One of the things I love about microbrands is that they take chances. Sure, there are plenty of homages out there, but there are also new brands, like the Papar Watch Company, swinging for the fences their first time at bat. For today’s review, I have one such example, the Papar Anillo GMT, which is available for pre-order now for $750.
While the review sample is a prototype, it reflects about 95% of the final design. Production changes will include a fully brushed buckle and better contrast for the green GMT indicator. Otherwise, what you see here is what you will get. Papar will offer the Anillo in a stainless steel case with a black and white dial, and rose gold PVD with a gray face shown here.
It is a uniquely attractive watch, protected by an AR-coated sapphire crystal and sealed to 100m water resistance. While suitable for everyday wear, an absence of lume and delicate skeleton hands place it towards the dressier side of the sports spectrum.
Papar chose the Miyota 9075 for the Anillo, a 28.8k bph, 24-jewel automatic movement with a 42-hour power reserve and a GMT complication. Time zone functions are all the rage right now, so I appreciate it when a watchmaker finds a new way to display one. Instead of the usual GMT hand, Papar has opted for a disc that rotates under a laser-cut sector dial with spidery batons that radiate from the central dial like a sunburst, the hour markers extending into a contrasting minutes track. The idea is to set the disc to your home time zone, then adjust the delicate skeleton hands for local time — easy to do with the 9075’s jumping hour hand. There are no numbers, but do you need them? With 24 markers, it is not difficult.
Along with the GMT marker, the disc also has a day/night display in the form of a yellow-to-blue fade that shows through Papar’s crescent logo.
Overall, it’s a clean, deceptively simple approach that provides multiple displays of information on a face that initially appears sparse and minimalist. The black and white dial with its red GMT triangle is beautifully graphic but I rather like the understated grays of the rose gold case. I’d venture that it is actually a bit too understated in its current form, as that pale green triangle does tend to get lost, but this will be changed to a darker orange marker before production.
The Anillo’s case, on the other hand, is far from subtle. At first blush, you might think it’s a huge brick that will perch awkwardly on your wrist but fear not. It measures a rather modest 36mm wide, 43mm long, and it is just barely over 12mm thick. This makes it dramatically stout but not at all thick. You may think 36mm sounds small until you consider it is a square case (ok, technically an octagon, but a very square one). Squares wear large, so while a 38-40mm case would have made it look thinner, it would have worn like a watch two sizes larger. With its current dimensions, the Anillo cuts a dramatic profile without being overbearing. The short lug-to-lug placed it perfectly on my 6.75″ wrist, and it even aced the buttoned shirt cuff test.
Papar made good use of the watch’s blocky surface area. Polishing on the bezel facets, case back edges, and that whisper of a chamfer on the lugs contrast the longitudinal brushing along the sides of the barrel and the upper surfaces. The recessed cut on the underside also provides some visual interest. It is not quite deep enough to make the watch appear thinner, but thin is not in the Anillo’s design brief.
The recessed crown repeats the Anillo’s octagon motif and also bears the crescent. While attractive, it is also the object of my greatest criticism. It looks undersized compared to the case. I also found its small size (4.5mm wide) and smooth edge offered little grip and required a tight, uncomfortable pinch to operate, particularly when screwing it down. I hope this will be addressed before production, either with a textured edge or a wider diameter. I’d vote for the wider diameter. [Update: Papar has confirmed that the crown will indeed be larger on the production version.]
One of my favorite design elements is the octagonal bezel. As you can see below, each of its four sections has one raised and one recessed edge, creating an overlapping effect. I consider this to be a highlight of the watch. It is sufficiently distinctive that Papar has applied for a design patent (the sector dial is patent pending as well).
You get a better idea of the Anillo’s shape by flipping the watch over. While the bezel is an octagon, and the overall impression is square, the barrel is seven-sided and asymmetric. The brushed flat backplate secures with four screws and is neatly engraved.
Befitting its water resistance and smart casual bearing, the Anillo comes equipped with a 20mm gray sailcloth strap. It is leather-backed, neatly finished, and has quick-release pins. The faceted buckle is lovely and as noted above, will be fully brushed in production.
Is the Papar Anillo perfect? Not quite. And that’s fine. It’s a bold step forward for a new watch brand. Its Brutalist case, elegant dial, and creative detailing make it unlike anything else on the market. That is a powerful thing, particularly when you can get it for under $1,000.
You can pre-order a Papar Anillo for $750 directly from paparwatchco.com now for delivery in the fall. If you dare to be different, I’d suggest you have a look.
