One of Britain’s smallest watch brands has a new entry-level watch: how does the Atom stack up"

By Chris Hall

Having just returned from Baselworld, all the focus is inevitably on the latest (admittedly impressive) watches from Rolex, and Tudor, and Patek Philippe. It?s the same every year, so while those watches are going to get plenty of attention in due course, right now it?s time to put the focus on a watch I?ve been wearing a lot in the past months.
Pinion is a tiny British company; effectively just one man, in fact. Designer Piers Berry founded the brand in 2013 with the aim of making good, honest tool watches that appealed to his own personal sense of style. There?s a lot of love for micro-brands out there at the moment and Piers has built up enough of a collector base to grow his range gradually over time. The latest addition is the Atom. To look at, it?s very similar to Pinion?s other watches ? so much so, in fact, that you might ask why it exists at all. But it?s not the same: in fact, it might even be better.

Pinion?s existing three-hand models, the Pure and the Axis II, use new-old stock Unitas 6498 and ETA 2824-2 movements respectively. They come in a range of case finishes, including bronze and black DLC, and cost between £1,950 and £2,350. The Atom costs just £790.
Let?s cover the crucial ground first: for that money you do not get a Swiss movement. The Atom uses a Miyota 9015, made in Japan. This is an automatic calibre with 42 hours of power...