It can feel like a real slog to trudge past the marketing blather and hype and get to the guts of a Kickstarter campaign. Sometimes it can be worth it. The Kickstarter blurb for the Nera watch from Peren seeks to make the most of its “ethereal existence” and “neo-vintage design code,” but save for a few slightly quirky design choices what we have here looks to be an interesting watch with pretty good specs for the early bird campaign prices.
As a bit of background, Peren are a Transylvanian brand who have two successful Kickstarter campaigns under their belt?both for Swiss-made quartz chronographs. The Nera is their first mechanical offering and takes inspiration for the dial and case detail from Transylvania’s Nera gorges (in particular the Devil’s Lake). Introducing the Peren Nera, now available on Kickstarter.

The unusual dial color is one of the more interesting aspects of the watch?the murky, deep blue-green is taken directly from the Devil’s lake. The Nera’s dial may look like a generic dark color at first glance, but the depth in color coupled with the depth at which the dial itself sits within the case does offer something slightly different. Peren also indicate that the cave accompanying the Devil’s Lake is echoed in the PVD black bezel and rehaut. Whether or not you appreciate the tale of the watch’s inspiration, the depth and shadows given by the matte black rehaut and the hour markers cut into ...