For All Seasons

A look at microbrand Peren, and its minimalist tool watch, Regia

- Zen Love

– By and large, wristwatches were conceived for a bygone era.

Those meant for rugged and specific uses are sometimes called tool watches, and there's a charm in their purposeful character. It's one that's undermined by their obsolescence. If you ask Peren watches founder Andy Bica, they're unnecessarily specialised instruments for the modern wrist.

His approach is quietly original. A contemporary tool watch should be practical and, most importantly, versatile. And superfluous elements such as helium escape valves or even dive-specific bezel markers contribute little aside from novelty or nostalgic appeal. You won't be relying on them for diving safety as they did in the '60s, after all. Freed of fluff, an object can be visually simplified and arguably even more purposeful. That idea is partly what's behind the handsome minimalist style of a Peren watch. And the brand seemingly exists as a singular pursuit of this idea.

“I developed a design code in 2017,” Bica says, “which I follow through every iteration.” Regardless of the collection or variants within them, in other words, each new watch more or less represents a continued honing of the concept. Over the years, he says, “I made changes that I thought improved aspects of the watch in order to be even more versatile.”

Arriving in Switzerland in 2012 from Romania, Bica has been working in the watch industry ever since. His native region of Transylvania and the ancient Dacian people who left ruins there inspire his philosophy, and he references a Dacian stone structure that served as a calendar in the Sarmizegetusa Regia mountain fortress. Peren comes from the word 'perennial.'

But for me, Peren's strength is its concept of creating tool watches that seem purposeful for a modern context. That, along with its dedication to evolving the theme and quality in executing it. As always, most important is how this comes through in the product itself.

The Peren Range