We thought that we were very lucky when we brought you the Havaan Tuvali Bluefin from Taiwan. But this time we are going to Estonia, with Aegaon Watches. They are the first ever Estionian watchmaker and it was inspired by Elvis Presley’s song ” Always on My Mind “.

The Beginning of AEGAON Watches

Aegaon watches was started back in 2012 by Janno Roodi, the founder and designer of the watch brand. Janno did not start out life as a watchmaker but his trade was in furniture manufacturing and came up with the idea and implementation of plywood sinks.

The idea of Aegaon watches came to Janno when he saw Elvis Presley in “Always On My Mind “. Elvis was rocking a huge watch on his wrist and Janno thought that he could do the same.

“I looked at it and thought that I would like to do that myself. And since I did not find such a watch anywhere, there was nothing left over than doing it myself ”

Janno Roodi

It took Janno one year and a half to design and test his idea and it was ready by Christmas time. His first watch design was the Peacemaker 65, a skeleton watch with a case diameter of 65mm! Now that’s a big watch. However he knew he would not be able to handle the business on his own so he brought his friend Kristjan Rabi.

From there, the two close friend brought the Peacemaker 65 on Indiegogo and it was a hit. They $25,000 and their campaign was backed by 71 people worldwide.

Estonia a small European country known for Skype, Ewert And The Two Dragons, the great sumo wrestler Baruto Kaido Höövelson. Now they are also known for Aegaon Watches.

The rest is history in the making, and after a few years they released another watch collection called Tabula Rasa.What started out as a mutual hobby of a group of friends, has grown into a successful small business, with online sales to over 20 countries around the world.

Some of you may be asking what is “Aegaon”? “AEGAON” originates from an Estonian saying “aega on”, which naturally translates to “take your time”.

Janno Roodi- The founder with the Peacemaker 65

Aegaon Watches Collection

Aegaon watches has two collection, the Peacemaker and Tabula Rasa. However do not get mistaken that Aegaon watches is just for men. They also have two watch collection for women.

Peacemaker

The Peacemaker comes in two case size, 65mm and 53mm. Both the Peacemaker 65 and Peacemaker 53 have the same movement, ETA 6497-1 clone with 52h power reserve.

“Peacemaker 65” may just be big enough to slow you down on your way to wherever it is you are going, but at least it will get you there on time. Resembling courage, determination and confidence – that’s what it took to make the very first Estonian watch, ever.

It could have fit even the Vikings and may just as well serve Your grandchildren in the future.

Tabula Rasa

“Tabula Rasa” means “blank slate” in Latin. In a philosophical sense, it bears the idea that all people start off blank and build their character through perception and experience – an equal chance to shape ones life and future.

The Tabula Rasa is not as big as the Peacemaker and comes with a choice of dial of 44″ and 38″. You also get a choice of quartz movement or automatic as well as a range of different colours of the dial, straps and casing. The straps have quick release pins to easy interchange (only for 38″).

The Tabula Rasa collection has minimal design made to last with high quality details and the personal touch of AEGAON craftsmen. The crown of the watch positioned at 10 o’clock position and is very much visible with its size.

Unboxing

Review of the Tabula Rasa 44″ Quartz

We have been very lucky to be provided a watch from Aegaon Watches and it is the Tabula Rasa Quartz. Before we find out if the watch is worth investing in, let’s see its specifications.

Weight: 83g.
Case Dimensions: 44MM x 10.5MM
Case Material: blue PVD coated, brushed stainless steel
Optics: sapphire crystal / anti-reflective coating on one side
Water Resistant: 5ATM
Strap: blue leather with blue stitching
Strap width: 24mm
Strap length: 210mm
Type: electronic quartz movement
Swiss Movement: Ronda 715
Jewels: 5 pcs
Battery style: 371
Warranty: 2 years

The watch came with a pleasant-looking box with stitching on the side and Aegaon branding on the top. Nothing much to talk about. But when you open the box, then you have things to talk about.

First the stunning colour of the watch jumps at you and it is just irrestible. With the rose gold bezel, the blue strap and blue dial, they all compliment each other and creates a truly stunning looking watch. Along with the brushed 316L stainless steel finish and PVD coat, the case is smooth at touch.

Now lets talk about the dial. It is very minimalistic with the simple rose gold marking and skeleton hands. That being said, the dial is very clear and good-looking. To fill in the extra space on the dial a date window has been added at your usual position and Aegaon Watches logo at your 12 o’clock position in rose gold. However, we think that more could have been done with the dial. When comparing the Tubula Rasa to the Peacemaker, it looks like these watches come from two different brand. A bit more ommph and a bit more creative design add a bit more vibrancy to the watch. To cover the dial, you have a sapphire crystal with antireflective coating on one side.

The push/pull crown is something which will catch your eye straight away. It is at an usual position with ‘A’ signed on top along with its larger than usual size. It is definitely a unique position and definitely stands out from the norm.

Before we move away from the case, the lug has some decorative screws and gives it an edgy look to it. This is quite similar to the one on the ZINVO Blade Phantom watch.

Inside we have a quartz movement, a Ronda 715 with 5 jewels. We wore the watch for a week and the movement was precise and no lag in between. If you would rather go for an automatic movement, you can, but it’s not available in the blue colour.

Finally, lets talk about the comfort of the watch. The strap width is 24mm and that was a great choice just because of the size of the casing and width. The strap is genuine leather and is also suede. The strap is a bit tough but it should be fine after it has been broken into. The strap very comfortable on the wrist and fits very well. In terms of the suede, it actually goes pretty well with the colour of the casing but the only worry is that it may be easily damaged.

How did it feel on the wrist?

The first thing you will feel is the weight of the watch, 83g. It is not overbearing but you will definitely know you are wearing a quality watch. The watch sat very well on the wrist and the width of the case, 10.5mm, was not an issue at all. The size of the casing, 44mm, was alright for us as we have had watches with similar case diameter.

The crown you are probably think would be annoying because of it position and that it would dig into your arm. However this was not an issue at all. The crown did not get in the way of moving the arm and also did not dig in. Actually the size of the crown is very practical. As we have a lot of watches, we have to pull the crown to save the battery for the watches and some of them are hard to put. But with the Tabula Rasa it is really easy. Overall, no problem with the crown and the watch sat very well on the wrist. However it will get some time getting used to the crown position.

Any improvement

We believe two improvement can be made and that is the hands. Instead of the skeleton hands, Luminova hands along with Luminova marking would have suited this watch well. The second improvement would be to have quick release pins for the straps.

Price

The price of the watch is £350/ $490/ €400. The watch is a bit pricey but we believe the watch is worth it and is a good investment. The watch is very attractive and the parts used to make the watch is of high quality. Also, you will be one of the people in the world to own a piece of history, Estonia’s first watch brand.

If you would like to know more about the watch, do visit https://aegaon.com/collections/tabula-rasa/products/tabula-rasa-quartz-6

So this was our post on Aegeon Watches, Estonia’s first watch brand. We would love to find out what you think about the Tubula Rasa and if you would ever buy the Peacemaker 65? Do let us know in the comment below.

Do not forget to subscribe to New Labels Only and do follow New Labels Only on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin, Google + and Youtube @Newlabelsonly where New Labels only is most active!