For minimalist designs and great prices, it’s hard to argue against the challenger street-style brand from Belgium.

Photo credit: Fabien Scotti

Komono is a Bauhaus/bohemian inspired style brand hailing from Belgium. It was launched by Anton Janssens and Raf Maes about seven years ago, and the duo has gotten some notoriety for their minimalist designs and great prices since then.

According to their website, they’re not really a typical brand, but rather a “community of dreamers and designers dedicated to perfectly timed accessories.” The good thing is that the brand doesn’t have any pretensions. They try to make global fashion easily accessible – hence the great prices – and collaborate with different artists and designers to keep things fresh.

Komono means “small things” and according to that brand that refers to its members “sharing a passion for distilling the best of culture into its simplest forms.” I’m not quite sure what that means, exactly, but I do know for sure one thing that’s small with Komono is their price point.

Photo credit: Fabien Scotti

The Winston Regal Cognac on display here by talented photographer Fabien Scotti costs only 90 Euros. Browsing through their collection, you would notice that is in fact their most expensive wristwatch. And it will even reach your door with free international shipping.

The watch is a no-nonsense modern and colourful expression of a classic design. It has a surprisingly nice brushed black finish and looks very well proportioned at 41mm. It is powered by an economical Japanese quartz movement and paired very well with a leather wristband. Perhaps also inspired by Japanese design, I also like the crown positioning at the 4 o’clock position, a mainstay of the Seiko 5 series.

The brand offers a range of colour combinations and finishes with all of its watches. That makes them an excellent choice for a second watch, and naturally a direct competitor to Swatch. They might just look better, too.