VAER Watches

When we look to add to our own watch collection here at The Coolector, one of the first features we typically look for is a sleek, understated and minimalist design. That’s why we’re always finding ourselves gravitating towards the watchmaker, VAER, as they are one of the best in the business in this regard. The American watchmaker may be relatively new to the market but they’ve not wasted any time at all in establishing a lofty reputation in what is a highly competitive space.

The beauty of VAER watches comes from their effortlessly dapper design and elegant aesthetics which is courtesy of their classic style craftsmanship. Another pleasing element of the timepieces from VAER is their affordability with prices starting at a thoroughly reasonable $149 for their S5 range- which is such a great price for such an attractive timepiece. With a heady mix of field watches and dive watches, you’re sure to find something that fits the stylistic bill on the digital shelves of VAER.

Built With Purpose

Founded by Ryan Torres and Reagan Cook, VAER came into being because the pair couldn’t afford the watches they liked, and didn’t like any of the watches they could afford – something we’re sure a lot of watch fans can relate to. So they used their life savings to bring their vision of the perfect everyday watch to life and the rest, as they say, is history. We’re big fans of not just the aesthetics of the watches from VAER but also the story behind them and the quality of the craftsmanship on offer.

It’s VAER’s cracking collection of dive watches that really resonate with our sensibilities here at The Coolector and for those who love an adventurous lifestyle and want a watch that can keep pace without breaking the bank, these timepieces are the ideal place to start. VAER are an ocean-based brand and are headquartered half a mile from the Pacific coastline. As such, they see water resistance not merely as a hypothetical “nice-to-have,” but as a functional everyday necessity. While the locking 10ATM rating of their current watch line-up covers 95% of in-water use cases, it was important that the Diver went a step above. At 20ATM, VAER believe these dive watches will cover all real-world depth exposures, while maintaining highly requested aesthetic design features such as slim, elegant profile and a sapphire exhibition caseback.

VAER have a commitment to crafting a functionally waterproof wristwatch at a sub-$150 starting price-point and, as you would expect, this proved challenging. Even though prototypes with traditional push-pull crowns were rated at 10ATM at static pressure, real-world testing resulted in consistent flooding. To overcome this issue, VAER decided to use a locking screw-down crown to ensure an air-tight seal (a feature most commonly found on luxury dive watches). So, you’re definitely getting a bargain if you add one of VAER’s dive watches to your wrist.

USA Made Excellence

A pleasing element of the design of VAER watches is their USA made craftsmanship. After overcoming their first-year in business, they made the decision to move their watch assembly operation to the USA. While it represented an increase in cost and led to major logistical challenges, VAER felt that as a young, independently owned company, it was a challenge worth tackling.

In the spring of 2018, VAER successfully released their first batch of American assembled watches – which provided customers by far the most affordable USA-assembled watch on the market. If you’re after a quality timepiece that has a devilishly dapper design, a sleek minimalist aesthetic and a wallet friendly price-tag, we’ve no hesitation at all in suggesting that VAER need to be well and truly on your radar for this.