MR. BLACK is one of the most representative classics in Chinese animation. It carries not only the childhood memories of generations of viewers, but also a lasting spirit of justice, courage, order, and protection. In the work, characters such as Mr. Black, White Dove Detective, White Cat Squad Leader, and Blue Cat Officer represent responsibility, belief, and guardianship; while classic antagonists such as One-Ear and Philippine Eagle bring distinct conflict and dramatic tension to the story. For many Chinese audiences, MR. BLACK is not a short-lived animated IP, but an important cultural symbol connected to childhood, collective memory, and Chinese animation.
This time, under the authorization of Shanghai Film Infinity, LAARVEE collaborates with Shanghai Animation Film Studio’s classic work MR. BLACK, hoping to use the jump-hour automatic mechanical watch as a medium to bring this classic animated work back into contemporary life with stronger design value, wearability, and collectibility.
LAARVEE has always believed that a watch is more than a tool for recording time. It can also become a carrier of emotion, memory, and aesthetic attitude. When people choose and continue to wear a watch, it is often not only because of its material, movement, or appearance, but because it creates a certain emotional connection with the wearer. It can be an extension of memory, or an expression of personal attitude.
This is also at the core of LAARVEE’s brand philosophies: “1+1=1” and “True Love Matters.”
“1+1=1” is not a mathematical concept, but an expression of relationship. When two independent entities are connected through shared emotion, belief, and value, they are no longer simply added together. Instead, they form a new whole. The collaboration between LAARVEE and MR. BLACK follows the same idea.
LAARVEE represents contemporary watch design, mechanical structure, and a distinctive aesthetic language. MR. BLACK represents classic Chinese animation, childhood memory, and the spirit of its characters. When the two meet, the result should not be a simple combination of “brand + IP,” but a complete new work: a collaborative timepiece that carries both the qualities of a mechanical watch and the memory of Chinese animation.
In this collaboration, “True Love Matters” does not refer only to romance. It is also an expression of genuine passion. It can be the audience’s love for a childhood animation, Shanghai Animation Film Studio’s long-term dedication to Chinese animation, or LAARVEE’s continued commitment to watch design and cultural expression. True passion deserves to be kept by time; true classics deserve to be seen again.
The goal of this collaboration is not simply to place characters from MR. BLACK onto the dial. Instead, it is to transform the spirit, visual symbols, and emotional memories of the characters into watches with both wearable value and collectible meaning. The Mr. Black model represents justice, courage, and protection; the White Dove Detective model represents belief, intelligence, and companionship; the One-Ear and Philippine Eagle models preserve the dramatic tension of classic antagonist characters; while the White Cat Squad Leader and Blue Cat Officer models further enrich the character system, making the series not only a tribute to a single protagonist, but a more complete MR. BLACK character watch collection.
Compared with ordinary merchandise, a mechanical watch has stronger long-term wearability, collectibility, and gifting value. It is not a one-time purchase, but an object that can be kept for a long time, worn repeatedly, and used to continuously express personal preference. When a classic animated work such as MR. BLACK enters watch design, the childhood memories it carries are no longer only something to be watched. They can be worn, collected, gifted, and discussed again today.
Through this collaboration, LAARVEE hopes to offer MR. BLACK a more refined, more mature, and more contemporary product expression. We hope this classic will not remain only in memory, but return to today’s life in a new form; and that the character memories of responsibility, belief, protection, and confrontation within MR. BLACK can continue through a form with stronger design value, collectibility, and wearability.
Watches record time. Animation preserves time. Classics travel through time.
This time, LAARVEE and MR. BLACK are not simply being added together. They are creating a new whole that belongs to both Chinese classic animation and contemporary watch design. True passion deserves to be kept by time. Because True Love Matters, and because 1+1=1.
