Ianos - History, Models and Owners' Reviews

Ianos is a watch brand founded in 2019 in Greece, conceived and developed around a Greek cultural narrative and a Swiss Made dive tool-watch; its approach blends ancient symbols, the maritime memory of the Aegean Sea, and modern legibility requirements, with distribution centered on direct-to-consumer sales and a small number of selected retailers.

Janus in Greek: a brand designed as a passage

Born from the drive of Jacob Hatzidimitriou, Ianos was built as a microbrand project in which meaning comes before the spec sheet: the name refers to Janus (Ianos in Greek), a figure of beginnings and transitions, and it acts as a guiding thread between past and present in the way the brand tells its watches’ stories.

The first steps were taken through a 2019 Kickstarter campaign, a typical choice for recent independents seeking to validate an idea with a community before scaling; at Ianos, that launch came with a clear positioning, that of a contemporary dive watch whose design carries, starting with the dial, explicit references to Greek history.

Rather than stacking authority claims, the brand insists on storytelling embedded in the drawing: hour markers, textures, the small seconds, and even certain proportions are meant both to tell time and to recall an episode of maritime culture, from Antiquity to more recent sea trades.

A diver trilogy: from ancient depths to the hardhat suit

The core of the Ianos universe unfolds around a trilogy of dive watches: each illustrates a period of Greek diving and anchors its identity in a recognisable visual detail, in order to avoid the trap of “generic divers” where everything looks the same as soon as the bezel turns.

The first step stages discovery, depth, and archaeology, and the Antikythera vocabulary runs through it: instead of a classic sweeping seconds hand, running confirmation is often entrusted to a small-seconds display whose form evokes a mechanism, recalling the ancient object raised from the seabed and turned into a symbol of Mediterranean ingenuity.

The second chapter changes atmosphere: diving is no longer the free gesture of a breath-hold diver, but the industrialisation of sponge diving, with heavy suits, risk, and long hours underwater; that shift translates into a more massive bezel, a cleaner dial (fewer minute cues), and a more “utilitarian” language.

The third chapter embraces synthesis and aims to be easier to wear day to day, with a diameter reduced to 41 mm and a titanium construction meant to combine strength and lightness; the goal is to keep the graphic signatures of the first two watches while offering a more versatile piece on the wrist and in the water.

• Ianos Avyssos — Swiss Made diver with a textured dial and markers inspired by a traditional diving stone; a “mechanical” small-seconds display replaces the seconds hand to confirm at a glance that the watch is running.
• Ianos Mihanikos — a rougher, more minimalist take on the diver, inspired by the hardhat era; date at 12 and small seconds at 6, with a reading meant for long dives rather than counting every minute.
• Ianos Dytis — the more compact third chapter, titanium case and strong legibility; dial options inspired by Greek colours and a return to indices that echo the brand’s own history.

This chapter structure lets a collector choose not only an aesthetic, but an angle of history: Avyssos speaks of depth and myth, Mihanikos of work and harshness, and Dytis of a balance between adventure and everyday wear.

Dial codes: expressive small seconds, noon date, and protective symbols

Across most references, running indication is handled by an expressive small seconds: a lumed disc, a window inspired by an ancient mechanism, or a tool-like motif, with a double aim—instant confirmation that the watch beats, and a recognisable signature without a loud logo.

Another recurring choice is the date at 12 o’clock, integrated into the top marker: it frees up the rest of the dial, strengthens symmetry, and avoids the feeling of a window “added after the fact”; it also echoes an instrument mindset, placing information where the eye naturally lands.

The indexes, often large and very luminous, borrow forms tied to Greek diving: the intent is not decoration for its own sake, but to turn a cultural cue (stone, pump, marine motif) into a functional element that stays easy to distinguish in full light as well as in underwater dimness.

On some dials, the small seconds adopts an “evil eye” protective shape, a familiar Mediterranean sign, and that symbol becomes a night-time landmark as much as a cultural nod: the watch remains a tool, but a tool that remembers where its story comes from.

Cases and wear: the strap channel as an ergonomic solution

Ianos has popularised among its fans an integrated strap channel in the caseback: rather than adding the thickness of a single-pass strap under the watch, the passage is carved into the case, improving comfort, stabilising the watch, and making textile or rubber straps feel flatter on the wrist.

On the Avyssos, construction aims to make a large watch more wearable, with a curved case, slanted sides, and a wrist feel designed for a stated 44 mm diameter; the watch seeks to keep a tool presence without drifting into discomfort, especially for a diver intended to be worn hard.

The Mihanikos extends the idea with a tougher case, a wide bezel, and a geometry that evokes a porthole, all built around a 300 m rating; the brand emphasises pressure-ready use consistent with its hardhat inspiration, while keeping a dial identity that is instantly recognisable.

With the Dytis, the move to titanium and the more compact size targets an all-purpose diver, and the fixed-bar logic reinforces solidity and easy strap changes; it remains a 300 m watch, but in a lighter, more daily-friendly proposition.

OYK and collaborations: from narrative to the field, then to Paris

A strong credibility marker is the creation of a 300-piece series for OYK, the Greek Navy’s underwater demolition teams: the project was developed with unit members and supported by a charitable foundation, with an operational watch brief and specific markings (emblem, numbering, engraving).

Without turning the initiative into a marketing gimmick, Ianos frames the piece as both tool and recognition object, and heritage meets function here: a watch able to accompany real deployments, but also to symbolise a step, an achievement for the person who receives it.

At the opposite end of a military commission, the brand also explored a retailer collaboration: an Ianos x Chronopassion edition based on the Mihanikos, produced in a short run and sold through the Paris boutique, with a more urban dial and tonal work while keeping the line’s ergonomic and legibility codes.

Finally, media recognition has grown through reviews and selections in international watch press, and the Avyssos was noticed as early as 2019 for its distinctive take on the dive watch; that echo matches the Ianos promise: not to reinvent the diver, but to give it an instantly memorable identity.

Pricing, distribution, and buyer profile

On pricing, public markers place the modern entry point around CHF 1,000 for the Avyssos on the official store, while later chapters step up—the Mihanikos around CHF 1,550 (ex. VAT) and the Dytis around CHF 1,850; those gaps reflect material choices, case evolution, and newer positioning.

A microbrand logic also applies, with some references regularly sold out and numbered runs: several Avyssos variants appear as “sold out” on the brand’s site, the Mihanikos has been presented as a 300-piece production, and the Chronopassion collaboration sits within a very short series. For buyers, that means deciding quickly when a drop is open, or accepting the secondary market if a specific configuration is no longer available.

The brand prioritises direct online sales, with international shipping and detailed feature disclosure, while relying on a limited retail footprint; in Athens, a publicly listed retailer provides a physical anchor point for those who want to move from narrative to wrist time.

“Swiss Made” is stated on product pages, and the movements used are widely serviced Swiss calibres (Sellita), which supports realistic maintenance with many watchmakers rather than dependence on a single workshop; for enthusiasts, it is a way to combine design singularity with practical ownership over the long run.

The typical audience is someone who wants a different diver without drifting into empty exoticism: fans of narrative design, occasional divers, microbrand collectors, and lovers of maritime history; choosing between models then becomes a matter of size (44/43/41 mm), material (steel/titanium), and affinity with the story carried by the dial.

Conclusion

Ianos speaks to those who want a diver that is recognisable at first glance, without giving up serious construction and legibility built for use. The brand is most convincing when it turns a cultural symbol into a functional cue rather than pure decoration, and when its ergonomic details (strap channel, case architecture) genuinely serve comfort. To choose, start with wearability (size, weight, how it feels on your preferred strap), then let the dial and its reading logic break the tie. If you are hesitating between two close chapters, keep in mind that Ianos is experienced mostly in the way the watch “speaks” in daily use. And to confront those promises with real ownership, feedback from wearers and Dialicious customer reviews remain a useful reference.

(Updated January 2026)