Table of Contents
What We Know
Today, Ianos, the Greek microbrand best known for its Greek history and culture-inspired dive watches like the Avyssos and the Dytis, is back with a new dive watch that was never meant to be. When Ianos introduced the Dytis last year, it was noted as the last in a trilogy of dive watches from Ianos, after which they would move on to the next thing. Well, Ianos is still mostly sticking to that story, but in the meantime, we have the Ianos Amfivios, a civilian edition of a special-edition watch Ianos produced last summer for Greece’s Underwater Demolition Command.
The new watch, built on the same dive-watch platform as last summer’s Dytis (which TanTan went hands-on with here), is a solid next step for a brand that has iterated gently, even as it’s taken big aesthetic swings in developing its collection. And truly, few, if any, other watches on the market scratch the same itch as Ianos’s watches do.
That said, the Amfivios is about as mass-appeal a watch as Ianos has produced, thanks to the military-demanded touches that set it apart from the Dytis. The Amfivios is, for example, the first dive watch since the original Avyssos to include any kind of scale on the rotating bezel. And where previous Ianos watches have used the small seconds subdial as a visual gag, here it is a functional subdial, with hands, markers, and everything.
That’s not to say Ianos has purged all that makes these watches, frankly, a little funky, though. The unique date at 12 remains, with the date window set into the marker. The indices, made of big chunks of lume, still have the same delightful rounded shape as the Dytis, and the watch name is still written in Greek lettering across the bottom of the dial, in place of a 6 o’clock marker.
In using the same case as the Dytis, the new watch also keeps Ianos’s signature “strap channel,” a unique design feature that blends channel lugs, like you’d find on a Tudor Pelagos FXD, with a carved-out caseback that allows for the use of a pass-through strap (actually, it demands it) while still letting the watch sit flat against your wrist. It’s a comfortable solution to a problem I’ve never found to be much of a problem, but it works really well with the included rubber strap, and I like to see this sort of innovation.
The case is made in Grade 2 titanium and is shot-blasted, creating a wide, rough texture reminiscent of stone. The watch is 41mm across, 49mm lug-to-lug, and 14.7mm thick, although nearly three millimeters of that thickness comes from building up the caseback to create the strap channel. Again, not for everyone, but it doesn’t bother me and is incredibly comfortable. The watch is water-resistant to 300 meters and is powered by a Sellita SW360-1 automatic movement.
The Ianos Amfivios is available to order for the general public starting today. While the watch is not a limited edition, the initial production batch was limited to 300 pieces, and the first 100 have already been sold to existing Ianos customers. Future production will be based on interest. The Ianos Amfivios is priced at CHF 2,050 (about 2,500 USD as of writing).
What We Think
I first encountered Ianos with the Dytis last year and, if I’m being honest, it didn’t do much for me. This, on the other hand, I’m on board with. It’s a bit of a compromise for Ianos, but it’s also more appealing to an audience beyond their core. The matte black dial—which, by the way, is a first for the brand—lets the more jovial details Ianos has managed to hold onto shine, and the rather chunky, slightly puffed-out case suits this new configuration better than I could have expected. Basically, what I’m saying is that while this might be a compromise for Ianos, it’s a very worthwhile one.
The Basics
Brand: Ianos
Model: Amfivios
Diameter: 41mm
Thickness: 14.68mm
Case Material: Grade 2 Titanium
Dial Color: Matte Black
Indexes: Luminous hour markers and minute pips
Lume: Yes
Water Resistance: 300m
Strap/Bracelet: Rubber single pass.
The Movement
Caliber: Sellita SW360-1
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, and date.
Diameter: 25.6mm
Power Reserve: ~56 Hours
Winding: Automatic
Frequency: 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
Jewels: 31
Chronometer Certified: No
Pricing & Availability
Price: CHF 2,050
Availability: Today, through Ianos
Limited Edition: No, but the initial production batch was 300 pieces, of which 100 are already sold.
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