Aera’s latest take on a field watch has a dusty pink dial inspired by SAS desert camouflage.
The M-1 Dune also sports an intriguing pebble-shaped 904L steel case and block lume indices.
Under the hood beats a Sellita SW216-1 for manual-winding purity.
Three years have passed since founders Jas Minhas and Olof Larsson launched Aera Instruments. Since then, the brand has adhered to its ethos of creating watches with a utilitarian purpose, yet without compromising contemporary, fashion-forward design aesthetics. October last year saw the release of the Aera C-1 Chronograph, a follow-up to the D-1 series of dive watches, and being the brand’s first chronograph, it showed that they wanted to push their unique designs to the next level. These are definitely tool watches, but tool watches with a twist. Now, they’re taking on the field watch category.
The field watch needs to be a no-nonsense, straightforward timepiece that is functional in practically any circumstances. Historically, it’s supposed to have met specific design requirements for military use, but today, brands can afford to be a little more free-flowing. Aera’s latest take on a field watch is just that. The new limited edition Aera M-1 Dune is a reinterpretation of the previous black dial M-1 from last year, now featuring a fresh, dusty pink dial that, surprisingly, is inspired by the British SAS. But more on that in a moment.
As far as field watches go, the Aera M-1 takes the traditional field watch case design and turns it on its head, introducing a smooth, flowing concept to the simple, 39mm case features. All surfaces feature a satin, circular brushed finish applied to the 904L stainless steel case, which is an interesting material choice, making it stand out from the vast majority of field watch competitors, which tend to stick to 316L stainless steel. 904L does offer higher corrosion resistance and looks fantastic when polished, but it can be susceptible to scratches. Because of this, the brushed surfaces on the M-1 are a welcome feature, keeping the watch looking fresher for longer.
It’s imperative that, for a field watch to be worthy of the name, it must be excellently functional, and thankfully, the M-1 delivers. Firstly, up front there’s a domed sapphire crystal with double anti-reflective coating underneath, meaning the coating won’t wear away or get scratched off, unlike other watches in this category. This, along with the large crown and two-piece screw-down case back, offers the watch 100 meters of water resistance. Additionally, at 13.14mm thick and with its soft, pebble-like shape, it’s a watch that isn’t going to get in the way when wearing it, making it the ideal outdoors companion.
The dial is where the M-1 Dune’s uniqueness shines. The previous Field and Blackbird models both had traditional black dials, but Aera have managed to introduce a pink dial, while still maintaining that rugged, military-inspired concept. British SAS Land Rovers from the late 1960s directly influenced the dusty pink dial —a colour that came about by mixing white paint with the rusty red oxide primer and a smidge of black. Surprisingly, it acted as an excellent camouflage when deployed in the desert and became a mainstay for the SAS for several years.
Aera have taken this opportunity to replicate the colour for the M1-Dune, and the effect is great. It’s not quite a salmon pink; it’s lighter and almost powdery, especially when subtly contrasted by the blocky, 3-dimensional Arabic numeral hour markers and Aera logo, which are made from Super-LumiNova and Globolight, respectively.
The dial is highly legible thanks to the large, Super-LumiNova-filled grey hands, despite everything being a relatively light colour. The minute track is clean, as is the small seconds dial at 6. Overall, the dial layout is as it should be on any great field watch, and it’s hard not to love that subtle textured pink dial finish.
The M1-Dune features a lovely grey suede leather strap that pairs brilliantly with the dial. Thoughtfully, it has quick-release spring bars so it can be easily swapped out, and these bars are, in fact, curved, so the strap follows the contours of the case. It’s one of those subtle details that can make a watch look far more refined than just popping straight bars on there, and I’m very happy to see it here, as it elevates the look of the watch overall.
The strap is finished with white stitching and is closed via a 904L stainless steel buckle. In addition to the grey suede strap, customers can also choose an additional strap from Aera’s range, and also, because the lug width is 20mm, there’s an argument to say the M1-Dune might even be a bit of a strap monster.
Inside the M1-Dune sits the ever-reliable SW216-1 manually-wound movement from your favourite microbrand movement manufacturer, Sellita. It is, in fact, the ‘élaboré’ grade 216-1, which one level above the standard variation and offers a slightly more refined visual finish on the surface (although with a closed caseback, that’s much of a muchness) along with a higher accuracy, adjusted at the factory in three positions to an accuracy of +/-7 sec/day up to +/- 20 sec/day. It offers a modest 42 hours of power reserve, which would have been nice to see improved upon slightly, but you can’t have it all, I suppose. It’s a strong, robust movement, though, which is well-made and will keep beating at 28,800vph for practically forever. The fact that it’s a mechanical movement is great to see, as it really ties in with the field watch concept.
Aera M1-Dune pricing and availability
The Aera M1-Dune is available directly from the brand’s website and is limited to 300 pieces. Price: £1,600
Brand
Aera
Model
M1-Dune
Case Dimensions
39mm (D) x 13.14mm (H) x 47.6mm (LTL)
Case Material
904L stainless steel
Water Resistance
100 meters
Crystal(s)
Sapphire
Dial
Dusty pink with solid lume hour markers
Lug Width
20mm
Bracelet
Grey suede leather with 904L stainless steel buckle
Movement
Sellita SW216-1 manually-wound
Power Reserve
42 hours
Functions
Hours, minutes, small seconds
Availability
Limited to 300 pieces
Price
£1,600
Â