Like many debut watches from up-and-coming brands, the Akura Wayfarer has been some time in the making. During an 18-month period, brand proprietor and designer Philipp Schönfisch has embraced feedback from the watch community to iterate, refine, and improve on his inaugural watch while staying true to his overall design philosophy. That said, this isn?t ?design by committee,? which can result in bland or incongruous design, but rather a cohesive vision that makes for a really compelling first showing for the fledgling brand. With a Kickstarter campaign launching today, I recently had the chance to look over the final prototypes for two of the five possible variants.

Akura Wayfarer

Case Material: Stainless Steel
Dial: Various 
Dimensions: 41mm x 48.5mm Crystal: Sapphire
Water Resistance: 100 meters
Crown: Screw down
Lume: Super-LumiNova BGW9
Movement: Miyota 9015
Strap/bracelet: Steel bracelet plus leather strap
Price: Starts at £399, or about $485 (early bird via Kickstarter)
Expected release: Kickstarter starting July 31, 2019

The main inspiration for the Wayfarer is the mountainous landscape of the Scottish Highlands, but that influence is reflected more in the overarching look and feel of the watch than in its functionality.
The case of the Akura Wayfarer measures 41mm in diameter with a lug-to-lug length of 48.5mm ? right in my preferred zone for a sports watch. Coming in at only 10mm thick, it ticks another box right off the bat ? it’s svelt...