Welcome back to another week at the WRB. Today we’re going to be focusing on the world of microbrand watches, more specifically a brand new startup out of Canada called Acizem Watches. Not so long ago we reviewed the Michel GMT from Canadian brand Tesse, which we thought was a very well designed and creative watch. Acizem just launched their first model called the Enygmah, which we have on hand with us in the studio, and it takes the creativity into a new dimension, but at the same time loses that classic reserved appearance we appreciated from Tesse Watches.
The Enygmah is a watch that’s intentionally trying to be different, and I’m going to start off by saying that it’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. This is for those collectors seeking an outwardly new appearance for a wrist watch, somebody that wants a dressy watch that absolutely does not stay within the norms and expectations, but also still enjoys refinement and quality craftsmanship. This is not your usual watch, but it’s also not cheaply manufactured, which are two aspects that don’t usually coincide at this price point.
Whimsical Case Shape
The case on this watch is as round as it gets, because it has no lugs. Instead of lugs what we have here is what I can only describe as a very odd T-Connection that’s been welded to the case. The bracelet is then fastened to this protruding section with a rather large pin. To hide some of the makeshift construction when viewing the watch from the top, a butterfly like stainless steel design hovers over this contraption, which gives a little bit of a hidden connection appearance. As you can probably tell from my description, I’m not overly convinced this is the most efficient, aesthetic, or durable way to connect a metal bracelet to a watch.
Apart from the lugless design, the case shape retains a regular round appearance that extends beyond the domed crystal, giving off the illusion of a bezel without really having one. The case thickness is quite pronounced at 13.5mm, but in reality it seems a bit thicker, perhaps around 15mm thick, due to the domed crystal. Another sticking point for me is the crown, which is guarded by a fully enclosed steel loop, somewhat similar to what Panerai does on their Luminor divers, but this one is thicker, making time adjustment and winding the watch unnecessarily difficult. Stylistically it’s classier looking though, and less industrial chic.
With these design descriptions out of the way, this is not to say that this is a bad watch, but it’s to point out that the watch has been intentionally designed to be different from the norm. Sometimes re-inventing the wheel isn’t a great idea, other times it can create something completely different and useful for a small segment of people, the latter is where the Enygmah fits in here.
Functionally, the watch wears quite well on wrist, which seems to be a result of its experimental shape. The bracelet connection allows the bracelet to wrap around your wrist with nearly zero gap or play, as the bracelet is able to flex downwards directly from its connection. For a thick watch like this, I was surprised at how comfortable, and how nice it looked when actually strapped on the wrist for daily wear. You can certainly feel the weight of the watch, but there are no articulation pain points for me on my 6.5 inch wrist.
Build Quality & Dial
Lets not forget that this watch is launching with a price tag of $891.00 CAD, that’s Tissot PRX Automatic money. So we need to really pay attention to what benefits you’re getting with such a price tag. First off, I’d say most of the value is being spent on the unique standout design, secondly, the build quality of the watch is pretty good for its price point, but it’s not exceeding competitors in its segment.
The watch has a nice feel in hand and on wrist, it feels solid, and there are no apparent corner cutting techniques to me. The polished finish on the 316L stainless steel case and bracelet feels good, but not outstanding, and the brushed center links on the bracelet are very fine and done quite well.
The dial layout and design is the most grounded aspect of the watch. The variant that we have on hand has a very light icy blue hue to it. It’s also available in a deeper navy blue, black, and bronze. The dial has a beautifully executed radial brushing emitting from the center of the watch going outwards. The minute and hour hands are very wide and partially skeletonized, allowing them to be very visible but airy feeling. Near the 6 o’clock position we have a modest small seconds sub-dial, and only 5 arabic numerals are present on the dial, accompanied by applied tapering baton markers, with round plots, on the outside of the dial. The very outer ring of the dial has what appears to be a partial guilloche design, which really ties the whole old world vibe of the watch together. The one odd section of the dial for me is the plaque at the 6 o’clock position, which has the engraving of the model name along with a few rather mundane specs of the Miyota 82S5 movement.
Conclusive Thoughts
This is one of the weirder watches I’ve reviewed in recent times, and while I want to believe there is a segment of collectors out there looking for a configuration like this, I’m really not sure. The watch has an old world feel to it, but with a unique, almost overly engineered modern appearance.
While the watch is not for me personally, I can admire the dedication put into its conception, and I appreciate the fairly stout overall build quality of the watch. If you’re a microbrand fanatic, and really like the quirky and different, perhaps this watch is for you.
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