I had a chance to check out a Holgar Swiss quartz chronograph recently and was quite impressed.  And then I got to spend an hour with the brand’s founder and CEO, Nas Ekangaki, at Austin MicroLux 2022.  After hearing his vision behind Holgar, my desire to be part of the brand’s story grew even more so.

Let’s start with the design…  When you look at a Holgar watch the first thing you notice is the unique case shape. Its design embraces facets made popular in recent years but in a delightfully subtle way. If you’ve ever worn a watch with a faceted case you’ve probably noticed it wasn’t very comfortable. That could not be further from the truth for Holgar – Nas made sure that both style and comfort coexist seamlessly in the watches they produce.

But Holgar’s case is not just unique and comfortable, it is also incredibly durable. Made from 904L stainless steel, the case is durable and maintains a noticeable shine. At 44mm, it’s a perfect size to have presence on your wrist but not be a behemoth.  And Holgar also sells women’s watches, which run a bit smaller.

One of the next details you’ll notice about Holgar is the intensely-detailed dial that perfectly matches the band. No, the band does not match or complement the watch – the dial has an identical pattern to the band. This is probably the only watch I have ever worn that I would refuse to ever swap the band out. Why would you when it ties together so brilliantly?

Holgar is not just a pretty face, though. Nas has 1 driving core value for the brand – providing a quality watch at a fair price. Because of this, he will never sell a million watches a year. Instead, he insists on keeping his production quantity low enough that he can monitor every aspect of the watchmaking process. And while there will be a price tag to that high-quality production process, Nas brings it as low as possible. He could easily mark up the price significantly with all the quality and design that goes into a Holgar – but that won’t happen on his watch (I love a good watch pun).

And speaking of quality, I tested the quartz chrono with the Swiss Quartz Chronograph movement ETA 251.274.  I must say, it ticked like a champ. At the Austin MicroLux event, I was also able to check out Holgar’s automatic watches. As you could imagine, the Swiss Sellita SW200 automatic movements purr beautifully.

Some Swiss watch enthusiasts may love the design of a Holgar but are hesitant to buy a newer brand. But while Holgar was founded recently in 2021, Nas has spent his entire 33-year professional career in the luxury watch industry in Bien, Switzerland. He worked for many amazing brands there, including Swatch and Gucci. He worked in any department imaginable and is well-acquainted with all aspects of the production, distribution, and sale of luxury watches.

So in summation, how would I describe a Holgar watch?

Classic with a flair.

Swiss-made quality but not a Swiss-made price.

A perfect balance between unique design, uncompromising quality, and unwavering comfort. 

And all of that at an affordable, fair price for Swiss Watch enthusiasts who are not looking to drop tens of thousands on wrist candy.

Holgar is a newer brand that will be here to stay for many years to come.  All you have to decide is which Holgar watch will you pick?  https://holgarswiss.com/