Borealis is no stranger to making nice, classic-inspired watches. There were a few years there where loads of people were making big-crown classic divers, or watches inspired by the old 1016 Rolex Explorer of the 1950s-80s. What happens when Borealis looks a little more up to date? THIS.
The Borealis Adraga follows a formula that some Swiss company has been working on since 2010. The recipe goes like this: Take a 3-6-9 watch. Scale it up to 39mm wide, not including the crown. Size the hand length properly so it reaches the minute markers, something the big Swiss folks fixed in 2016.
It’s a good formula. What do Borealis do to make it their own interpretation? For fun, they sign its brand name in red and equip it with a Jubilee-style bracelet. The Jubilee is one of the most comfortable, classy bracelets around, and works well on the Adraga.
The watch is powered by the reliable Miyota 9015, a thin movement, affordable, and generally well-regarded. These are proven movements and we like them.
A total of 9 versions are going to be available, with a mix of date / no date versions, BGW9 / Old Radium X1 lume , Commando and Mercedes hands. The seconds hand for each handset appears to be red-tipped. In date-equipped models, the date replaces the 6 marker.
The watches are priced at $430 USD, and are available for pre-order at Borealis now.
I have a word about Borealis’ pre-order pricing: If you go to the site and look at Adraga, you’ll see that it’s priced at $215. If you click “Buy Now”, you’ll be taken to a store page that tells you it’s $215 all the way through to paying. But if you instead click on the picture of the Adraga first, there’s text saying, “Pre-Order ( 50% deposit now + remaining balance when watch is ready)”.
If you click through to the product detail page, they do say, “
- THIS WATCH IS STILL NOT IN STOCK. A 50% DEPOSIT IS REQUIRED and
- THIS IS A 50% PRE-ORDER DEPOSIT OF $215.00 (VAT TO BE ADDED FOR EU BUYERS) . TOTAL PRICE IS OF $430.00 USD PLUS SHIPPING (VAT TO BE ADDED FOR EU BUYERS). REMAINING BALANCE OF $215.00 USD PLUS SHIPPING TO BE PAID ONCE WATCH IS READY
I mention this to be clear, since it’s possible to click Buy Now on the $215 price without ever seeing that it’s really going to be $430 plus shipping.
Whether you want a black dial, sunray black/brown, or white, Commando hands or Mercedes hands, bright white lume, or creamy vintage lume, there’s a model here for everyone, and the watches are excellent. Check them out at BorealisWatch.com
- 316L Stainless Steel Case
- Dial with Swiss Made RC Tritec BGW9 or Old Radium X1 lume applied to indexes
- Miyota 9015 Automatic Movement
- premium jubilee bracelet with clasp
- Case diameter: 39.50 mm excluding crown
- Lug to Lug length: 47.50mm
- watch height: 12.00mm (9 mm excluding sapphire double domed crystal glass)
- Lug width: 20 mm with drilled lugs
- Signed screw down crown with Borealis logo made of 316L stainless steel
- Water resistance: 300 meters or 30 ATM
- Sapphire crystal doubled domed glass with anti-reflective coating inside
- Watch hands filled with Swiss Made RC Tritec BGW9 or Old Radium X1 (hours, minutes, seconds)
- Commando or Mercedes hands with lollipop seconds
- Screwed Case Back made of 316L Stainless Steel with engraved mermaid
- Dial with applied markers
- 12 months warranty
