Worn & Wound
Ianos Completes their Dive Watch Trilogy: A Conversation with Founder Jacob Hatzidimitriou on the Brand’s Origins and the New Dytis Diver
One of the more interesting trends to crop up in recent years is the rise in ultra specific niche watches. If you’re part of seemingly almost any community or culture, there’s probably a watch just for you. Really into early 80s rally cars? Autodromo has you covered. Do you love Jurassic Park and hand-lacquered dials? Awake has a watch you might want to check out. And if you happen to be of Greek heritage, or just love the country and its culture, Jacob Hatzidimitriou’s watches made under the Ianos banner will be of interest for sure. Ianos is interesting because in addition to being a design forward independent brand making dive watches (table stakes these days), they are pulling on a very specific aspect of diving history as it relates to Greek culture. Diving, like pizza, cars, and architecture, has distinct characteristics dependent on geography and purpose. Sponge diving has been a pursuit in Greece for literally thousands of years, and the techniques, history, and visual language of this very specific type diving has informed every Ianos watch in some way to this point in the brand’s history (you can read our coverage of previous Ianos releases here and here). “Watches always intrigued me, not just as accessories but as expressions of personality,” Jacob told me in an interview. “Over time, I started to see them for what they really are: miniature, intricate machines that, more than anything, carry significant emotional weight. In an age of fast fashi...
