Void isn’t a brand we’ve written about much here, but their latest model caught my eye – and not for the reason you might expect. Up until now, they’ve focused only on creating quartz-driven watches. With the introduction of their V03M model, an automatic movement has entered the lineup.
As you might expect, the movement comes from Miyota, and they’ve gone with the well-known 8215 (perhaps not as exciting as the 9015, but still just as functional). This is housed in a stainless steel case – and that’s where the surprise for me came in. They’ve created this new watch with a diameter of just 36mm.
More often today, if a new watch is coming to market, we’re accustomed to seeing diameters of over 40mm, and sometimes approaching (or exceeding) 50mm. I’m all for a good sized watch, for sure, but it’s an interesting move on Void’s part, I believe, to come in with something that’s more of a “classic” size. This is something sure to appeal to those with smaller wrists, and folks who just want something a little less bulky on their wrist (oh, it’s 12mm thick).
The case houses a fairly familiar dial (in terms of design), which calls to mind any number of watches, but most commonly would be referred to as “Rolex-inspired”. The indices are large and flat, as well as lume-filled. The bright-white hands are a stark contrast to the black dial, and should make reading the time a snap (in the light). In the dark, I’m a bit concerned about the small luminous area on the hands being “enough”.
I think a larger area to fill with the vintage-color lume would be appropriate, or perhaps even just coating the whole of the hand with white luminous paint would be the way to go. Something like this is a smaller detail, and I’m guessing could easily be addressed in a future version. Along the same lines, the date wheel could use some attention, perhaps reversing things to a black background with white (or beige) numerals.
Coming in at $490 (whether you opt for the stainless steel or black finish on the case), I think this is a great little (literally) automatic for someone looking for a classically styled watch that hews to a case dimension of an earlier era. There are a few design tweaks I think future iterations could incorporate, but all told, it’s a great first automatic from Void. Time will tell if this smaller case size will take off or not. We’re looking into getting a sample in for review to let you know how it works in the steel. In the meantime, let us know in the comments what you think about it! voidwatches.com
