If you read our Microbrand Watch of The Year for 2022, you will recall that the Axia Time Sofia II was one of my nominees because it’s a handsome watch that is beautifully constructed for a very reasonable price. It set a high bar, so when owner John Kanaras offered his newest release for review, I was eager to see if it rivaled its stablemate. In short, it does. As hoped, the Axia Time Kairos II offers a different style and experience than the Sofia II while maintaining the same aesthetic and build quality.
When you peruse Axia Time’s website, you will see that the meat of their business is in commemorative timepieces for universities, collegiate sports teams, and fraternities. John was an accomplished athlete back in the day, and years later, as a seasoned watch enthusiast starting his own company, he recalled the thrill of playing in a national championship coupled with the disappointment of receiving a cheap quartz watch to mark the occasion. He set out to produce licensed watches worthy of such events, watches the recipient would want to wear for the rest of their lives.
I say, mission accomplished. Axia Time’s catalog features several Swiss mechanical watches in a variety of styles and sizes, with an ever-expanding list of schools and championship events. If, like me, you are ambivalent about your alma mater and possess the athletic ability of a tree sloth, you can still enjoy an Axia Time that displays only your appreciation for a fine watch. Such is the case with the silver and silver/gold two-tone pair featured here.
It’s a sporty watch, equipped to handle just about anything you are likely to throw at it. It has front (AR-coated) and rear sapphire crystals, a screw-down crown, and it is rated for 100m water resistance. Inside, beats a 26-jewel Sellita SW200 Elabore movement. Based on the venerable ETA 2824 architecture, it boasts a 28.8k bph vibration rate, 38-hour power reserve, and intimate familiarity of just about every watchmaker on earth. You get a nice view of its Côtes de Genève finish and engraved rotor on the back side. Axia Time also offers free engraving on the surrounding ring. Yes, I know this one is blank. Just use your imagination.
The Kairos II is 41mm wide and 47mm long on 22mm lugs. Overall thickness is just a touch more than 12mm. These are fairly standard dimensions for a men’s watch in 2023. It’s a sporty look that fills my smallish 6.75″ wrist without overwhelming it. On someone of a more common 7″+ size, it should be right in the sweet spot for daily wear. As it is a stainless steel case, I found it to be noticeably heavier than the titanium Sofia II, but that was to be expected.
The case shape is quite conservative, but the combination of brushing and polishing brings out its best, notably on the bezel, lugs, and crown.
Kairos IIs are manufactured in the same Swiss facility as Axia’s Sofia II, so all of my superlatives about that other model’s build quality apply equally here. Given modern manufacturing techniques, there is no need to suffer sub-par fit or finish on any watch these days. The sloppy ones are — and should be — outliers in an otherwise competent field. Still, it is immensely satisfying to handle a watch where everything is just done right, where crisp edges, tight joins, and perfect alignment let you know that your hard-earned money has just purchased a precision machine.
As you may have gathered from the brand’s naming convention, John is passionate about his Greek heritage. The Kairos II Skoura Edition pays tribute to his family’s ancestral home outside Sparta, a connection cemented by the Kairos’s embossed Greek key pattern on the center dial. I love a textured dial, and it is refreshing to see a watchmaker employ something distinctive to stand apart from the usual guilloché patterns. Blue is the only color offered, and that is fine. It’s a deep, gorgeous Navy that looks particularly fetching on the two-tone.
Circular brushing decorates the upper ring on which the tall polished and applied hour markers are set. The hands are polished, faceted, lumed, and properly sized. You will find the Axia Time chevron logo applied to the dial and acting as the second hand’s counterweight.
The hands and markers are broad enough to accommodate a healthy dose of lume, and Axia Time did not scrimp. They layered in that Swiss X1 SuperLuminova and printed the minute index with the same stuff to give you an intense glow when the lights go down.
Each Kairos II comes with a three-link bracelet, a nylon pass-through, and a rubber strap. That last one isn’t listed anywhere on the website; it’s a surprise. I sampled the bracelet and the rubber.
The bracelet matches the dual finishes of the case and is thoughtfully equipped with integrated quick-release pins (huzzah!) and an engraved, expandable, push-button clasp. Unlike some I have reviewed, this clasp is proportionate with the links and neatly finished all around. Its quality is top-notch.
I am no great fan of rubber straps, but this one is a cut above. It’s soft, comfortable, lint-free, quick-release, and has a dandy cross-hatch pattern. The buckle is sturdy and signed, of course. I kept the two-tone gold on the bracelet and went for the more casual rubber on the silver-tone case.
The Axia Time Kairos II Skoura Edition lists at $695 and is currently on sale for $625. As it was for the Sofia II, Axia over-delivers for the price. The watch is worth every penny, and that is before you factor in the extra straps, the custom engraving, and (yes, there’s more) the nifty, three-pocket, leather watch roll.
Head over to axiatime.com to see the whole collection. There are several appealing commemoratives with different dials and colors to celebrate certain events, and I hope the brand will release plain vanilla versions of the variants in the future. Seriously, that red dial on the University of Maryland Lacrosse version is hot. Until then, the Navy dial silver or two-tone Skoura will do quite nicely indeed.
