Aevig Thor, €428 (approx. £392)
Whenever you hear the words ‘vintage’ or ‘retro’ in the microbrand market, it’s easy to roll your eyes and imagine yet another homage brand, a watch label whose whole raison d’etre is catering to those that can’t afford a vintage Rolex. There are a lot of them out there and more every year. Fortunately, Aevig is not one of those.
Sure, the Dutch brand’s designs are inspired by the 60s and 70s, arguably the heydays of horological design, but there’s nothing copy and paste about them. In fact, they’re some of the most individual – and diverse – microbrand offerings around.
Aevig Corvid Field, €499 (approx. £457)
Back in 2013, Aevig’s diversity consisted of just one watch: the Corvid Field Watch, a deceptively simple and asymmetrical take on a classic military style, complete with a far more graphical dial to complement the stripped-back, utilitarian aesthetic.
It was cool, and a lot of microbrands would rely on variations of that first watch until they’d exhausted it; then started re-releasing from step one. Not Aevig. Instead, over the past few years they have released five different timepieces, each that are distinct in feel and purpose.
Aevig Huldra, €520 (approx. £476)
Possibly the best-known (for good reason) is the Huldra Diver, with its 60s case shape and funky dial, complete with octagonal indexes. It has all the elements that have made retro divers in vogue without relying too much on obvious gimmicks, backed by a solid specs sheet.
Aevig Valkyr, €449 (approx. £457)
There have been more too: the sporty Valkyr, the compressor-cased Balaur and the Thor dresswatch have very little in common between them except for Aevig’s approach to watch design. That is to say, to take what makes those kinds of watches appealing and provide their own twist, to see what traits make a watch iconic and then to reinterpret them into something new.
The next project though is what has us most excited. There are plenty of divers and field watches around, but a tonneau sports watch? That’s a rarity that normally gets more associated with the likes of Richard Mille than the ranks of microbrands. Seeing a well-priced, well-designed take on the format – particularly with the proposed GMT function – promises to be as attention-grabbing as the Huldra, if not more.
AEVIG Huldra caseback
For now though, we’ll have to make do with Aevig’s already-impressive collection, which we’re happy to do. After all, they may stand out from the crowd but the pricing is typical of what makes microbrands so appealing. In short, they are very, very affordable.
With a solidly built 42mm case and all the diving necessities, including a 200m water resistance, and with an ever-reliable Miyota 90S5 movement inside (for the non-date version of course, the objectively superior model), you’re looking at €650. In context, that’s just over £580. In further context, that’s incredibly good.
Find out more at Aevig.
