WHat is ianos

TWO HEADS ARE BETTER THAN ONE

Ianos is the Greek name for the Roman god, Janus, a name which may sound familiar to you if you consider his connection with the first month of the year, January.

Beginning a new brand is always a daunting task, the least of which is the name. However, as per my usual mode of operation I wanted a name that would perfectly encapsulate the brand’s Greek origin (therefore had to be Greek) as well as the brand’s focus on historical inspiration. One would thing that this would be an easy task, but when you think about it, Greek, albeit spoken by relatively few people around the world, is a very popular language for anything horological related, not to mention the word “horological” itself (from the Greek “hora” meaning hour”). From the letters of the alphabet from Alpha (a brand exists by that name) to, well..Omega, Greek letters were off the table. So were most of the Greek names for time such as Chronos for obvious reasons.

So I had to get creative and more obscure, and then is where I found, Ianos.

Being the god of beginnings and endings, Ianos was said to look to the past, and the future, with his two heads. For a brand looking to the future while being mindful of the past, Ianos was the perfect fit. That Ianos is also the god of beginnings was an added bonus to me and a welcoming sign that the brand would have his blessing!

In terms of what Ianos is meant to offer to the horological community, the message is simple.

Diving into Greek mythology, legend and history for inspiration, the goal of Ianos is to bring to the present and enliven well known and less known stories of Greek prowess in a plethora of fields through the art of watchmaking in a meaningful and thoughtful way.

Today, established brands depend on decades’ old watch designs to peddle iteration upon iteration of the same watch, with miniscule differences and present them as something new. I get it, they have to, or risk alienating their following and risking all that they are known for.

On the opposite side, numerous microbrands offer clones of well- known watches at a fraction of the price to satisfy consumers’ urge for quick fulfilment.

Ianos was created to fill a void in a way that no other brand has until now. To create unique watches combining elements from Greek history and legend with modern design, showing that history does not always mean old and outdated and that modern design does not mean lack of inspiration. And all of that in a package with very high quality and refinement.

Combining these two elements, Ianos is creating something different, steeped in inspiration and meaningful design while creating an instant connection with the wearer due to the consideration that has gone into the producing each watch.