Aethelsohn Green Shard Dial

Disclaimer: I received this watch free from the manufacturer in exchange for this review. I will review this watch the same as I would approach any other piece in my collection; the review below is not influenced by the manufacturer and represents my honest assessment of the watch. 

One of the trends in affordable watches that really took off in 2025 was the proliferation of fancy dial treatments. Wafer thin slices of stone, fancy enamel techniques, textured mother of pearl, and interesting patterned dials all made appearance in one form or another from many of the well known Chinese brands, as well as a few new companies. Aethelsohn is one such company; they specialize in exotic dials and have a wide selection of offerings to choose from. As someone who got their collection started with far too many black dive watches before embracing color, I am a huge fan of how easy it is now to add interesting pops of color to your watch box. Aethelsohn sent me their new Green Shard dialed watch to review, and after spending a few weeks with it, I think that if you are in the market for an aforementioned pop of color, the Aethelsohn is worthy of consideration. 

By the numbers, the Aethelsohn Green Shard is 40mm in diameter with a 47mm lug to lug and a height of 11.8mm including the domed box sapphire crystal. Without the crystal, the case has a height of 10.6mm. The lugs have a width of 20mm and the bracelet tapers to 18mm at the clasp. The case and bracelet are both constructed from 316L stainless steel. There is a signed screw down crown, and the watch boasts a water resistance of 100m. The “Shard” dial style retails for $199 on www.aethelsohnwatch.com, and is available in green, amethyst, blue, and turquoise. 

The case is reminiscent of something from the Grand Seiko SBGA line. It has a brushed finish with a polished bezel and chamfered edges - everything is crisp and done with a high level of attention to detail. The size, proportions, and finishing of the case make it feel like a classy sports watch more than anything else. I'm particularly fond of the chunky, angled lugs; along with the larger diameter it gives the watch a substantial but not overwhelming wrist presence. The dial is topped by a curved sapphire crystal, the underside of which is treated with AR coating. The curve of the box crystal, short hand stack of the movement, and shallowness of the rehaut all combine to make the watch feel very thin and premium.

The bracelet is a smooth continuation of the themes of the case. The links are oyster style with a brushed finish and polishing on either side of the center link. The clasp is signed with the Aethelsohn logo and has OTF micro adjustment. The clasp and end links are both milled and feel solid and well machined - there is no rattling and all of the links articulate buttery smooth. I did have a little bit of difficulty sizing the bracelet; the Aethelsohn representative I spoke with told me that the screws were secured using Loc-Tite, but they had been finding that this was causing trouble for other customers as well. The solution was to send me a replacement bracelet without this issue. I can absolutely appreciate the speed at which Aethelsohn listened to customer feedback and improved their product.

The dial of the watch is without a doubt the star of the show here - all of the other parts of the watch are very well done, but the green shard dial is why you are picking this watch over other similarly styled watches in this price range. There is a lot going on, but all of the elements on the dial combine to create a very cohesive and unified aesthetic. The dial has a fume enamel finish that is forest green at the center of the dial and darkens towards the edges. This is layered over the embossed shard texture, which has a radiating sunburst effect composed of crystalline shards. The dial is very reminiscent of jagged bits of emerald or perhaps kryptonite. The indices and hands compliment the dial with their polished sharp edges and are well lumed with blue BGW9 Super LumiNova. The lume is applied thick enough to remain legible overnight - the use of lume helps this watch strike a nice balance between a dressy and sporty look. 

Aethelsohn made a great choice in only using their logo at the top of the dial and two lines of text at the bottom; this makes sure the texture of the green shard dial can really shine. The logo is one of the best that I have seen used on a Chinese watch - it is simple, looks refined, and blends into the dial at some angles while complementing the polished elements of the dial when seen from another viewpoint. There is a nicely color matched chapter ring with a minute track that adds to the sporty feel of the watch.

The watch is powered by the Chinese automatic pt5000 movement, which is a clone of the Swiss ETA 2824-2. In my opinion, this is a good choice for this watch - it strikes a good balance between price and performance while providing an extremely smooth sweeping second hand with 28800 VPH. The movement is not without its drawbacks - the big flaw is it doesn't like to be hand wound and doing so can damage gears. However, if you avoid this and just give the watch a little shake to start it up, you most likely will have no issues. The movement is visible through the display caseback of the watch- it is simple and undecorated. I don't think the movement finishing needs to be a focus of this watch; you can't have everything if the watch is to come at a certain price point. I think that it would be nice to do away with the display caseback if it could make the watch a bit shorter, but it really doesn't make or break the overall appeal or the piece. The crown is a little bit slippery to operate, but that is a fair trade off to have it screw down - especially since I'm not going to be hand winding the watch.

The finishing and overall end product of this watch is absolutely in line with other brands at this price point - I would put it in the same tier as companies such as San Martin and Cronos. Everything about the watch is very crisp and well executed, but the watch avoids feeling overly clinical or sterile with its unique shard dial. The budget watch space is extremely crowded going into 2026; when I first spotted Aethelsohn I was drawn to them because they were entering the market with fresh dials and materials that I hadn't seen used at this price point or at all. I’m excited to see what Aethelson releases this year and I hope they continue to innovate.