Guess who’s back, back again. Axiom’s back, tell a friend. Yes, friends, the French brand with the quirkily vintage watches is back with another design for us over on Kickstarter. We first wrote about them a little over a year ago, followed up with their second model shortly after, and then finally got to go hands-on with the Axiom 26 Bleu Horizon earlier this year. Well, they’re at it again, bringing us a familiar design with some subtle tweaks in the form of the Axiom Montre D’Aviateur.
Now, if you’re familiar with the prior Axiom designs, this Axiom Montre D’Aviateur looks very similar to the previous watches – you’ve got the rounded case and domed crystal, narrow lugs with a two-piece strap (narrow portion over a wider), and a similar dial treatment. Closer inspection reveals some differences. For starters, that case has been redesigned a bit, most evidently by the crown moving from the 4 o’clock position to 3 o’clock. Why was this done? Well, friends, you see, this Axiom features a first for the brand, a Swiss movement. Gone are the Miyotas used previously – instead, we’ve got a Sellita SW260-1 automatic movement ticking away inside. That aforementioned crown has been redesigned as well.
On the dial front, we’ve obviously got a different color scheme (along with a new dark grey finish on the case itself). Looking at the photos, the sub-seconds seem a bit recessed in the dial, which is different from the prior models which simply had the subdial printed on. Along with the new color scheme on the case and dial, we’ve got a new shade of lume. This time, it takes the appearance of aged radium, while the 12 remains painted in red (non-luminous, unfortunately).
With this new launch, the Axiom Montre D’Aviateur brings another model into the mix. It’s more than a simple coat of paint, and starts bringing some variation into the lineup (and the new movement doesn’t hurt as well). If you want to check out one of the nouveau vintage curves of the Axiom Montre D’Aviateur, early bird pricing starts at just $488. The project itself will run until December 8, 2018, and stands at 200% funded as of this writing. campaign link
BLACK FRIDAY UPDATE: For 24 hours, there’s a new special reward being placed up, with drops the price of the new watch to about $400 – you should see that live on the campaign page at the time this article goes live.
Watch Overview
-
Brand & Model: Axiom Montre D’Aviateur
-
Price: early bird pricing starts at $488
-
Who we think it might be for: You’re a fan of the design style of the Axiom watches, but want something a bit more restrained in terms of the color palette
-
Would I buy one for myself based on what I’ve seen? If I didn’t already have a Bleu, sure, I’d consider it
-
If I could make one design suggestion, it would be: As with the blue version I have, I really would like to see the ’12’ done up in a luminous paint as the other numerals are
-
What spoke to me the most about this watch: There’s something about the vintage font used for those numerals that sucks me in
-
CASE: Montre D’Aviateur, Modèle I
-
DIAMETER: 42 mm
-
THICKNESS OF THE CASE: 14.70 mm
-
MATERIAL: 316L stainless steel
-
FINISH: Exclusive “War Grey” PVD Treatment
-
GLASS: Curved sapphire crystal
-
SEALING: Waterproof up to 200 metres
-
MOVEMENT: Swiss Made Sellita SW 260-1 engraved self-winding, 28,800 A/h (4 Hz), 31 rubies
-
FUNCTIONS: Hours and minutes in the centre. Seconds dial at 6 o’clock.
-
POWER RESERVE: 38 hours
-
DIAL: Black dial with satin finishing, 1 to 11 luminescent numerals
-
HANDS: Luminescent skeleton hands
-
STRAP:
-
MATERIAL: Selected calfskin “Walnut” (standard) and “Mahogany” (offered), stamped on the back
-
DIMENSIONS: In two parts: 14 mm by 260 mm without buckle; 26 mm by 135 mm
-
CLASP: Stainless steel pin buckle with “War Grey” treatment
-
