix of very expensive materials and a design approach that thinks very differently to Apple.
There are just 200 cases available: 150 titanium ones, and 50 carbon fibre. The titanium models are $1,099 / £899, and the carbon fibre ones are $1,599 / £1,309.
None more black
Mastermind JAPAN is a high fashion streetwear brand, worn by the likes of A$AP Rocky and Justin Timberlake, and it's fair to say that it has a fairly young demographic in mind.
The two Mastermind cases here are available in any colour you like as long as it's black. Designed by Mastermind Japan founder Masaaki Homma, they're variations on existing cases from the Golden Concept Racing Sport range. The titanium one is based on the RST case, and the carbon fibre on the RSC. Both models are for the 45mm Apple Watch Series 8.
In addition to the tough case materials, the Digital Crown is embellished with crystals. They're black too, with one large one surrounded by 19 smaller ones. The Mastermind logo – a skull and crossbones – is engraved on the backplate and on the buckle and is also there as a one-of-a-kind Apple Watch face.
Tempted? You can see more images of the cases on the Golden Concept website.
Sign up to the T3 newsletter for smarter living straight to your inbox
Get all the latest news, reviews, deals and buying guides on gorgeous tech, home and active products from the T3 experts
Writer, musician and broadcaster Carrie Marshall has been covering technology since 1998 and is particularly interested in how tech can help us live our best lives. Her CV is a who’s who of magazines, newspapers, websites and radio programmes ranging from T3, Techradar and MacFormat to the BBC, Sunday Post and People’s Friend. Carrie has written more than a dozen books, ghost-wrote two more and co-wrote seven more books and a Radio 2 documentary series; her memoir, Carrie Kills A Man, was shortlisted for the British Book Awards. When she’s not scribbling, Carrie is the singer in Glaswegian rock band Unquiet Mind (unquietmindmusic).
-
Apple's Severance computer may have been a joke, but the keyboard is coming for real
Tell us where we can sign up!
By Britta O'Boyle
-
Apple Watch is set to get Apple Intelligence this year, but only with a little help from a friend
Bring on watchOS 12
By Britta O'Boyle
-
iPad reportedly getting major makeover and your current model could benefit too
Apple is said to be making a change that iPad power users have been wanting for years
By Carrie Marshall
-
AirPods Max finally get the great free upgrade Apple promised
Here's how to make sure your headphones are running the right firmware
By Britta O'Boyle
-
Apple TV gets a free update that makes it more simple to use
Apple has released tvOS 18.4 with a few design tweaks for its TV boxes
By Rik Henderson
-
Your iPhone gets some new tricks - here’s what it can do now
The new emojis and priority notifications are probably our favourite
By Britta O'Boyle
-
Older iPhones at risk of being left behind when iOS 19 arrives – is your device one of them?
Apple will reportedly drop three iPhone models when it comes to the iOS 19 update
By Carrie Marshall
-
Your next MacBook Pro could be a game-changer for three good reasons
Apple will reportedly upgrade next year's MacBook Pro in three major ways
By Rik Henderson