The sun and heat are finally taking a recess after weeks of occupying center stage in France. The disappearance of sheer brightness and suffocating heat create the perfect conditions to sit down and mindfully discover a new watch. But not any kind of watch. One for the everyday living, for the quiet adventures of regular life, far from the artificial dazzle of social-media-generated jaw-dropping affairs that are too good to ever be true for the majority of us. A timepiece designed to be legible, pleasant to look at, and fly-under-the-radar, as well as engineered to be sturdy enough to handle routines and normal, yet necessary tasks. However all of this would come together for you, a simple watch is probably what you’d prefer to strap on your wrist. Of equal straightforwardness as moving through the motion of being a human being is, focused on doing what is essential and doing it well. As the Stoics indicate we should. And for this seemingly simple piece of horology, an equally simple decision to make to buy one. 

These cloud-covered meanderings lead us to reopen the pages of Gavox’s catalog to study the StarDust. One of Michael Happé’s latest creation whose raison d’être stems from both the observation and measuring of time passing by in front, around, and behind us, as well as the celebration of another section of his Belgium heritage, and the many years he spent studying in Louvain-la-Neuve where Catholic priest, theoretical physicist, and mathematician Georges Lemaître did his multi-disciplinary education. Amongst his numerous contributions to science, Lemaître developed the basis for the Big Bang theory by observing that the universe was constantly expanding, a radical idea for the late 19th/early 20th centuries. Through the StarDust, Michael wanted to connect his passion for horology—and the legible yet precise measuring of time by way of an accurate Swiss quartz caliber—with his heritage, science, and the idea that we are all actually made of star dust. As always, Michael thought through all the watch’s details. 

Specifications 

As much as we like to complicate life, add unnecessary thoughts to our minds, waste too much time doing the wrong thing for the wrong reasons and in the wrong way, collect too many watches, and spend too many dollars living out our horological passion, we can keep things simple. I’m not asking you to sell or give away all of your watches just to acquire one that can accompany you in 99% of what you actually do everyday. But to pause and think about how much simpler your (enthusiast) life could be should you take a realistic look at what you need a watch to do for you and what you actually like in these addictive timekeeping devices. Both as it relates to their design and specifications, as well as size, features, and price of course. And following an idea that we’ve discussed a lot recently—that many of us could in fact be looking for just one good watch to do everything with, as our parents and grandparents did regardless of why*—we might realize that we’ve been looking at watches collecting the wrong way all along.  

Let’s face it: we give too much weight to what others say about horology, what we should collect, what specifications our watches should have, how many pesos we should spend on them, and what kind of genre of timepieces we should buy into. And it’s easy to get lost given the enormous volume of information we have at our reach everywhere and all the time, the astronomical number of brands and models that exist today, and the great noise created by people like yours truly by way of articles, videos, and social media posts. (I am guilty as charged.) Through this content, once again, we are told that our watches should have the same level of water resistance as saturation dive watches, the precision of an atomic clock, and the shock resistance of a crash-test dummy. Let alone what dimensions are ideal for this or that type of timekeeping device which we just argued about a little bit speaking about the Marathon OSAR-D 36mm. Well, for my 6.50”/16.5cm wrist, a stainless steel case of 36 x 45.8 x 11.3mm is pretty much ideal. 

Making it even more so, opting for the lightness and precision of a quartz-powered caliber is putting the proverbial icing on the cake, crossing all the T’s on the perfect everyday watch checklist, and creating the ideal comfort/everyday reliability combo. For inside the Gaxox StarDust we find a Swiss made Ronda 515 movement, a 3mm-thick time + date battery-powered machine vibrating at 32,768 Hz (as poetically indicated on the dial) coming with a monthly accuracy of -10/+20 seconds and battery life of 45 months, or 3.75 years. The movement is located inside a 100 meter water-resistant case, made so by way of a screw-down case-back and 6mm screw-down crown, which is really good in my book for an everyday type of watch equipped with a worry-free movement. The StarDust is also equipped with a cost-saving but scratch and shock resistant Seiko Hardlex crystal, rarely seen equipping a microbrand timepiece, as well as a three-link stainless steel bracelet equipped with push/pins, and a five-hole double-pusher deployant clasp. 

For all of this, Michael is asking you to release the modest sum of 350€/$403 USD tax included. 

*Not all of our ancestors could afford to buy watches, and many who did have one didn’t have the luxury to purchase a haute-horlogerie timepiece. They simply needed a good watch. 

Design 

A few words about nighttime luminescence and legibility are generally reserved for the above section, however today it was estimated that they best belonged to this section because the lume is great and an integral part of the dial’s design as we’re about to see. What we can also see and observe about the Gavox StarDust is that once again Michael showcases a beautiful lack of consistency in the aesthetics of his collections as no two models look the same. (At the time of publishing this review, Gavox has an impressive 22 collections in its catalog, many more than most microbrands I know of.) This is not due to Michael’s lack of adherence to any kind of logic, but to his dedication to showcase his singular vision for horology in multiple ways, and more importantly, to put all of his collections at the financial reach of most enthusiasts, thus helping to democratize this little industry of ours. In other words, Michael strives to make all genres of watches good and affordable and we already know the StarDust is so. 

We’ve reviewed three Gavoxes thus far here—the AviDiver II, the Squadron, and the Bastogne 1945—and they are obviously visually very different from one another. However what ties them together and justifies the stamping of the Gavox logo on their dials is the equilibrium created by their good specifications and relatively affordable price tag. And we know it’s good here. So we are left with discussing what visually makes the StarDust interesting and worthy of your enthusiast’s attention, as well as what makes it qualify as your next potential everyday timepiece. The case then: as flat and sporty looking as the one found on the Bastogne, with rounded polished flanks, a predominantly flat profile, and thin and long lugs from which the bracelet end-links perfectly mold themselves onto. While the Bastogne had a chamfered bezel, the StarDust has one that angles flat onto the case and creates a little cascade from the hardlex crystal’s rounded profile. And where there aren’t polished touches, we find satin-brushed ones. 

But as always, I was driven to review the Gavox StarDust because of the design of its dial above anything else, here for how straightforward, legible, and humble it looks, as it is what makes this watch so darn appealing to be an everyday timepiece. (According to yours truly.) First, because it displays the time in a way that it is pleasant and easy to read: a set of perfectly proportioned hands work in unison with large printed hour markers in a predominantly monochromatic color scheme. The sword-shaped hour hand, pencil-style minute hand, and orange seconds hand are easy to catch but do not overpower the juxtaposition of Arabic numerals, batons, and inverted triangle marking the hours. The minute track is represented by thin and thicker dashes painted in white, matching the daytime white hue of the nighttime green-glowing lume-filled crisply printed hour markers. Second, because I was charmed by the lacquered finish of the dial, the seamlessly integrated date aperture at the six, and the orange text below the pinion. 

The Heart of the Matter

What Michael Happé’s Gavox accomplished with the StarDust is remarkable. From the simple idea that we can derive a great deal of pleasure by wearing an affordable even-keeled timepiece, was formulated one of the best definitions for the perfect everyday watch I’ve seen in a long time—from a microbrand. Because for you, such timepiece could come in the form of a $10,000 USD Rolex Submariner, a $7,000 USD Omega Aqua Terra, or $4,000 USD Tudor Black Bay One, which is fine of course because that is how much dough you’re willing (and capable) to invest in your horology. However, we don’t all have this amount of disposable income to garnish our watch boxes, or we simply refuse to do so because we have other priorities in life that demand that money—which doesn’t make us lesser watch collectors by the way. Which is why Gavox exists and the StarDust was created. This watch is what many of us are secretly looking for to wear everyday—affordable, legible, and technically well-rounded—for it is enough for the lives we actually live and for it provides us with enough horological goodness to make us free of wanting to look for more. 

There is indeed beauty in simple horology and in Michael's blend of it. 

Conclusion

Twenty two collections is a lot, and more than most microbrands I know of and have ever put out since I made watch journalism my livinghood in 2001. This is due to the fact that Michael is relentless in his endeavour to democratize many genres of watches to make horology accessible to more folks, thus giving more people the opportunity to experience good watches at good prices, and to experiment with GMTs, divers, pilot and field watches. And of course everyday timepieces in the likes of the StarDust. This watch is a real gem of affordable and micro horology for it strikes the perfect balance between specifications, design, dimensions and price, and it is perhaps the great George Lemaître would have worn should he and Gavox had shared the same timeline. (Just exaggerating a little bit.) 

Thanks for reading.