A great watch is born

After a long day of work, I am tired as heck, but there was no way I was going to miss the launch event for a new collection by Formex, one of my favorite brands.

It is not every day that a company introduces something genuinely new and innovative. In today’s watch industry, that has become a rarity. Just look at the absolutely uninspired new Rolex models for 2026 — their centenary year, no less. Formex, on the other hand, truly delivered.

The new Aria (“air” for the non-Italians) is packed with features that will make any watch aficionado curious. Maybe it is the brand’s first movement with a 72-hour power reserve and an ultra-efficient tungsten micro-rotor. Maybe it is the nature-inspired design language. It could be the new flexible gear-train pinion for backlash-free hand setting, developed using MEMS lithographic techniques. Or perhaps the silicon hairspring, the use of Grade 5 titanium that keeps the watch at a featherweight 78 grams — only 37 grams for the case itself — or the integrated bracelet with a fantastic micro-adjustment system.

Or maybe it is all of the above.

This watch manages to encapsulate everything exciting about modern horological innovation inside a 6.9 mm-thick case. And it does so at a price that, by today’s standards, is almost affordable: $7,900 in the US. When half-century-old movement-based watches routinely sell well into five figures, how can anyone call this expensive? In terms of value rather than raw dollars, this thing is off the charts.

The problem many people will face is availability. Formex is making only 100 pieces total. Not per color — total. Another production run may happen in about a year, but for now, this is it. The Aria can be reserved here.

Have I reserved mine, you ask?

Well, no.

As much as I recognize the immense horological achievement behind this project, I simply cannot get over the use of titanium. I hate titanium watches. If a watch is too light, I cannot feel it on my wrist, and I need that sensation. Give me my 150 to 200 grams of steel or gold, thank you very much.

So no, this is not the watch for me. But that does not stop me from saying that, in my opinion, this project may very well be the most advanced horological feat of the decade.

As they say: render unto Caesar.