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The Most Innovative Affordable Sports Watch Just Changed the Game Again

It just keeps getting better.

Close-up of a silver formex wristwatch with a textured dial featuring blue hour markers and hands. The dial includes the text "ESSENCE CHRONOMETER" and "SWISS MADE," with a date window displaying the number 8. The watch has a stainless steel bezel and bracelet, set against a dark, textured background.Formex

By Johnny Brayson

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It’s hard to think of an affordable watch brand that’s more innovative than Formex.

The small, family-owned Swiss brand has a distinct advantage over its competition in that much of its production is vertically integrated. That’s because the family that owns Formex also owns dial manufacture Cadranor and Dexel, a factory which produces cases, bracelets and clasps.

Both companies are based in Switzerland, and both produce key components for brands that are a whole lot more expensive than Formex, including Girard-Perregaux, IWC, Hublot and more. They also, of course, produce the cases, dials, bracelets and clasps for Formex, many of which feature patented tech like the brand’s trademark case suspension system, micro-adjustable deployant clasps and, released earlier this year, the world’s only fully ceramic micro-adjustable bracelet clasp.

Today, Formex launches a new model in its flagship Essence line. The sports watch debuts a new size of 41mm for the Essence, slotting in perfectly between the existing 39 and 43mm versions. But that’s not the only thing that’s new about it, and it definitely isn’t the most exciting thing.

Stainless steel Formex Essence Chronometer watch with a textured silver dial, blue hour markers and hands, a date window at 6 o'clock, and a matching stainless steel bracelet. The watch is displayed on a dark textured surface with scattered small rocks.
Formex’s latest watch is exciting for a number of reasons.
Formex

Space Ghost Coast to Coast

The new Formex Essence Space Ghost is sadly unrelated to the 1960s animated superhero-turned-subversive 1990s late-night talk show host … but that’s just about the only thing that’s disappointing about it.

The first 41mm Essence has the same general design and COSC-certified Sellita automatic movement as other Essence models, but it also introduces several new innovations to the line, as is the Formex way.

For starters, it’s the first Essence to feature a screw-down crown. The architecture of the watch’s patented case suspension system previously prevented the inclusion of a screw-down crown, but after a long reengineering process, Formex found a way to make it work. The water resistance remains 100m, but I know for me at least, a screw-down crown offers additional peace of mind.

Silver Formex Essence Chronometer wristwatch with a textured white dial, black hour markers, and a date window at 6 o'clock, worn on a person's wrist with a stainless steel bracelet. The person is wearing a dark blue knitted sleeve.
The new 41mm case size should prove to be a sweet spot for many wrists.
Formex

Next, the brand improved the screws that hold together the bracelet links. The new screws feature an offset thread where the threaded part remains static inside a pin that rotates with the mobile link. This system eliminates the need for Loctite and makes it so the screws can not come loose on their own.

Lastly, and most impressively, is the clasp. Formex already owns the patents for several different adjustable clasp systems, and now they’ve got another one. The Space Ghost features a butterfly clasp with an innovative micro-adjustable system that offers three steps of incremental adjustment at 0, 3 and 6mm. The clasp can be adjusted in both directions while wearing the watch, and closing it requires less force than opening it. What’s more, there is no visible gap in the clasp when it’s all the way open, creating a truly seamless fit with the bracelet.

Close-up of a stainless steel watch bracelet with brushed metal links. The clasp is engraved with the brand name "FORMEX" and a logo above it. The bracelet is set against a dark background with blue lighting accents.
The Space Ghost’s new butterfly clasp is arguably the most impressive of its kind in the world.
Formex

The only other bracelets I know of off the top of my head with butterfly clasps that feature any micro-adjustment systems are the ones found on the Vacheron Constantin Overseas and the Christopher Ward Twelve. Both offer just one step of adjustment and aren’t very easy to operate on the wrist, especially when tightening, though it can be done. The Overseas manages not to show a gap while open (and it costs ten times as much as the Essence), but the Twelve does show a gap.

The new case size, bracelet screws, crown and clasp pretty much sum up the main talking points of the Space Ghost, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t discuss the watch’s dial. After all, the watch is called Space Ghost for a reason, and it’s not because of its surrealist sense of humor.

Close-up of a Formex Essence Chronometer watch face with a textured, patterned dial. The watch has blue metallic hour markers and hands, with a date window displaying the number 8 at the 6 o'clock position. The outer edge features minute markers on a brushed metal ring.
The Space Ghost’s dial is made of meteorite and features blued hands and indices.
Formex

The dial of the watch is cut from the 4.5-billion-year-old Muonionalusta meteorite and treated with a proprietary galvanic rhodium plating that preserves the natural Widmanstätten pattern of the space rock while adding a ghostly silver sheen. The striking dial is then paired with heat-blued hands and indices for even more visual pop.

Pricing and Availability

The Space Ghost is just the first in what’s sure to be a robust lineup of dial options for the new Formex Essence 41, though none have yet been announced. However, you can sign up to be notified when new colors are released by going here.

Also worth noting, the Space Ghost is not a limited edition, but it is limited in production. 150 pieces are available to purchase this year, and the watch is slated to be an annual release of 150 pieces each year moving forward.

A close-up of a Formex wristwatch with a textured silver dial featuring metallic hour markers and hands. The watch has a blue woven fabric strap and a polished stainless steel case with visible screws on the bezel. Next to the watch is a stainless steel metal bracelet with the Formex logo engraved on the clasp. The background is a dark textured surface.
While the bracelet is newsworthy, the watch is also available on a wide array of straps.
Formex

Finally, we get to the price, which is a little tricky. The watch is currently available for preorder on the Formex website for $2,290 on the bracelet or $2,190 on the strap. These prices include all taxes, shipping and duties — i.e., Formex’s business model is to include any tariffs in the SRP.

Formex notes on the site that the price has not yet been raised to reflect the 39 percent tariff imposed on Switzerland by U.S. President Donald Trump, as the brand is hoping the tariff will be lifted by the time the watches ship in late September/early October. But even if the extremely high tax on Swiss goods remains in place, Formex says it will honor the current preorder pricing for American buyers.

Stainless steel Formex Essence Chronometer watch with a textured gray dial featuring blue hour markers and hands. The watch has a date window at 6 o'clock and a brushed metal bracelet. The bezel is polished with four screws at the corners.Formex

Formex Essence 41 Space Ghost

Specs

Case Size 41mm
Movement Sellita Cal. SW200-1 automatic
Water Resistance 100m
About the Author:

Johnny Brayson is an editor at Gear Patrol mostly covering watches. He enjoys watches that are packed with blink-and-you’ll-miss-’em details and believes nearly every watch could stand to be a tad smaller.

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