There are two types of horology we’re particularly fond of on Mainspring. The first one is pretty easy: straightforward utilitarian tool watches. We’ve covered plenty of them in the past few years and we will continue to do so ad vitam æternam. We’ve also developed a secret passion for classic everyday timepieces which occupied most people’s wrists for the longest of time and that for longer than we haven’t had a need for watches. The kind which people needed to stay organized as they constituted an integral part of their everyday carry even if such an idea was far from being formulated back then. People just used things everyday which they necessitated to have on their person and that included a watch which told the time and whose physical appearance permitted it to fly under everybody’s radar. This isn’t to say that there weren’t fancy people wearing fancy watches half a century ago—as they were—but most, we like to think, just had to wear a watch and opted for something which was simple. 

Ah, today we are not going to analyze a simple watch per se but one which comes with a strong neo-vintage and classic aesthetic with a twist. Something between the most elegant of Swiss luxury timepieces most of us can only dream of owning a contemporary version of let alone have a mint vintage example of it. One which also has a certain degree of urbanite chic which we have probably not encountered before on Mainspring. The brand which created this model is Neumann out of Sweden, the product of a wife and husband team, Rebecka and Thomas, one a graphic designer, the other a textile developer. The watch in question is simply named Automatic and constitutes their second collection and the first with a mechanical movement, and follows the Initial No.1 which comes in two case sizes and multiple dial colors. The Automatic is launching on Kickstarter today through June 7, 2026, for the Early Bird Price of 425€/$499 USD and also comes in multiple color options—six in total including this mustardy yellow. 

Specifications 

There might be something wrong or dubious with the brain of someone who believes that “everyday” watches are typically under-spec’ed. The person writing this article right now has been convinced of this non-reality for a long time because that is the image which is formulated in many people’s mind’s eye on account of the fact—one would presume—that such timekeeping devices are historically destined to be worn everyday and not everywhere. The average Joe lives a pretty ordinary life safe of adrenaline-inducing events, potentially lethal situations, and world explorations which would require a sturdy watch. And one could also think that the more time passes, and the more modern and digital the world is becoming, the less dangerous our lives become on the daily since we drive safer cars, work with fewer machines which could chop our fingers off than before, and even do not have to actually commute to an office anymore. We live remote digital lives for the most part in which robust watches are no longer necessary. 

However, we at Mainspring believe that any genre of watches can be sturdy and capable of enduring mild daily action, and we also believe that there is a place for good everyday watches as we do not all need to sport tanks on our wrists but that elegant sports cars, if you will, would perfectly do the trick. And that is an idea which we found seducing in the Neumann Automatic and which was confirmed by the first minutes of on-wrist experience: an elegant watch that is but a solid one as well. With it we’re far from fashion-watches-like simple-looking timekeeping devices but rather the type which your grandparents would have worn to jet down a slope in the Alps or work 14-hour days in a Fifth Avenue office. This impression of sturdiness first comes from the dimensions of the Automatic which are smack down the middle lane for anyone: 38mm in diameter, 45mm lug-to-lug, 11.9mm thick, and coming with a 20mm lug width. Indeed perfect for which a screw-down crown and case-back give you 100 meters of water resistance. 

Even though the case-back on the prototype is see-through, the final version will have a neatly decorated closed one. The aforementioned crown is on the smaller side (5.3mm) though equipped with effective knurling for easy winding and time-setting operation, and of the perfect size for a daily wearer. (Anything larger would have given the Automatic an identity crisis.) The crown by the way is connected to a slim Miyota 9015 caliber (4Hz/42 hours of power reserve) which is a proven workhorse of a machine which has become extremely popular on many microbrands’ models and that for a good reason. The prototype also is deprived of drilled lugs which the production model will have for easy strap change should you not be seduced by the straight-link Oyster-style steel bracelet equipped with push-pins, half-links, an ultra slim clasp with two holes of micro-adjustment. Moreover, there is a domed boxed sapphire crystal with inner anti-reflective coating and green-glowing SuperLuminova on the hour and minute hands. 

Design

Now, let’s have a little moment of honesty. Even though we at Mainspring are developing a secret passion for classic everyday timepieces, well that is an evolution in a slow moving forward movement if you will. Letting go of our natural inclination for utilitarian timepieces isn’t easy, even though we’re now moving toward an additional direction in our perpetual exploration of horology. We’ve reviewed a few very elegant timepieces before, for example the Anders & Co AC2 Volcán and Fears Arnos Pewter Blue to name a couple, so we’re developing an understanding of what visually constitutes a great example of such a watch. Mainly: a clean and symmetrical dial, textured dials sometimes, thin cases, the absence of lume, and typically a predominance of polished surfaces. The Neumann Automatic checks a few of these boxes but not all of them, yet we see it as being an elegant everyday timepiece and yet again built sturdy and one which does come with the unique visual character of being able to handle itself in less than polished situations. 

The Automatic is therefore endowed with a certain dichotomy which is the reason why we felt compelled to write about it for it is subtly different from most everyday watches we are used to seeing. And to us, this one better fits the mold of watches people wore way back when to do everything with, safe for bungee jumping from the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge 2,050 feet from the ground. And this dichotomy or chameleon-like personality can first be observed in the case of the Automatic which, as we know, is perfectly proportioned for most wrists though such in a way that it commands a noticeable wrist presence on my 6.50”/16.5cm wrist. First, the case has a wide profile on account of the narrow lugs which shoot straight from the case from an inward position and bend down towards the wrist. This visually widens the case even though it only measures 38mm in diameter. Moreover, the case is entirely brushed except for the crown which is fully polished, and comes with straight flanks which are complemented by soft curves above and below it. 

In other words, the case is wide and flat yet comes with a certain roundness to it. 

The star of the show and the element of its design which prompted us to dissect the Neumann Automatic is the dial. The brand offered us the possibility to choose which colorway to borrow but we let them decide and they opted for yellow which we’re glad they did. It displays dark mustardy tones and enhances the dial texture which caught our attention at a digital distance—a texture Neumann describes as “honeycomb,” however we see a reverse hobnail pattern in which the three-dimensionality is dug into the dial surface. Above the pinion we find the brand name and the word “Automatic” printed in a 1950s California typeface and below it its logo complemented by a vertical brushed finish. At the periphery of the dial we find applied brushed hour markers, white dashes for the minutes, and lumed dots which were at first hidden by the boxed profile of the sapphire crystal, and a clean and legible beveled date aperture at the three. Lastly: large brushed pencil hour and minute hands and blue seconds hand which we find unusually elegant. 

The Heart of the Matter 

The Automatic is our first encounter with Neumann and we will assume it might be yours as well. And this is the model we should have started our exploration of everyday watches with a long time ago should it have existed back then, as it is neither too formal for tool watch nerds like ourselves nor too casual for amateurs of high-end Swiss horology. On the one hand, the Automatic shines for its wide and flat profile and the neat placement of the lugs, which are complemented by a large handset and legible brushed markers which leave just the right amount of empty space on the dial to make it breathe and look balanced. (More of it would have made it  look empty which fashion watches are often guilty of.) On the other hand the Neumann is also a sturdy timepiece equipped with a reliable movement, good water resistance, good lume, and a vintage-looking sapphire crystal which ties the bow nicely. Rebecka and Thomas did a wonderful job at infusing a visual/technical dichotomy into the Automatic which makes it oh so compelling. 

Conclusion

Since you do not know of Neumann and that you might be generally skeptical of Kickstarter campaigns, then you should know that the brand’s first model, the Initial No.1, is still readily available on its website and will set you back for roughly $558 USD in any of its multiple configurations. So Neumann went through with a first collection and will surely go through with a second one, the Automatic, which we dissected today in the yellow version. The other colors include white, pink, green, blue and black, all standard and popular colors which mean you will certainly find one which works for you. Don’t miss out on the Kickstarter campaign for the Automatic which is going live today and is running through June 7, 2026. 

Thanks for reading.