We’ve been spoilt for choice when it comes to dress watches in the last few months of 2020. The Atticus Téleios is the latest, and it is brilliant.
Atticus Téleios Review
I was lucky enough to get a few days with the Atticus Téleios as it made its way around the UK review circuit and I’m really glad to have had the chance – it’s yet another superb dress watch to add to the “best of 2020” list.
Case
The Atticus Téleios instantly brought to mind the Rolex Explorer when I picked it up. It has a 38mm case which wears bigger thanks to the dial design, but it takes a lot of design cues from the vintage Rolex Oyster cases. Drilled lugs, impeccable finishing and that “just right” feel on the wrist.
The specs are as you’d expect: 316L steel, sapphire crystal and a quality movement – in this case the Miyota 9000. That makes it attract a premium price point compared to its NH35-equipped competitors (the Atticus Téleios weighs in at $675), but the Miyota is a high-beat, high-accuracy movement and a good, solid choice which many feel is equivalent to a Swiss option.
Dial and Hands
Dress watches are all about design, and the Atticus Téleios takes a bold choice to eschew the standard “single colour, simple sticks” of most dress watches and instead adds applied triangular markers to a black and white dial. It’s a bold look that works well and makes the white hands easy to pick out. I particularly liked the match between the black inner circle and the date wheel, which I felt made the most of the date feature – which can end up being an incongruous element from a design perspective.
Bracelet
The Atticus Téleios has a super smooth bracelet with excellent fit and finish. I was not so sure about the odd “half links” that appear towards the top of each part. They seem to serve no purpose, and I think they make the bracelet look a bit unbalanced. Nevertheless, the quality is second to none.
The clasp is excellent – a design we see very often, but a good one. There are six micro-adjustments, and those who have read my NTH Thresher 2K1 review will know that I think that’s the Goldilocks zone of bracelet adjustments.
Atticus Téleios – Video Review
What I Liked
- Fit and finish is excellent all-round
- The dial design is unique and makes the most of a sensible diameter
- Putting six micro-adjustments on the clasp makes me smile!
What I Didn’t Like
- The 38mm case size might put some people off – but it does wear bigger.
- I’m not sure about the smaller links in the bracelet; they seem out of place to my eye.
- The $675 price tag is higher than its close competitors.
Atticus Téleios – the WRUK verdict
The Atticus Téleios goes up against two of my favourite dress watches of 2020, and it is amazing how all three have landed in the closing weeks of the year. I would compare it to two watches: the Roebuck Diviso and the Neucarl Sept Mai.
The Roebuck Watch Company Diviso is $100 less expensive, and I slightly prefer the Diviso’s more modern design. A closer competitor in terms of design is the Neucarl Sept Mai which is closer in price but has that cool lumed dial and hand-wound movement. Personally, I’d put the Téleios between the two, and could easily imagine it coexisting in a collection with the Roebuck watch.
Overall, the Atticus Téleios is an excellent watch. It’s well made and well-specced: and certainly one to consider adding to your wish list.
Buy an Atticus Téleios
Atticus sells watches at https://atticuswatch.com/
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