“ While the architecture of this Mihanikos edition is identical to the previous release, the goal was to present a more modern look. A cool gray tone was selected for the dial, with black hands filled with white lume and the familiar white hour markers. Working to capture a Parisian sense of style, the dial is monochromatic as both the running seconds mechanism and dial are the same tone of gray. Minimal dial text also leans into this aesthetic. The continued use of a white date disk for the date window at 12 o’clock remains a unique stylistic choice. The hollow marker at the topmost hour provides a nice contrast to the large white hour markers.”

“I’m a fan of the specificity of the Mihanikos. Watches that tell a story are inherently niche, but I think the way Ianos taps into the unique diving history of a particular culture is a lot of fun, and actually fairly meaningful. Diving in a scaphandre is a very different type of diving than what you’d do for recreation today (or anytime in the last 60 or so years), and looking at the watch knowing that connection is a reminder of the danger of the activity. I’ll be honest – I’m not sure how Parisian the new dial color really is, but the monotone nature of the whole package works well.”

“It can be a tough job to stand out from the crowd in the dive watch scene, especially when that’s the microbrand dive watch scene. It seems that around 95% of microbrands these days create dive watches using cookie-cutter, off-the-shelf designs which lack any natural creativity or thought. The same definitely cannot be said about the Greek microbrand Ianos.

The 316L steel case is well machined and finished, measuring 43mm across. Ianos chose to go with a matte sandblasted finish throughout, which I think is perfect given the inspiration.

The dial is straightforward and clean. The simple shade of dark blue is a nod to the dark blue Mediterranean Sea, the divers’ hunting grounds. It is representative of the somberness of their work. The hour markers are big and clean and contrast nicely against the blue dial.

The going seconds sub-dial at six o’clock is one of my favorite elements. Its design mimics the original manual air pumps, which supplied air to the scaphandre divers. Sometimes, this type of design element can feel forced or “gimmicky,” but the integration is done well here.”

“Deep blue like the depths of the Grecian seas, the dial on the Mihanikos is an excellent pairing with the matte steel case. In darker light, the dial reads black with just a hint of blue, while in full sunlight, it’s clearly a rich navy.

I’ve really enjoyed how the watch sits on top of my wrist and that’s thanks to the thin, curved mid-case. I’ve also come to appreciate the organic curved lines of the case and how they contribute to a pleasant user experience. As far as style goes, this watch definitely leans into tool watch territory

The story behind Ianos’ new Mihanikos is an interesting one. I’m not so sure that many people will resonate with the story specifically, but never in my several years of writing about watches did I think that I’d be researching how the local sponge diving economy of a small Greek island was affected by the introduction of diving suits. In terms of bringing attention to an interesting and niche piece of history about the world of underwater adventure, the designers at Ianos have done an excellent job.”

“Although the dive watch is probably the single most popular watch category, its design homogeneity, marked by an abundance of ‘homage’ models, is striking. For this reason, it is always interesting to see something different, something that deviates from the generic copycat models. A case in point, the Ianos Mihanikos eschews traditional codes and instead provides its own cool, offbeat take on the dive watch.

The dark blue colour scheme is reminiscent of the Mediterranean sea. The dial design is original, too, with luminous sponge-like hour markers and the date integrated into the 12 o’clock marker. The small seconds disc with a luminescent dot rotating at 6 o’clock lets you check that your watch is running. It is inspired by the air pumps the diving crew used to supply air to the first scaphandre divers.

If you are looking for a dive watch that stands out from the pack with a captivating Mediterranean backstory, the Ianos Mihanikos is well worth a good look”

“Το μοντέλο Μηχανικός είναι το δεύτερο ρολόι που δημιουργεί η Ianos. Όπως οι καταδυτικές στολές ήταν φτιαγμένες ώστε να αντέχουν σε υψηλές πιέσεις, κακουχίες και σκληρή χρήση στον βυθό, έτσι και το συγκεκριμένο εργαλείο για τον καρπό έχει σχεδιαστεί ώστε να μπορεί να ανταποκριθεί στις σκληρές συνθήκες μίας κατάδυσης.

Η εύρωστη κάσα του έχει διάμετρο 43 χιλιοστά, πάχος 15,75 χιλιοστά, και είναι ατσάλινη, στεγανή μέχρι 300 μέτρα βάθος, με βιδωτή κορώνα και φαρδιά οδοντωτή ανάγλυφη στεφάνη, που θυμίζει καταδυτικό σκάφανδρο. Από το πλάι, το ρολόι έχει το απαλό στρογγυλό σχήμα σφουγγαριού και σφραγίζει με ένα θολωτό κρύσταλλο ζαφειριού.

Το μινιμαλιστικό καντράν είναι σε ματ σκούρο μπλε χρώμα –όπως ο βυθός της Μεσογείου–, με ευμεγέθεις δείκτες και ενδείξεις σε σχήμα σφουγγαριού, όλα επικαλυμμένα με λευκή φωτοβόλο ουσία. Στο 6 τα μικρά δευτερόλεπτα περιστρέφονται αδιάκοπα ως μία φωσφορίζουσα κουκκίδα πάνω σε ένα υποκαντράν σχήμα αντλίας αέρα.”

“Yes, this watch sets out to teach us about Greek sponge diving during the industrial era, but I want everyone who has made it this far to understand that you can – if you so desire – entirely tune out the history teacher and just vibe on the Mihanikos as a cool dive watch. In this era of horological boomtimes, it seems everyone and their cousin is starting a watch brand that celebrates regional narratives (see Haven Watches, Tockr Watches, AnOrdain, Ming, Semper & Adhuc, etc…). The stand-out brands will be those who don’t depend on that narrative, but who manage to sink the story deeper into the design of the watch in meaningful but subtle ways. Even more so than with the Abyssos, Ianos has done just that with the Mihanikos. Well done”

“A surprise choice from a minnow among leviathans, the Ianos hails from the proud diving nation of Greece. The Avyssos takes its design inspiration from that country’s diving history. Hour markers are shaped like the stone diving planes used by sponge divers and the spinning movement indicator at 6:00 harks to the ancient Anthikythera clockwork device that was excavated from the bottom of the Mediterranean. A handwound ETA movement is a novel choice on a modern diver and the aesthetics of the dial texture, color, suede strap choice and case shape are wholly unique and fresh with a maturity that defies a brand’s freshman effort. The Avyssos is like a shot of ouzo after so many glasses of pinot noir.”

“Besides all the inspiration from ancient Gods and Greek sponge-diver history, I’m glad there’s an important modern design part to the Ianos Avyssos as well. Don’t get me wrong, I can fully understand the importance of a good story backing up a watch. However, with the SIHH – where there’s a proud story behind every watch – still fresh in my memory, I rather like to buy a good watch than a good story. The Ianos Avyssos is exactly that, a good watch. A watch which by itself attracts on first sight – as explained in the first paragraph of this article.

What is it that makes the Ianos Avyssos attract so strongly? For me, it’s very much the shape of the casing. The case has been designed to complement the wrist’s curvature and has sloped edges. It makes the watch look light and almost organic. And that’s exactly how it feels when wearing it as well, as if it belongs to your wrist. It seems it just should be there.”

“The Ianos Avyssos was the last watch that actually struck me in terms of originality; I didn’t see so many fresh design and construction elements in a single watch thereafter.”

“I love the story of the Ianos Avyssos but besides that, it is an original looking dive watch. It is not that I don’t want a dive watch with the typical look and feel, but I just adore the design of this Avyssos.”

“In these days of globalised production and democratised design it seems like there are more micro watch brands than ever before and, really, most of them are pretty forgettable, all riffing from the same songbook/factory catalogue. So when something a little left of centre shows up, I tend to pay attention.

The combination of rich history, unusual design choices and quite solid construction techniques adds up to an attractive, if unconventional, watch. ”

“Compare that to the Abyssos, which is all about (a) an ancient mechanism from Greece that was basically a mechanical computer tracking the stars and planets discovered underwater by (b) Greek sponge divers who risk their lives to make a living. The narrative of the Abyssos gets me straight to real diving, and that makes my heart sing songs of adventure and risk and baddassery.”

“Είναι άλλωστε προφανείς στην αισθητική του οι επιρροές τόσο από την ελληνική παράδοση των Συμιακών σφουγγαράδων όσο και από τον κόσμο της αρχαίας Ελλάδας και συγκεκριμένα από τον περίφημο Μηχανισμό των Αντικυθήρων, ένα από τα παλαιότερα αστρονομικά όργανα μέτρησης του χρόνου στην ιστορία.

Εμείς στο HOURS είχαμε την ευκαιρία να δούμε, να περιεργαστούμε και να φορέσουμε τα πρώτα μοντέλα Avyssos και θεωρούμε ότι πρόκειται για μία σοβαρή, προσεγμένη και τίμια προσπάθεια με εξαιρετική σχέση ποιότητας και τιμής.”