Vandaag Baas Eleganz Review: My New Favorite German Watch

Jilliano Romano
2 days ago
6 min read

I have been fascinated with German watchmaking since the first day I delved into this hobby. It is interesting that while many of my fellow enthusiasts were searching for that “Swiss Made” or “Japan Made” text on the dial, I have always been on the hunt for “German Made” instead. So, early on in my hobby, I got a watch from the Bauhaus-specializing microbrand Sternglas, which really scratched the itch… temporarily. At the end of the day, I simply don’t have the urge to wear a Bauhaus-inspired dress watch on a daily basis. Sue me.

I also tried a Nomos Tangente, which I really wanted to like because then I could use it as an excuse to explain to total strangers why it’s important for everyone to be impressed that my watch was made in Glashutte. Unfortunately, it simply wasn’t for me. I moved on to Sinn, but with all due respect to Herr Helmut Sinn, the recent price increases seemed unreasonable. But then one day, my good friend Gyuri of Watch Dad Blog sent me a photo of a new watch he’d gotten - the Vandaag Baas Impuls. Featuring a brilliant sunburst red dial, it looked almost exactly like what I wanted from a German watch.

Then I visited their website, and found exactly what I had been looking for all this time - the Vandaag Baas Eleganz. After years of searching for the right German watch, as well as the perfect everyday watch, I finally found it.

The Watch Brief Vandaag Baas Eleganz Jilliano

Vandaag: Making Watches for Today

I spent most of my childhood in Eastern Europe - specifically the Balkans, but I also spent a couple of years in Austria. While I barely retain any German from my time in Austria, my sister lives there even now, and she’s become quite good at German. Naturally, I asked her what “Vandaag” meant in German, and her immediate response? “I don’t know. Are you sure that isn’t Dutch?”

I laughed, and then jokingly asked my best friend of almost a decade, Taco from the Netherlands (yes, that is literally his name), and he confirmed that it was indeed Dutch. I was quite shocked, and it was only when I checked with Tim from Vandaag that I discovered that the name comes from the dialect of northwest Germany - Low German. Just like how there are different parts of Switzerland known for watchmaking (Le Locle, Schaffhausen, etc.), there are also notable regions for watch brands in Germany, such as Glashutte (Nomos, Glashutte Original, A. Lange Sohne, Moritz Grossman, etc.), Frankfurt (Sinn), and the Black Forest (Stowa). Vandaag with its Low German dialect name differentiates them from the other brands - even ones located in Hamburg - and shows their pride in their humble origins.

The founders of Vandaag each possessed years of experience in the watch industry, but it was the desire to create something new - something that would withstand the test of time - that galvanized them into creating Vandaag. While these watches take inspiration from heritage models of the past that will live long into the future, each Vandaag watch can be the perfect partner for Today.

Vandaag Baas Eleganz: Everyday Perfection

I am about to break some hearts here with this reveal - I don’t dive everyday. I also don’t go out into the field everyday. Matter of fact, I also don’t fly planes, either. Despite my shortcomings, I never let that prevent me from wearing a diver, a field watch, or a Pilot’s watch. However, more often than not, the watch I reach for is not the one that is mostly associated with a specific activity; I reach for the watch that would be perfect for everyday -

the Vandaag Baas Eleganz.

The watch comes in at 40mm with thin bezels, showcasing the sun-brushed silver dial in all its glory with sharp stick indices, and Vandaag’s iconic red-date window at the 6 o’clock, which is sandwiched between AUTOMATIK and MADE IN GERMANY, which I really like, too. I have been on the record for being highly critical of the date window, as I simply don’t think it’s necessary for every watch. However, for this watch, the date window is beveled quite nicely, and the red-date adds a pop of personality to the otherwise cool and reserved design. The bracelet is a decent 316L 5-link bracelet with a butterfly clasp (more on this later), and the watch also features a Sellita SW-200-1 Elabore movement, which has been manually regulated by Vandaag’s watchmaker, and comes in at +8 seconds per day. I gave mine to our watchmaker at the company, and he told me it’s actually running at +3 seconds per day, so that means I’m getting COSC accuracy without paying the premium for the actual certification. What a steal!

On the wrist, the watch sits comfortably, while commanding a good wrist presence thanks to its 40mm case diameter, and curved sapphire crystal. I have a 6.5 inch wrist, and it's quite nice at its current size, but if your wrist is any smaller than 6.5 inches, I would recommend getting this watch with a leather strap instead.

The watch features an exhibition caseback revealing the customized black rotor that resembles Vandaag’s V design, which matches well with the signed crown. The entire case is brushed, aside from a partially-polished bezel, which means it’s not too shiny or blingy for everyday, and I haven’t seen any scratches on it, despite my heavy usage.

Prior to getting this watch, I would probably have told my non-enthusiast friends to get an Orient Bambino, a Seiko Presage, or even a Hamilton Jazzmaster for their daily watch at the office. Now that I’ve had the Vandaag Baas for around a month, I can’t in good conscience recommend those other watches without also recommending this as the top choice. With its sub-1000 EUR price, classic design, and unique date window, this may just be the perfect watch for daily life.

The Unboxing Experience of the Vandaag Baas

Many microbrands cut costs when it comes to packaging. This isn’t an indictment on those brands. Speaking as someone who works for a microbrand, I know - intimately - how quickly these costs can rise up, and if we’re just talking about the packaging, surely that’s unimportant in the grand scheme of things, right?

Well, Vandaag clearly disagrees, because the packaging is absolutely excellent. The watch came in a large cardboard box with custom Vandaag-branded duct tape, and in that box, was another dark box with the Vandaag name plainly written on the top. After lifting it up, it reveals a dark wooden box - one which seems to be made of better quality than the boxes I’ve gotten from Hamilton and Seiko for much more expensive watches, mind you. Finally, you lift the firm lid open to reveal the watch in all its glory. I am of the opinion that the unboxing experience - and therefore, the packaging - can be just as important as the watch itself when it comes to a customer’s overall satisfaction with the watch.

Is it expensive? Yes.

Is it worth it? I definitely think so.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1lRMRcZtxQ

Is It Perfect?

My least-favorite part of any review is the part where I ruthlessly nitpick a watch that I love, but it is something that I must do, and something that Vandaag actually encouraged me to do. The main flaw of this watch is its butterfly clasp. There is nothing wrong with it, but there’s also nothing great about it, and the watch lacks that micro-adjust capability - toolless or otherwise.

I realize I must seem terribly spoiled or petulant, but that isn’t really a huge problem for me. However, I do know many fellow enthusiasts (most of them are actually writers for The Watch Brief, funny enough) who do mind the lack of micro-adjust, so it bears mentioning.

Other than that, there is genuinely nothing else I can think of to nitpick, which is a testament to how much I enjoyed this watch.

My Favorite German Watch

Today, I went to Tokyo for a day-trip, and had some hands-on experience with a watch from Glashutte-based independent watchmaker Moritz Grossman, named after the Father of German Watchmaking. The watch was impeccably crafted, and the hand-engraved balance cock was genuinely impressive. It was also 43,000 USD… and it was secondhand!

While I am not saying we shouldn’t aspire for those watches, I also don’t think that that’s the type of watch I would want to have, either. While the likes of A. Lange & Söhne and Glashutte Original create watches that makes me consider taking out a loan or selling off everything I own, I also don’t think that they represent what I am looking for when it comes to German watchmaking. I lean more towards the likes of Stowa (which I own), Laco, Mühle Glashutte, and Sinn - tough, almost brutalist watches that can withstand a beating and then some. Despite their toughness, however, these watches are beautiful in their own way, and it reminds me of the years I spent living in Austria, and all of the vacations spent in Germany.

Vandaag has firmly supplanted those brands, however, as my new favorite German brand. Like those brands, the Vandaag Baas feels like a watch that can withstand everything, but it somehow maintains that extra touch of class that I sometimes want from a Nomos or a Junghans. The Vandaag Baas Eleganz is not only the perfect everyday watch for me, it is also the best combination of everything I adore about German watchmaking.