NAGA Ocean Blue
Ever looked at an integrated bracelet sports watch and thought: needs more snakes? Wll, the NAGA Ocean Blue is the watch for you. Even if you’re not an ophiophile (look it up), there’s a lot to love here. The hexagonal, scale-inspired dial is geometrically handsome – especially in this gorgeous shade of blue – the rounded hexagon of the case mirroring it and tapering into a particularly lovely bracelet, it’s a uniquely sinuous take on the modern sports watch. It also hits that sweet spot between sporty and dressy, measuring at just 9.90mm high but boasting 100m water resistance. Powered by a workhorse Miyota movement, it looks and feels like it’s playing with the big boys, but at less than £690, won’t hurt your bank account in nearly the same way.
Price and Specs:
More details at NAGA.
Oriorwaith J. Sarnowski Y Derwydd Noeth
While ‘the Naked Druid’ sounds like a centuries-old Celtic pub, it also happens to be the English name of the latest from uber-accessible Welsh watch brand Oriorwaith J. Sarnowski. The name comes from the less-is-more approach to the new watches, which combine the brand’s love of vintage pocket watches with the zeitgeist for stone dials. Just look at that lapis lazuli; it’s hard not to love. Despite the flawless, blue-grained dials, elegant handset and homegrown Welsh assembly, it’s the price that’s perhaps the most impressive element: all of this for just £299. Even among the myriad colourful, accessible brands we have in the UK, that’s incredible.
Price and Specs:
More details at Sarnowski.
Tessé The Architect
Taking Tesse’s signature Michel square cushion case as a baseline, the brand’s sophomore collection ups the aesthetic ante with some seriously dramatic dials – dials I would not bet against. While it might look like a funky engraving, a series of applied, hand-polished semi-circles, offering a structural depth that really leans into the ‘architect’ moniker. Those semi-circles alternate between vertical and circular brushing so that they appear different colours. The result is an almost labyrinthine look that fills out the refined case perfectly. Yes, the GMT functionality of the Michel is gone, but a dial like this needs to breathe, especially given the variety of colours available.
Price and Specs:
More details at Tessé.
Vario Futurist
Channelling the legendary Rado DiaStar hard, the latest period piece from Vario is a flawless slice of Cold War-era retrofuturism. Fittingly dubbed the Futurist, the new collection is defined by a faceted sapphire crystal, which creates a kind of subtle grid of light above the selection of gorgeous fume sunburst dials. This sunburst follows onto the 39mm stainless steel case, which has been grooved in a similar if more pronounced pattern, with a 12 o’clock crown like a Space Race pocket watch. Paired with a Miyota 9039 automatic movement, this may well be the coolest way to spend under £500.
Price and Specs:
More details at Vario.
Möels & Co 528 S2
Möels & Co made waves with the original 528, a watch every bit a gloriously retro clock radio on the wrist. Now, it’s back in its second evolution with some welcome refinements. The biggest change is to the dials, which now have a beautiful shimmer to the colours – particularly noticeable on the teal-adjacent Vistamare, pictured. But they now also sit better on the wrist, with a significantly slimmer profile. The height has gone from 11.1mm to just 8.7, which suits the shape to a tee and is largely down to upgraded La Joux-Perret movements. Other changes are more subtle – bolder hands, a brushed caseback, a new crown and a few new straps – but all add up to more reason than ever to get your rose-tinted cool on with Möel’s signature design.
Price and Specs:
More details at Möels & Co.
Great review of interesting watches, and all at great realistic prices, but that tends to be where micro brand watches sit.
I’m personally not sure of my stance on micro brands, but, I do own a watch that sits within this category, I’m not going to name it, but it falls into my favourite style of “flying under the radar” as it is undoubtedly a “modern” watch, but looks more reminiscent of a vintage timepiece, I guess that’s one of the reasons that I like it. My brand choices are few, and I usually tend to stay for brand loyalty, and no, not Rolex or Omega (too expensive, too flashy and generally not my style).
Based on what I have already said, no prizes for my choice from those watches reviewed, my vote would be the Vario Futurist. Clearly based on the 70’s vibe for a specific unique vision, but also harking back to the 60’s space race. I do like the case, both the semi cushion shape and particularly the ribbed upper case (unlike the bezel ribbing used on some other brands, that for me does not hit the spot). As indicated in the review, the faceted crystal is a nice feature, reminscent of Rado, but also on the beautiful watches produced by the renowned British style-house of Dunhill.
For those that are unaware of Vario, they also produce a lovely ranch of “trench watches”, these too look great and are similarly keenly priced. Keep it up Vario, great products.