E.C. Andersson Calypso Arctic Sport

It isn’t the first time we talk about E.C. Andersson on MONOCHROME, the Swedish microbrand competing in the value proposition category. Good design, great quality/price ratio, attention to details… This was true with the North Sea II, later followed by the brand’s vision of a sports watch, the Calypso. In order to be even more competitive, E.C. Andersson recently introduced the Calypso Sport (with a Miyota movement in lieu of the ETA calibre). Completing the collection, this watch is now offered with a new dial and an appropriate Arctic look.

While producing relatively inexpensive pieces (well below EUR 1,000), E.C. Andersson watches are impressively good when it comes to quality and attention to detail. Certainly, you can find even more affordable pieces on Kickstarter and the likes, yet few can claim to feature the same level of execution. Introduced in early 2018, the brand’s latest offering, a watch named Calypso, is a modern and sportier interpretation of the luxury sports watch concept with a thin steel case, an integrated steel bracelet, a tonneau shape and a round bezel… But for a reasonable price of EUR 1,295 and a carefully adjusted ETA movement.

Knowing that the microbrand market is highly competitive and price-driven, E.C. Andersson had the idea of taking the same design and offering a watch priced below EUR 800. To do this it relied on the well-known Miyota movement – but no worries, as there are a few details which make it stand out from the crowd. The Calypso Sport was born – and you can discover it here.

To complement the classic black dial version, E.C. Andersson now proposes a new Arctic edition of the Calypso Sport – quite appropriate for a Swedish brand. The base is the same as the previous models with the 40mm diameter tonneau-shaped case and flat surfaces finished in a surprising yet rather pleasant sandblasted process. The case, as well as the bracelet, are enhanced with polished bevels running on the sides. The same polished finish can be found on the bezel.

An interesting point with the Calypso Arctic Sport (and all Calypso watches) is the thinness of its case. With a thickness of just 9.85mm, the watch is still water-resistant to 100m. Other specifications are a screwed steel caseback, a steel screw-down crown and a sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating. It is available either with an integrated steel bracelet or with a croc-grained leather strap.

The main novelty on this Calypso Arctic Sport is the dial. No longer black and textured, it is now light grey with an anti-reflective sand texture to enhance legibility. To reinforce contrast, the hands and the indices are coated in black and filled with ice-blue lume. Overall, this new dial is clean and easy to read, introducing a fresh, monochromatic look to the watch. The final touch is a bright orange seconds hand, making the watch a bit more lively.

As for the mechanics, the watch is equipped with a well-known and reliable Miyota 9015 with date display. However, while making concessions on the movement compared to the Calypso Premium (which featured an ETA calibre), the E.C. Andersson Calypso Arctic Sport remains surprisingly precise. Indeed, all the movements are regulated in-house to -2/+7 seconds per day – something extremely rare in the sub-1000 price range. This automatic movement beats at 4Hz, boasts a 42h power reserve and features a stop seconds mechanism.

The E.C. Andersson Calypso Arctic Sport is now available for pre-orders at a special price of EUR 645 on leather and EUR 745 on bracelet (only a few pieces left). The RRP will be EUR 695 on a leather strap and EUR 785 on a bracelet. More details and orders at www.ecandersson.com.