This is a really good time to be interested in avant-garde watches. It seems like every week there are new watches coming to market and being announced that are well outside the confines of the “vintage inspired black dialed diver” that only a few years ago seemed to have been everywhere. Just yesterday we told you about an exciting new release from Holthinrichs, for instance. Before that, the debut watch from Toledano & Chan sold out in just minutes. As I write this I’m simultaneously finalizing my hands-on review of the Amida Digitrend, a throwback and a truly unusual design. And I happen to be wearing my trusty Arcanaut Arc II. If you have adventurous taste, you’re spoiled for choice at the moment with affordable options in all kinds of odd case shapes and dial executions that will surely be nothing like anything else at the local watch meetup. Today, a new watch from a new brand can be added to the conversation: the Anoma A1.
Anoma is a new brand founded by Matteo Violet Vianello, a longtime watch collector and one of the first employees at A Collected Man, where he sourced rare watches for clients and worked closely with some of the most prestigious independent brands. If you know A Collected Man, you know how expertly curated every sales listing and piece of editorial content is, and the A1 has the look and feel of a watch created by someone who has seen a lot of watches. Every tiny detail has been carefully considered, and the result is a genuinely unique design that somehow feels indebted to classic Cartier, 1970s funk, the Art Deco era, and something vaguely futuristic all at the same time.
The triangular case was conceived to have a sculptural, asymmetric look, with a “sector” triangular dial mirroring the case shape. According to Anoma, the specific rounded triangular shape of the case is borrowed from a free-form table designed by Charlotte Perriand in the 1950s. In watch form, it’s meant to feel like a pebble, fully polished all around with soft edges. There are no straight lines anywhere on the case, in fact, and the strap is attached through integrated lugs on the caseback and the crown is recessed in an effort to preserve the triangular appearance.
The dial has a two-tone finish with a metal base that is vertically brushed with a central triangle that is polished for contrast. Multiple layers of lacquer have been applied to bring out the green and blue colors. The leaf hands have been curved to complement the contours of the case, and minimal branding (just a simple “ANOMA” wordmark) keeps the focus on the interplay of shapes and color. The watch runs on a Sellita SW100 automatic movement, and measures 39mm x 38mm and is 9.45mm thick. Anoma notes that it wears smaller (they claim around 37mm) and thinner due to the irregular case shape.
I saw this watch very briefly in Geneva earlier this spring and was impressed by the creativity, finishing, and the ability of Anoma to deliver the A1 at a competitive price point (the retail price is £1,300). We have one in the office now for further evaluation, and will be bringing you hands-on thoughts and more photos soon.
The Anoma A1 is available for pre-order beginning today. It will remain available for sale until July 6, with the first 100 watches being individually numbered. Anoma states that after this pre-order window closes, this configuration will never be available again. Delivery is expected in January 2025. Anoma
