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Is it too late to dub the summer of 2025 “Black Watch Summer”? That might be how I remember this particular season. The watch I’ve worn most, by far, as the temps have soared is my Ming 37.09 “Uni,” a blacked out void of a watch if ever there was one. And a few weeks ago at Windup I purchased my first vintage watch in ages, a DLC coated Favre-Leuba chronograph that I couldn’t pass on. And now, as we’re fully in the dog days, I sit here with the new Aera Instruments M-1 Blackbird on my wrist, another cool, sleek, blacked out watch that bolsters the notion that Aera is one of the most interesting accessible indies of the moment.
I reviewed Aera’s D-1 dive watch a few years ago, and the tone of that review was one of pleasant surprise. At the time, the brand was in the midst of launching their second collection, and from the photos and press materials I had seen, I was struggling to make sense of why this brand needed to exist. That might seem like a harsh standard, but we live in a period where it’s incredibly easy to churn out incredibly generic sports watches for minimal money and talent that absolutely no one needs. The whole point of this website, as I see it, is to find the stuff that has a real reason to be made because it offers something different. So I was surprised to find that the D-1 subverted my expectations by flipping the idea of a dive watch on its head. It kind of looks like a generic dive watch at a glance, but every single detail is actually unusual, and extremely well considered.
It wouldn’t be accurate, then, to say that my reaction to the M-1 is rooted in surprise, because at this point I understand the inherent quality of these watches, and the basic premise of what Aera is trying to do. The M-1 Blackbird actually feels completely logical to me, and more than meets the expectations of someone who saw a great deal of promise in this brand after his first experience with them.
Just as the D-1 is Aera’s own take on the diver, the M-1 uses the classic field watch as inspiration. Specifically, Aera is conjuring the famed “Dirty Dozen” watches, made for the British military to exacting specs by twelve brands. But the M-1 is just riffing on the idea of the field watch here, not copying it exactly, and that, I think, is why it won me over just about immediately.
Because here’s the thing: I don’t really love field watches. I accept that they’re practical and can see the appeal for enthusiasts who are interested in watches with military pedigree or just want something rigorously simple to wear, but that’s not really where I’m at. These days, I mostly find myself drawn to watches that are attempting to do something a little different and are a little strange. With a field watch, to a far greater degree than a diver, you’re kind of stuck with a pretty specific format. The M-1 is one of the few so-called modern field watches that actually delivers and feels like a reinvention of the format.
It starts of course with the dial. All black, naturally, it’s marked with Arabic numerals made up of solid blocks of very bright Globolight lume. Like the D-1, the dial has a dish shape, but the smaller size of this watch minimizes the visual impact of that design choice, which on a larger watch is really something that must be contended with. It’s practically a non-factor on the M-1, though.
The lume, really, is the dial’s defining feature. Like the numerals, the Aera wordmark also consists of solid blocks of Globolight. I’m on record as not being the biggest lume guy – it’s never been a make or break factor for me in deciding on whether or not to buy a watch. But I have to admit that this trend of brands using big blocks of the stuff instead of just a coating is winning me over. It adds an interesting depth to a dial and these newer compounds just look awesome when they are fully charged. Using Globolight in this way is also an immediate cheat code to making your dial feel more contemporary if you’re working within a vintage inspired framework as Aera is here.
The very first thing that came to mind when I took the watch out of its case was this was some kind of bizarro version of the Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical, specifically the all black version that is a particular favorite of many of us here at Worn & Wound. The signature field watch elements are all there: the crystal clear legibility, the white Arabic numerals, and a mostly sterile dial. The case of the Aera, from the top down, even looks a lot like that of the Hamilton, and they’re only a millimeter apart in diameter (the Aera measures in at 39mm in diameter and is 13mm tall with a lug to lug span of about 47.5mm).
The shape of the case, though, is what sets the M-1 apart from the Khaki Field Mechanical, and just about every other traditional field watch I can think of. Instead of a mostly flat case, the M-1 (like the D-1) has a pronounced curve at the lugs that is meant to hug the wrist. I found the M-1 to wear incredibly well – it’s among the most comfortable watches I’ve tried on this year. It has a low profile and on my 7.5 inch wrist it feels like it’s basically the perfect size, both in terms of wearing comfort and ergonomics, and its visual presentation. I’d say it wears a little smaller than the given measurements, likely a result of the curve of the case. One note that I scribbled down in my first few hours with the watch is that it has the look of a normal field watch at first glance but the wearing experience is that of a modern indie with ergonomically focused case shapes and dramatic domed crystals. The wearing experience of the M-1 has more in common with watches made by Arcanaut and H. Moser than the military derived field and aviation watches that inspired the dial design.
While the case height of approximately 13mm certainly seems a little tall for a watch like this, much of that height is mitigated by the curve of the case coupled with the dome of crystal. I’m not generally in the habit of fully digesting all of the specs of a watch before strapping it on, and had the pleasant experience of looking up the measurements after the fact and realizing I never would have guessed this watch was 13mm thick. This helps to prove a point that we make over and over in these pages: watches are more than their measurements. Dismissing the M-1 because of its published case height would really be a disservice as the wearing experience doesn’t match up with what most people’s preconceived notions of a 13mm thick watch would be.
Another major contributing factor to that wearing experience is the integrated nature of the strap to the case. Again, this is a design trait the M-1 shares with the D-1, and I think can be considered an Aera signature. It gives the watch a cohesive look, for sure, and like the Globolight lume helps to contextualize it immediately as a modern creation. I also happened to find the strap to be quite comfortable – my sample was mounted to a gray suede strap and also included one in black leather, but Aera will also sell you leather straps in a variety of colors.
An important attribute of this watch to note is that Aera is using 904L stainless steel for the case in the M-1, and throughout the rest of their collection. This is the alloy favored by Rolex, and is generally considered to be a higher quality alloy in that it is said to be significantly more resistant to corrosion over time. This is something that’s particularly important if you’re a maker of sports watches meant to see salt water, which Rolex certainly is, and Aera, I think, aspires to be (the M-1 is rated to 100 meters of water resistance, which is actually great for a field watch with a push/pull crown).
The other key benefit of 904L steel is that it can be polished to a brighter shine that is longer lasting than a polished finish on a watch made from 316L steel. That’s obviously something of a moot point with the M-1 Blackbird, as Aera has given this watch a DLC coating. With that said, the finishing is quite nice on the Blackbird, it’s just fairly straightforward brushing that doesn’t innately take advantage of the qualities of the material. It also, I imagine, pushes the price up, so potential owners will have to weigh how they feel about 904L and the fact that it is essentially covered up here with the black DLC coating.
If this potential owner decides that a non-DLC coated version of the watch is actually more up their alley, Aera does make the M-1 Field, which is essentially this watch without the coating, and without the very subtle blue accents on the dial at 12:00 and the cap of the crown. Personally, although I haven’t handled the M-1 Field, I find the M-1 Blackbird quite a bit more appealing for the way it more completely challenges what we expect from a field watch. The M-1 Field, on the surface anyway, has a more generic aesthetic that slides more easily in the field watch camp.
Powering the M-1 Blackbird is the manually wound Sellita SW216. Aera deserves some kudos here in my opinion for opting for a hand wound movement, which is appropriate for something with a field watch lineage. Aera notes that the stated accuracy of the movement is +/- 7 seconds per day to +/- 15 seconds per day. That’s quite a range, and while I had no timekeeping concerns with the M-1 while I had it in for review, it’s a data point to take note of if you’re considering a purchase. One should probably not expect chronometer grade accuracy here.
The M-1 Blackbird retails for $2,025, taxes and duties included. To me, that feels like a pretty fair price considering the grade of steel used and the unique nature of the design. Aera is a brand that still exists well under the radar of many enthusiasts, so it will likely take adventurous watch collectors buying into their ideas to keep them going. After spending some time with two of their watches across multiple release cycles, I can say that I’m pretty impressed, and genuinely hope these watches find their way to the wrists of those collectors willing to try something just a little different in a category where we’re all used to getting so much of the same thing. Aera
