Complicated, luxurious and affordable – The Axon Origo

There are several things that go hand in hand and in watches, the more complications or features are found on a piece, the more expensive it becomes.

With the explosion of microbrands, the bar in terms of quality has become higher and adding more competition on this space. More established brands have become aware on what newcomers are offering and also, they have exited the entry level price bracket all together.

One of the price brackets that remains untouched is the one from the elegant dress watch. Sure, over the last few years we have seen an explosion in sports watches but the classical complication and vintage appeal had a big resurface making people change their stainless steel bracelets for chic leather straps.

That is all well and good but even with third party movements suppliers, high complications have remain untouched in terms of reach for the enthusiast community. That said, there is a group of people dedicated to modified ebauche movements while keeping the price down, this is how I came across Axon and their newest Origo.

Before coming to the watch itself, it is worth pointing our that the Axon guys have done their homework, not only in terms of complication but also on design and feel. This is a project that brings not only passion but also disruption, and for us that is good.

Join me to discover what rea micro brand revolution might look like.

Technical specifications

Having complications on a watch will mean nothing if the aesthetics are not right. I’ve seen countless watches with impressive features on paper but in reality, the watches themselves become unwearable. This is quite an usual problem and in my view a dress watch should be thin and relatively small. The Origo impresses on that front with a stainless steel case of 39mm in diameter and a lug to lug of 45.8mm making it extremely wearable. The measurement that I was most impressed with was the thickness at 12.2mm, quite an achievement with all that it packs and it does it with style adding a full polished case, bezel and curved lugs.

The dial comes in 2 variants; black and grey. The grey one is what we have as a press sample and feels quite remarkable, it has enameled layers of coating that provide a glossy finish. The lettering has been done in white which to me makes the watch a ‘’ghost’’ look, it feels like nothing else I’ve seen before and I enjoy it quite a lot. With minimal writing and polished roman numerals, the dial has 3 main openings to display the day, date and month at the top side of the dial. At the bottom half of the dial you can find the moonpahse aperture which has been printed in great details with a 24 hour indicator on top, it all looks very classy and tidy.

The dagger handset has been split in half to create more contrast and legibility and no seconds hand to distract you from the whole composition.

You would think that a complicated watch as the Origo would be hard to operate but quite the contrary, it is very intuitive. The side pushers are set close to each of the complications and with a simple but satisfying push, the date (at left) and the month (at right) change. The date is operated by the crown which makes it even more intuitive and the last pusher at 4 controls the moonphase complication. It is impressive to even think the amount of modifications that are occurring here.

Another impressive side or the watch is that we are still talking about Miyota 9 series automatic movement which can be seen from the back. As mentioned, it has been modified by Axon and provides 50 meters of water resistance with a custom engraved rotor, we will come to the price

shortly, I promise.

On the wrist

With the dimensions described, there is no denying that the Origo will wear like a charm on my 6.25 inch wrist. It is a watch that feels special and not because of the level of complexity but because everything feels so well thought out. Is not mashed in together to create value, is an exquisite exercise in design.

I wore the Origo mostly at the office, I took it for a London spin and doesn’t disappoint. It is very elegant and there is no way around it but the grey dial (I have not tested the black variant yet) feel quite causal and not black tie ready.

The ‘’vera pelle’’ or true leather strap that comes with the Origo is soft and matches the style to perfection, the deploying buckle elevates the whole wearing experience, a good all-around package. My only comment would be that the width of the lugs is 21mm, mainly because with that grey dial, the Origo could be a strap monster. That said there are plenty aftermarket options these days and surely a green or even a beige tone one would fit this beauty like a glove.

At the beginning when I started wearing the Origo I was a bit worried because fragility, is something that crosses you mind when you have a mechanical watch with so many moving parts. I am happy to report that the robustness of the Miyota movement is great. Not only the timing is accurate but also the action feel of the pushers makes you aware of the high quality delivered.

Concluding thoughts

No review will be completed without the price. I’ve intentionally left this for the end because I did not wanted the whole review to be based with the thoughts of economics, the main reason is because the Origo is offered at 599 EUR on their Kickstarted campaign.

This is an outstanding price for an outstanding watch that not only brings an unique proposition wrapped in a unique design.  It is a watch that is currently challenging anything that is out there costing 4x the price.

If we list the unique features like the enameled dial, the size of the case, the amount of complications and the smoothness of the pusher, our thoughts will immediately go to a different price bracket, this is why the Origo is so special.

 There are many thinks to like about Axon and their new baby, it is hard to separate the watch to what it means for our watch community and when you put them together, it feels like a refreshing project that I am happy to be part of.

For more information please visit: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/axon-watches/axon-watches-grand-complications-accessible-to-everyone

Technical Specifications

·       Miyota series 9 modified

·       Stainless Steel 316L

·       39mm diameter

·       12.2mm thick

·       45.8mm lug to lug

·       5 ATM WR

·       Complications

o   Moonphase

o   Day

o   Date

o   Month

o   24 hour