My Favorite Micro Brand
My collection is comprised mostly of Swiss watches from mainstream brands, but I find myself really drawn to watches from the micro brand Zelos. The build quality exceeds their price point, and their dials are just amazing.
I just received my 4th Zelos today, the Mako V3 with the aventurine dial. The only other aventurine dial that I've seen in person is on the Lange Saxonia and I have to say that the Zelos is every bit as attractive as the Lange. The "sparkly" dial is probably better suited to a dress watch like the Lange, but I think it looks awesome on a tool watch as well. The Zelos web site describes it as having an "Aventurine glass dial which sparkles like the night sky", and they are 100% correct. Every time I glance down at my wrist it just draws me in.
As with so many watches, these all look so much better in person than they do in photos or videos. The blue MOP dial on my titanium Mako V3 appears as a simple dark blue most of the time, but when the light strikes it, it shimmers with iridescent purple and teal tones, providing me with my own personal nebula. In person, the teal dial of the Horizons V2 GMT has more greenish tones than are ever captured in photos, which always make the dial appear blue. It's the only watch that my wife has ever described as having a "gorgeous" dial. The burnt orange dial on the Spearfish features a texture that I've never been able to capture in a photo.
I've been trying to rein in my collection growth, but brands like Zelos make that very difficult. I realize that they may not appeal to everyone, but they sure do appeal to me.
I've worn a watch for as long as I can remember, but I didn't become interested in watches until 2018, when I bought my first decent mechanical watch. Shortly after purchasing it, I joined a local wat...
Zelos is nice but it’s in a highly competitive segment of both micro and big brands. Only so many dollars to spend. Congrats on yours though.
They have some beautiful pieces. I've looked at him for a while. If I recall correctly, there was a meteorite dial that I loved!
I haven’t been to their website yet, I think you inspired me to take a look!
Really wish these weren't so damn hard to get your hands on. I can't find them many places and when I do they're usually sold out. Have other people experienced this? I would really love to own one of these... I'm gonna have to watch like a hawk for any news of a new release.
Really wish these weren't so damn hard to get your hands on. I can't find them many places and when I do they're usually sold out. Have other people experienced this? I would really love to own one of these... I'm gonna have to watch like a hawk for any news of a new release.
I'm registered to get advance notification prior to new releases. I can't remember for sure, but I'm pretty sure I signed up through the "Zelos Timekeepers" Facebook group. There is an option on the Zelos web site to subscribe to their newsletter to get that same access.
The releases do tend to sell out extremely quickly. The latest Mako release dropped on April 28th at 11PM Singapore time, which works out to 10:00 AM central time where I'm located. I was on the site right at 10:00 AM and my order confirmation was time stamped at 10:01. When I checked a couple of minutes later, all 200 of the aventurine dial had already been sold out. I was very grateful to be able to snag one.
I haven’t been to their website yet, I think you inspired me to take a look!
I hope you like what you see there. If they interest you, I'd suggest you sign up for their newsletter to get advance notice of new releases, as they tend to sell out extremely quickly.
They have some beautiful pieces. I've looked at him for a while. If I recall correctly, there was a meteorite dial that I loved!
I've seen their meteorite dials in person, and they are awesome. I'd like to eventually add one of those to my collection as well.
Gotta grab them before they are sold out! As a bonus the bracelets are every bit as good as the watches.
Gotta grab them before they are sold out! As a bonus the bracelets are every bit as good as the watches.
Indeed. The earlier models had mediocre bracelets, but there have been huge improvements with the later releases. I'm looking forward to being able to see one of those hammered dial variants in person.
I'm trying not to buy more than 1 watch per company in general, but I already have one Zelos, a Mako V3 Titanium Frost, and I love it! But I also love those teal dials they have. And they have some of the most affordable meteorite dials out there too. So I most likely will end up with at least 1 more Zelos in the collection! But the Mako I have has proven to be one of my most worn watches, so they have proven themselves. Been lusting after this one I have since it launched on 2021, but everything lined up earlier this year and I was finally able to get it.
I'm trying not to buy more than 1 watch per company in general, but I already have one Zelos, a Mako V3 Titanium Frost, and I love it! But I also love those teal dials they have. And they have some of the most affordable meteorite dials out there too. So I most likely will end up with at least 1 more Zelos in the collection! But the Mako I have has proven to be one of my most worn watches, so they have proven themselves. Been lusting after this one I have since it launched on 2021, but everything lined up earlier this year and I was finally able to get it.
I can understand your approach, as it certainly can result in a more diverse collection. My philosophy is simply to buy watches that I like without trying to conform to any specific rules or guidelines. I suppose it could be argued that my approach results in simply having an accumulation of watches rather than a "collection", but it works for me.
I certainly had no plan to end up with multiple Zelos watches (or multiples of any brand for that matter), but they just happen to offer several watches that appeal to me, based mostly on their interesting dials. I can see adding both a full lume and meteorite to my collection at some point, but I'm really trying hard to stop my collection from growing.