Company: Aevig

Model: Valkyr

About Aevig:

PAST
Aevig was founded by Chip Yuen in 2013 after succesfully designing two projectwatches
for the worlds biggest online watch community, Watchuseek.
Aevig then continued with the Corvid fieldwatch and the retro diver Huldra.

PRESENT
Currently the popular Corvid returns in MKII form with minor changes visually.
The Huldra diver is sold out. Limited new stock eminent.
The Valkyr, a stunning retro sports watch available in six configs. Check it out.

FUTURE
Aevig, an ancient Norse word meaning ‘eternal’, continues to strive for perfection.
All designs are retro/vintage biased. Who can argue with timeless elegance. Contemporary styling with a nod to the past but with up to date materials and rich features.
In the years to come Aevig will gradually build a complete palette of watches ranging from dresswatch to chronograph. All with the same attention to detail and retro styling that
constitutes an Aevig watch.

Specs:
Material: CuSn8 bronze
Dimensions: 39mm width x 48mm length
Lugwidth: 20mm
Thickness: 14mm
Dial diameter: 32mm
Movement: Miyota 9015, automatic
Water Resistance: 100 meters
Crystal: double domed sapphire, AR coated on the inside
Lume: luminova BG-W9
Strap: premium leather rally strap

Some watches like to be babied and spend time safe inside a watch winder, scared to come out and play. Afraid to be worn, constant fear of being scratched, and would never think of being on the wrist during some outdoors activity. The Aevig Valkyr is anything but scared. This watch was made for adventure. I spend a lot of time outdoors and would never think of going without a watch. The great thing about the Valkyr can easily transition from the sports adventure right to the going out for beer.

I knew that the Valkyr and I were going to bond from the get go especially when I saw the packaging. It’s a tin rectangular box that reminds me of the old tin robots of yesteryear.

 

The retro style case with a modern edge is what caught my eye from the start. It reminds me of a kickass toy series my older brother collected when I was a kid called Micronauts. Futuristic 1970’s. The bronze case is boxy with sharp angles that gives the Valkyr a really unique appearance. The case dimensions on the Valkyr are 39mm x 48mm and is 14mm thick with a lug width of 20mm, so in other words the Valkyr isn’t styled after the “big watch” case trend of recent times. I do enjoy large cases don’t get me wrong, but it’s really refreshing to see a watch with smaller dimensions and a retro style.

The case is made of bronze but not just your run of the mill bronze. It’s CuSn8 bronze which is a tough and rugged marine grade bronze. Some people think bronze watches are just a fad, but they have been around for a long time. Yes their popularity has risen over the past few years, but I don’t consider it a fad. Stainless steel is still the most common used material for watches, but bronze is a great material for one simple reason. It’s ever changing. As it ages, it forms patina which can change the look of your watch. If you don’t like it, simply clean the watch and return it to the shiny new appearance.

Yes the case dimensions keep the Valkyr size modest, but it’s a lugless case as well which helps the Valkyr’s size modesty.  I like how the geometric shape of the case creates the illusion that the strap connects underneath the case. The angle of the lugs and case create a faux overhang that conceals where the strap actually hooks into place.

As you would expect the crown is a screw down style that is signed with the Aevig geometric logo. The crown operates flawlessly. The Valkyr has this great ability of pulling details together which shows how well thought out the design was planned. The polished stainless steel bezel along with the crown matches the stainless steel case back offering just enough contrast that works so damn well.

The screw down case back features a beautiful etched logo that has these really cool wings incorporated within the design. I absolutely love this detail.

The fixed bezel is what really pulled me in to the Valkyr. The blue inlay is so attractive. The raised domed crystal makes looking at the dial from any angle an absolute joy. I found myself turning the Valkyr in every possible angle just in awe of how beautiful the crystal makes the dial appear.

It’s stunning.  I’m a matte black fan for sure, but watches like the Valkyr with these hot blue dials are really making me crazy. In a good way for sure. The bezel and the dial match beautifully.

What I love about the dial on the Valkyr is that it’s has just enough to make it simplistic but beautiful. Symmetry works so well on this dial. As you can see there are no numerals on the Valkyr dial. Aevig achieved something really special on the dial of the Valkyr through well thought out small details that work in a big way. What do I mean?  Just look at the way the applied hour markers along with the minute and hour hands match the color of the case perfectly. Then take the red second hand which matches the red on the applied logo under the 12 o’clock hour marker, but it doesn’t stop their because the inner geometric Aevig logo is also the same bronze color. Everything pulls together brilliantly with this dial like the Aevig logo.

The movement inside of the Valkyr is the Miyota 9015 which is known as a premium movement and is also known for being a rather slim movement which allows the Valkyr to have that low profile. The 9015 has an accuracy rate of -10~30 seconds per day. This movement also has an installed shock absorber device which is really helpful since this watch is made for adventure.

Holding true to the sports watch theme the strap makes no exceptions. When I see this strap it just scream Speed Racer to me. It’s a premium rally style strap done in a rich brown genuine  leather. Right out of the box the strap easily conforms to the wrist. The precise white stitching instinctively matches the white ring along the outside edged of the dial. The strap has a traditional tang style buckle that is unsigned.

In the style of Ouroboros, the Valkyr has no beginning or end, it all works together seamlessly. This watch is seamless. Every detail of this watch has been thought out to the extreme. This unassuming watch came along and quite frankly has impressed the hell out of me. Everything works together in perfect design harmony. Futuristic vintage. Sounds like an oxymoron but really futuristic vintage is the best way to describe this watch. The Valkyr has that vintage sports watch look, but posses futuristic geometric symmetry.

I would not change anything about the Valkyr. It’s a refreshing and unique watch. Functionally this watch is flawless. Every once in awhile a watch comes along that makes me treat it like a piece of art. What do I mean by this? Let me explain. An artist creates a piece of art. There are so many hidden emotions and ideas that are involved with creating that artwork. Unless the artist explains what was the inspiration behind the artwork, we the public don’t really know. To be fair to the artist, can we really judge the artwork? I personally say no we can’t. So here we have the Valkyr and it is Aevig’s artwork. I feel like I can’t critique anything from a design perspective because it is a truly unique and a truly beautiful watch. I can suggest this to be changed or that could be better, because Aevig has created a piece of art that is perfect in the eyes and mind of the artist and this art appreciator.

Anyone that is looking for a watch with a cool vintage vibe that has futuristic touches, then this is the watch for you. I highly recommend it based on its uniqueness, high quality and wearability.

I would like to personally thank Chip from Aevig for the honor of this review. Right now Aevig has a new watch that is up for preorder and it is quite stunning. If interested check it out at Aevig.com.

Thanks for reading!

7 1/2″ Wrist shots and additional pics: