New Indie Brand Anoma is Having a Moment
With the release today of its intriguing sophomore offering, the design-forward brand is blipping strong on our collective radar. And we thought, perhaps, it should be on yours, as well.
By Mike Espindle
Executive Editor
Upstart indie watch brand Anoma hit the news in January when it revealed its inaugural A1 First Series, which provided an avant-garde riff on a sculptural, rounded triangular case and off-kilter rounded triangular dial.
Today’s announcement of the brand’s next chapter, the Anoma A1 Slate, takes that off-beat geometric goodness to a whole new level.
Bold Beginnings
Founder of the London-based brand (the watches are made in Switzerland), Matteo Violet Vianello, spent his childhood pulling apart and reassembling vintage watches he found in a drawer in his home. He went on to work at Sotheby’s and was one of the first employees of the A Collected Man watch venue, where he continued his timepiece obsession.
Founding Anoma in 2023 opened up a new opportunity to combine his expertise in timepieces with his equally profound love of design and aesthetics. “Anoma exists to push boundaries–creating bold, disruptive watches that draw from influences far beyond traditional watchmaking,” he explained in a release. Fun fact: “Anoma” is short for “anomaly,” according to the brand.
Outside Influences
The iconic case and dial shape are drawn from such notable sources as French architect and designer Charlotte Perriand’s free-form furnishings, Romanian artist Constantin Brâncuși’s modernist sculpture, and even the biomorphic softness of well-worn river stones.
In this writer’s eye, I can also spot a relationship with the, albeit mostly brass, works of the Austrian art workshop of Carl Auböck.
On The Wrist
In the new Anoma A1 Slate, we get an ever more detailed approach than the initial offering. The dial is brushed, finished with three layers of black lacquer, and engraved with concentric triangular forms to call even more attention to the minimalist dial position, which is a few degrees off-center alignment with the triangular case.
Moreover, its 39mm x 38mm steel case (which wears more like a 37mm case owing to its lugless form, according to the brand) is crafted from mirror-polished 316L stainless steel, and a gray Italian leather strap completes the sober-yet-eye-catching vibe of this piece of time-telling art.
Pricing & Availability
Powered by an automatic Sellita SW100, the A1 Slate debuts today, with the Anoma website taking orders starting on March 10. Orders are expected to be in customers’ hands by this June.
The A1 Slate will not be limited or numbered and will cost you £1,800.