Sketches in Steel: A First Look at the
Arena Vanitas
Written by: CJ - Sketchy Boyz Watch Club – May/June 2025
I first contacted Arena when the watch started appearing from time to time on social media. This was all pre-release. I reached out, and at the time, they weren’t ready—being a small company, they wanted to fulfill orders before sending out any review units. Fair enough. I stayed in touch through the formal launch of the Vanitas, and not long after, Arena got a piece over to me for review.
The Vanitas arrived in a custom-designed Pelican case. Nothing flashy, just squared away. Watch on bracelet, rubber strap tucked clean beside it, tool in its slot, and the paperwork packed tight in molded foam. No gimmicks, no dead space. It looked like gear, not packaging. That was the right call. After spending some time with the watch, I had my own impressions—but also some questions.
Quick aside: most watch decisions these days happen online. Buyers are leaning heavily on product pages and social content to shape their opinion. And sure, the sites do their job—clean images, bullet-point specs, polished presentation. But there’s a gap between what you see on-screen and what you feel on the wrist. That’s where conversations help.
I’ve been fortunate enough to talk directly with the founders and builders of the pieces I review.
So rather than guess at the intent or misread a design choice, I asked Arena for a call. No pitch. No script. Just a conversation to see if my impressions and the story behind the watch line up, because frankly, one of my first impressions was how dialed-in the choices felt…that it didn’t come off like a first release or a parts-bin build, for there to be questions. So when we finally spoke, things started to click.
The founder wasn’t trying to sell me anything. No fluff, no brochure talk. Just a guy who
sketched this watch from the ground up after years of being let down by the gear he was issued. He’d served in uniform, worked in conflict zones and diplomatic circles, and wanted something that could move between both without compromise. The Vanitas wasn’t built to impress collectors—it was built not to fail when things got real.
The name Vanitas draws from 17th-century still-life art meant to remind people of mortality and the limits of luxury. Skulls, hourglasses, decayed fruit—symbols of time running out. That same idea runs through this watch. On the caseback, there’s a cracked hourglass etched into the steel. Not dramatic or overdone. Just there—waiting to be noticed when you flip it over.
At 39mm wide and under 12mm thick, the Vanitas case wears low and clean. It sits flush to the wrist, clears sleeves, and doesn’t shift when in motion. It’s sized deliberately—not to flash, but to disappear until needed. You get 200 meters of water resistance without the usual bulk of an overbuilt diver. The steel feels sturdy but not heavy. This is field gear.
The crown is recessed and protected. It won’t gouge your hand or snag on kit. That comes at a tradeoff: it can be tough to manipulate with gloves. Barehanded, no problem—but gloved, you’ll want to set it ahead of time. Again, that’s by design. The founder didn’t want accidental adjustments during movement, and this choice supports that.
The bezel is tight. It is deliberate to rotate, especially on the bracelet. With the rubber strap, it’s a bit easier, but this isn’t a bezel you flick casually. No play. No wiggle. Just crisp, locked-in clicks. The knurling is low-profile and sits almost flush with the case. This too chosen to avoid snagging or damage. The founder saw and experienced bezel failures firsthand during deployments, and he wasn’t going to let that happen here. It may frustrate fidget-spinners, but for real use, it holds the line. The dial is matte black, with off-white indices and a red “Vanitas” nameplate that doesn’t scream for attention. Date window at 3. Nothing’s misaligned. No wasted ink. Just a tool dial done clean.
C3 Super-LumiNova covers the hands, markers, and full bezel insert. Charges quickly, glows evenly, and stays visible in low light. No complaints there. Now let’s talk bracelet. This was something the founder fought to keep. It’s a brushed beads-of-rice style—solid end links, no rattle, smooth articulation. It’s stable, comfortable, and well-executed. Under the clasp is a true micro-adjust system that lets you dial in fit on the fly. No
tools, no frustration. The rubber strap is vulcanized, cut clean, and does its job well—especially in heat or humidity. And it’s that last part why I personally, I don’t care for rubber straps, favoring “cloth” or NATO style straps if not on a bracelet. But admittedly, I did like the way this one wore.
That said, this did not prevent me from throwing on a few of my favorite straps to see how it got along with others and it is a bit of a chameleon – it looked good with a variety of different color combos. Inside, the Vanitas runs a top-grade Sellita SW300-1A—chronometer-spec, 56-hour reserve, 28,800 bph. Clean sweep, steady timing. No drift, no hiccups. Arena could’ve gone cheaper, but that would’ve meant a thicker case and long-term tradeoffs. They didn’t.
They chose the movement that supported the mission. This wasn’t a watch designed on a whiteboard over catered boxed lunches. It was hand-sketched—over 150 iterations—by someone who’d been failed by the gear he relied on. That matters. While you might see little glimpses of other watches, this wasn’t nostalgia. It was correction.
The cracked hourglass on the case back isn’t decoration. It’s a reminder: time runs out. And this watch was made to be there until it does. Price-wise, it lands above mass-market field watches but comfortably well below boutique luxury. When I pressed him on this, while listening to what these decisions meant to him, I was also re-reading my notes and factoring in the specs—SW300 movement, full C3 lume, caseback art, high-spec bracelet—you realize nothing here is off the shelf. Every line was drawn. Every tolerance chosen. Every tradeoff considered. You won’t get that from a product page. But for those that still need to scratch that itch:
Specs Overview: Arena Vanitas
Movement:
◦ Sellita SW300-1A (Top Grade)
◦ Chronometer regulated (–4 to +6 sec/day)
◦ 28,800 bph
◦ 56-hour power reserve
Case:
◦ 316L stainless steel, alternate polished/brushed finishing
◦ 39mm diameter
◦ 11.6mm thick
◦ 47mm lug-to-lug
◦ Water resistance: 200m
◦ Sapphire crystal (2mm dome)
◦ Steel bezel, C3 Super-LumiNova filled indices, DLC coated.
◦ Crown guard, screw down crown.
Dial:
◦ Matte black
◦ Framed date at 3
◦ C3 lume dashs/dots, lumed dots in dial ring surrounding
◦ Red “Vanitas” text
Bracelet:
◦ 316L Steel Beads-of-rice, brushed finish
◦ Solid end links
◦ Double push-button clasp w/ Integrated micro-adjust
Strap:
◦ Vulcanized rubber
◦ Tool included for swaps
Conclusion
I’d like to see a GMT down the line, and maybe a 40–42mm case to give more wrist options. But for a first release, the Vanitas doesn’t feel like a trial balloon – it’s a well-executed plan.
That’s the full picture. No guesswork, no marketing gloss—just what it is after time on the wrist and time with the founder. If you’re weighing the Vanitas, now you’ve got what you need.
-CJ