AEVIG Huldra black

AEVIG is Dutch microbrand founded in 2013 by Chip Yuen, a watch nerd with design background who knew how to combine his two passions with fascinating results. AEVIG is an ancient Norse word meaning eternal, a guiding principle of Chip’s creations — the timeless elegance of vintage inspired watches with a contemporary twist.

AEVIG’s first model, the Huldra is a stainless steel 200 m retro diver, with a classic look but with some details that make it a newfangled creation. It comes in three colours: blue, orange and black.

AEVIG Huldra black at a glance

Movement
Automatic Miyota 9015

Case
Stainless steel
Dimensions: 42 x 46 x 12 mm
Lug width: 22 mm
Domed sapphire crystal with AR coating on the inside
Water resistant to 200 m

Bracelet
Five row stainless steel bracelet
Solid endlink 3 link 22-20mm tapered
Flip lock 5 hole micro adjust
Ships with extra NATO strap

First impressions

AEVIG Huldra black

With my small wrist, I had no choice but start by adjusting the bracelet, after popping out a few links, it fit like a glove. Despite its average size, because of all the steel in the movement, the case and the bracelet, the Huldra ends up as having a good, reassuring weight to it.

Dial

A closer look at the dial of the AEVIG Huldra

The black dial is in complete harmony with the matt black aluminum insert of the bezel, absorbing the light and bringing out applied indexes and the hands. Personally, I’m happy to not have a date window on this watch. While I could understand some people missing this functions, it keeps dial cleaner and it is much simpler to adjust the time.

The Huldra’s dial is a playground for hexagons. First of all, you have the logo at 12 o’clock which is an applied metallic shape filled with orange lume. Then you have the hexagon shaped indexes that echo the logo, finally I would mention the tip of the minute and hour hands, which are cut at the 120°, the angle of a hexagon. The applied indexes rise above the dial creating a three dimensional effect, especially visible when looked from an angle and the domed crystal becomes a magnifying glass.

AEVIG Huldra in the dark

Inside the indexes, the minute and hour hands are coated with C3 Superluminova. A small rectangle on the second hand is filled with the same orange lume as the logo at 12. As you can see in the above image, the orange lume is not very visible in darkness, but the rest of the dial, the hands and the bezel offer excellent visibility.

Case

Domed crystal of the AEVIG Huldra

The domed crystal, the bezel following the angle of the crystal and finally the entire case create a softly rounded pillow-like shape. The unidirectional rotating bezel has 120 steps and it is relatively easy to turn with bare hands. Unfortunately because of its proportions — at 40 mm it is smaller than the case while its height is 2 mm —  the same could not be performed when wearing gloves. For an everyday use this should not be an issue and I rather like the transition from the bezel to the crystal.

The top of the stainless steel case bears the marks of circular brush finish, while the side is polished.

A side-view with the crown of the AEVIG Huldra

The screw-down crown has good grip and it’s easy to operate.

The AEVIG logo engraved on the stainless steel back of the Huldra.

Turning the watch upside down will reveal the stainless steel screw-down case back, decorated with the AEVIG hexagon.

Bracelet

Bracelet and clasp of the AEVIG Huldra

On the five-row bracelet, brushed and polished links alternate, offering a nice opportunity for the light to play.

When buying the watch, apart the bracelet, it will also ship with a NATO strap. If you feel like further customizing it, eventually trying it with a rubber strap, the 22 mm lug-width will let you easily do that.

Conclusions

AEVIG Huldra black from distance

While this baby has the DNA of legendary explorers, I think it will be better suited to dressier situations or some casual events. Its cushion shaped case, makes it really comfortable to wear; it can easily hide under the cuff and effortlessly slide out when you want to look at it. I really like the way the small design elements work together, creating a consistent and strong brand image. This watch has an identity, a personality that I did not mind wearing on my wrist.

When it comes to value, the regular price is $555 CAD, minus 21% EU VAT, although at the time of writing this review it’s on sale at $444 CAD. You might want to also take a look at the gorgeous blue dial version, or the Huldra orange too. You can find them all here: http://aevig.com/product-category/huldra-retro-diver/.

A side-view of the bracelet showing the micro-adjustment holes of the clasp.

Lug-to-lug, the AEVIG Huldra is 46 mm

A winter landscape with the Huldra.

Hello from Toronto with the Huldra