New Swedish watch brand with its roots in Kiruna, Tidlös

The market for wristwatches is attracting new players and new brands are appearing fairly thick and fast. Now the brand TIDLÖS is being launched, consisting of a line of watches which according to themselves combine Scandinavian design with traditional Swiss craftsmanship. We at Eqotime like new watches and when a Swedish manufacturer turns up that on top of that has Swiss Made on the dial then of course we want to take a closer look.

TIDLÖS was founded as recently as 2018 by Henry Salmela, together with the local Kiruna entrepreneur Dennis Sammelin. Backing them up is also the entrepreneur and fashion designer Per Holknekt. Known from the skateboard scene but perhaps most as co-founder of Odd Molly. Per works actively with TIDLÖS and has also taken a seat on the board.

The watches were named TIDLÖS to capture and convey the core of the idea behind the watches. In the design they are also going for following the core attributes of Scandinavian design. Focus on simplicity, minimalism and functionalism then

– Most watches sold today are smart watches with a focus on digital technology, or cheap and mass-produced watches. Watchmaking is an incredible craft and our ambition is to get more people to want to wear watches with a high standard of Swiss quality, with clean and simple design, says Henry Salmela.

In the model range three lines of mechanical watches are found; Marin, Stil and Takt. All house automatic movements from Ronda and have Swiss Made on the dial. Prices start at 7990 SEK for the Stil model in field watch style (42mm) and stretch towards around 12 000 SEK for the Marin model in diving style (44mm). In between we find the dressier model Takt (40mm) for just under 10k.

Besides the mechanical models they also offer three lines of quartz watches; Dynamik, Galant and Klassisk. All with a price of 3-4k depending on model and execution.

Timelessly good-looking?

We at Eqotime think it is fun with new players and spontaneously we like the level of ambition with the quality of the watches and the movements. The pricing also feels sensible. TIDLÖS will probably have a given audience among everyone who likes micro brands and Swedish brands.

Possibly we may think that the design and styling feel a touch generic, but at the same time it is often the simple that lasts best over time, isn’t it? Spontaneously we think that the Stil model with its pronounced fieldwatch feel seems the most interesting. Perhaps we will get reason to return with a hands on test and review in order to get a more concrete experience of the feel and quality. As is well known it is in the details that it sits when it comes to watches. And either way it is exciting and fun with entrepreneurs who go for it!