One of the many things good microbrands do well, like very well, is to put incredible designs at the reach of most enthusiasts. There aren’t many brands which know how to do that, and one could argue that in 2026 still, most of them keep offering derivative designs and put too much emphasis on value. On Mainspring we try to turn the spotlight on micro houses of watchmaking which do singular designs which they generally pair with good specifications. We also do homages in certain cases when the spec-to-dollar ratio is too good to ignore or when an effort was made to infuse a bit of personality into the design. (We believe there is something for everyone in micro horology.) Looking a little further into the benefits of specializing and being highly interested in microbrands, we discover that the good ones, once again, excel at blending classical elements of watch design with fresh concepts and ideas, e.g. by reworking a style of hands or case to match their unique vision for a particular genre of watches. 

For one reason which remains a mystery to me, Scandinavian brands are particularly creative and have a knack for brewing new visual vocabularies. It must be something cultural, or relating to their education, or perhaps because creativity runs deep in their DNA. Who knows? I don't know for sure but I do know of a Swedish brand which does it very well, Alato, which we discovered a first time through the Arvet Burgundy last summer and which is back with a new collection, equally unique however not aesthetically related to the latter. Its newest creation is the Ögonsten, a Swedish word which refers to something precious and which loosely translates to “apple of one’s eye” according to the brand. (Google translates it to “eye stone.”) The Ögonsten was created to become anybody’s new favorite dress watch, and I would add, anybody’s go-anywhere-go-anything timepiece as it is well built and generously spec’ed out. The Ögonsten is launching on May 20, 2026, on Kickstater with a Super Early Bird price of $299 USD. 

Specifications 

For a very long time I have been convinced that it isn’t possible to argue the value of specifications. 100 meters of water resistance is generally considered good for any type of watch even for divers; an accurate quartz movement is a bonus for those who aren’t snobs about mechanical calibers; and no one would complain about a finely polished chamfer on a mid-case. But we can argue whether or not certain types of watches should come with certain specifications and not others. For example it is widely accepted that dress watches come with shallow depth ratings and a leather strap. Anything better than that would be welcomed of course but quite surprising. And the rule, as I see it, is that microbrands which design elegant watches tend to stick to these unofficial guidelines so that what they create can’t be mistaken for something else. Well, Alato doesn’t seem to pay a rat’s ass about these expectations as the Ögonsten—which it presents as being a dress watch—is mighty comprehensive from a technical standpoint.

Let us begin with the case. A dual-finished 316L stainless steel body measuring 38mm in diameter, 46mm lug-to-lug, 9.65mm thick (including the crystal) and coming with a 20mm lug width. The Watch Wisdom dictates that a 38mm diameter for a dress watch is to be expected in the second quarter of the 21st century as many enthusiasts prefer larger watches regardless of what type of timekeeping device we’re talking about. (For a couple of years the trend was to downsize all watches and now it's peaking up again in width but first back through average dimensions between 37 and 40mm.) 38mm is a great size then for a dress watch and the subsequent benefit of this size is the possibility to equip said watch with certain components which increase its potential use-case scenarios—should the opposite not have been the goal. For example, a delightful 6.8mm onion-shaped screw-down crown paired with a superbly decorated screw-down case-back which endows the Ögonsten with 100 meters of water resistance. That’s a lot for any watch. 

The aforementioned case-back displays a cheeky decoration as it mixes the outline of Sweden with the CNC-machined representation of Côtes de Genève on a movement’s bridges with screws and jewels, even though the Ögonsten is powered by a quartz caliber. Specifically, a Swiss made Ronda 6004.D which has a stated accuracy of -10/+20 seconds per month and a 40-month battery life (a little over three years.) The 6004.D comes with a date complication so there is a ghost date position on the crown which, please, do not let that be a deal breaker for you watch nerds! With a precise quartz movement and 3-year battery life you will have to interact with the crown only a couple of times a year which is fine but also a shame because I love that little knurled knob of metal! It is finely machined and a joy to operate. But hell. Lastly, we find a double-domed sapphire crystal with five layers of inner anti-reflective coating, and either a leather strap with a water-resistant Zermatt lining or three-link stainless steel bracelet*. 

*The bracelet is an add-on and comes with screwed links, quick-release spring-bars, and a tool-less micro-adjustment mechanism built into the double-trigger deployant clasp. 

Design 

With Super Early Bird prices starting at $299 USD on the leather strap one gets a lot of horological goodness for a small amount of dough. I do feel that the Ögonsten is outfitted to be much more than a dress watch however, as at the very least it could be considered to be an everyday sports watch and why not, as mentioned earlier, a GADA? I know, I might be pushing the envelope a little too far right here but what I can tell you is this: to me, I would wear this sucker in many situations outside of the stereotypical office meeting and weekend’s BBQ even though it is deprived of lume because, between you and me, I rarely need non-radioactive and nontoxic photoluminescent pigments opulently applied on the hands and hour markers of a watch I wear on a daily basis. (What kind of tool watch expert are you Vincent?) Besides its technical specifications, what would drive me to sport the Ögonsten everyday is of course its sexy aesthetics which are both elegant—true—and greatly bespoke to the Swedish brand and I’m here for it. 

I borrowed one of the three versions Alato will make available on Kickstarter: Anthracite Grey which comes on a stainless steel case and which I photographed on the add-on steel bracelet; Royal Blue also on a steel case; and Rosé Gold Brown on a gold-PVD coated case and bracelet should you opt for that one. Being who I am I was thrilled to borrow the in-between-black-and-white dial as is is complemented by a fine sunburst finish which invites light to dance upon its multilayered surface even in the dimmest of conditions, and for it pairs oh so fucking well with the numerous brushed accents we find in several places on it. The hands for example resemble Alpha hands which are endowed with a more pronounced tapper at their bottom and are endowed with a longitudinal brushing which accentuates their elongated profile. They’re even complemented by a radially brushed cap which is cool, and followed by a smaller fully brushed hand on the running seconds sub-register, sunken into the dial and decorated with a silver leaf texture. 

Around the dial we find a suite of pointy needle-shaped faceted applied hour markers which showcase mirror-polished sides and a deeply brushed upper section so that, once again, the light is invited to dance on the entire dial apparatus. Then our gaze is invited to subtly transition towards the fluted fixed bezel which is composed of tight rows of sharp striations which create a secondary sunburst effect to complement the one gloriously emanating from the dial. Then we plunge down towards the mid-case by way of a mirror-polished edge which leads us to meet something rather special: a secondary bezel with a rounded-rectangular profile, brushed upper sections and polished chamfers, which endow the case of the Ögonsten with a semi-cushion, semi-tonneau appearance which is splendid to look at in its own right and incredible to find at this meager price point. The remainder of the case is composed of fully brushed downward-looking angular lugs and a fully-brushed narrow mid-case complemented by polished chamfers on its belly. 

A note should be made about the bracelet I was lucky to take for a spin: the links articulate superbly, the middle ones are fully polished and the outer ones display a rounded profile, brushed upper sections and polished sides, so that the light show continues onto this particular fastening system. The clasp is generously proportioned though well-balanced in relation to the case. 

The Heart of the Matter

This review started from the observation that good microbrands excel at offering novel designs at attainable prices which are often paired with healthy spec sheets. Something mainstream brands for the most part fail at and which many other micros do not bother to deal with or even understand. In my own experience, when it comes to dress watches, the situation is such that we either get excellent value propositions (i.e. generous specifications which can be acquired for a small amount of cash) or great designs (e.g. reworked classical aesthetics or brand new ones,) but rarely both lumped into one horological product. This occurrence is not as rare as seeing a Snow Leopard in the wild but not as common as the number of homages of luxury Swiss timepieces flooding the market even today. Thus Alato created something quite special with the Ögonsten as it is a complete watch for daily use and more (and I invite you to be creative here) as well as a sportive elegant timepiece which can be, in my humble opinion, anybody’s new favorite watch indeed. 

Conclusion 

The 4-1-1 on the Alato Ögonsten is as follows: it launched on Kickstarter tomorrow, May 20, 2026. There are three versions of this watch—Anthracite Grey and Royal Blue on a stainless steel case and Rosé Gold Brown on a gold-PVD coated case—which can be purchased for $299/$319 USD respectively on the Super Early Bird Price for the first 48 hours limited to 50 units per variant, then $309/$339 USD for Early Bird limited to 50 units as well, then $329/$359 USD for the Kickstarter price valid through the end of the campaign. These are the prices of the watches on the leather strap. The bracelets can be purchased as add-ons for $79 USD for the regular steel version and $99 USD for the Rosé Gold variant. Shipping is slated for November of 2026. That’s pretty much it! Go check out the Kickstarter campaign and prepare your wallet it all I have to say. 

Thanks for reading.