Spending time with the Atticus Pelion

Would you look at that – I’m back with a review! I just recently had some much-needed time off to reset and recharge, but that’s over, and I’m back to spill some digital ink. Today’s review is actually a loaner I had come in prior to vacation time, but life is what it is. Better late than never, it’s the review of the Atticus Pelion.

Now, you might be wondering – who is this Atticus watch company, anyways? Well, there’s actually a familiar name behind the brand (even if you don’t know it). That name is Rusty Mahony. Who’s he? Well, only the guy who’s helped Chris “Doc” Vail get a number of Lew & Huey (and now NTH) watch designs created. Now, Mahony is striking out on his own, using all he learned from Doc.

While the Adventure series has a few different designs in it, I specifically requested to have a look at the Atticus Pelion. To look at the design, it should appear pretty familiar. Rather than the sub designs we’re used to from NTH, here, we’ve got that iconic Explorer look to the dial, with a bit of a snowflake mix up in there for good measure. For me, that’s a good thing, as I definitely prefer the snowflake hands to the Mercedes hands, when it comes to the styles coming from the crown.

All of those are wrapped into a delightfully compact case – 38mm in diameter, and just 11mm thick. In other words, not too big, not too small. That’s something all of the watches that Mahony has designed seem to have in common, and I, for one, am a fan. Here, it’s paired to a tapered steel bracelet (20mm at the lugs, 16mm at the clasp) that keeps the vintage feel in place. Also, it keeps it so the bracelet doesn’t feel like some weird, chunky brick when compared to a case profile.

In other words, the design is well thought out, and looks to be well-sorted. In my time with the Atticus Pelion – powered by a Miyota 9000-series automatic movement – it was a delight for the daily WFH grind. It was a cinch to read the time at a glance (there’s a reason why black-and-white color schemes are so popular for watches), and the date is there, hiding out at 6 o’clock for when you need it, but otherwise hiding in the background when you don’t.

When the lights go down, the lume on the Atticus Pelion is plenty bright – and there’s even a dose of it on the crown, which is a fun little trick. In short, it’s a delightful, well-designed homage to the Explorer lineup, and is just one of the Adventure series – so if you don’t like the looks, there’s other ones to catch your eye.

Now, for the good news, bad news. Good news is that the Atticus Pelion will be available for $675, which is pretty affordable. The bad news is this – what I spent time with was just a prototype. Which means they’re not actually taking pre-orders for it just yet (the plan is to do that early next year). The good news there is one would presume there will be a discount when that opens up, so we’ll let you know when we’ve got more details. You can also sign up for their newsletter, so that will keep you up-to-date as well. atticuswatch.com

Review Summary

Brand & Model: Atticus Pelion with Date
Price: $675

Who?s it for? You want a well-designed, and affordable, homage to the venerable Explorer
Would I wear it? Yes, yes I would
The best thing about it: Got to love the compact case and bracelet!