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Vincero Kairos Review: Visionary Or Just Ordinary?

William Barton
Expertise:

Style, Grooming, Fitness, Boots, Workwear

William has been covering men's style, grooming, and fitness topics for The Adult Man since 2018 as both a writer and photographer. Based in North Carolina, he's also the face of premier men's boots website BootSpy.com and the popular BootSpy YouTube channel. If William could only wear one outfit for the rest of his life, it'd be slim blue jeans, a green fitted oxford shirt, Chelsea boots, and a nice watch. Read full bio.


Last Updated: Feb 20, 2024
7 min read

You’ve heard mixed reviews about Vincero. The Kairos is their classic minimalist piece, but where does it fall on the quality spectrum?

Cut through the BS and get to the core of it with our Vincero Kairos review.

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Vincero Kairos

Bottom line: While we’d like to see a greater selection of leather bands from Vincero, the simple, masculine design of the Kairos collection works equally well in the office, at a wedding, or out for drinks.

Ratings: The Adult Man Image/Icon  Design The Adult Man Image/Icon  Quality of Materials The Adult Man Image/Icon  Value for Money The Adult Man Image/Icon  Craftsmanship The Adult Man Image/Icon  Customer Service
Pros:
  • Simple, elegant design
  • Minimal and masculine
  • The silver and gold case balance formal and informal well
  • Free worldwide shipping
  • 2 year warranty
Cons:
  • The leather band takes some time to lose its stiffness
  • The matte black case came with a few scuffs on it
(Get 20% off with code TAM20)

Ancient Greek philosophers had two definitions of time.

The first was Chronos. The movement of time.

Chronos was a fact of life—unchangeable.

The second definition was Kairos. The moment of opportunity.

Kairos only existed for those who could see it.

According to San Diego based watchmaker Vincero, the Kairos line of watches is built for those who hustle, who seek opportunity, who create their own luck. It’s built for those who have vision.

Vincero Kairos gold brown and black scattered

Sure, it’s a great story. But is it just hype?

I had a chance to take a look at three different watches from Vincero’s Kairos line. I didn’t gain any special future-vision powers, but I got something else instead.

Read my full review to find out what it was.

Vincero Kairos Unboxing & Review

Color Options

I won’t lie, I’m gung-ho on the minimalist look of the Kairos, so I picked up three color options for our review.

Vincero Kairos gold brown and black straps in a row on white background

I went with:

Out all of the color options, I think these three really showcase the versatility of the Kairos collection.

The Matte Black Mesh is great for casual wear—I like to wear it with jeans and a black t-shirt. The combo is simple and the watch stands out because of its size.

Vincero Kairos black on wrist with model wearing white t shirt and jeans
Vincero Kairos on my 7¼ inch wrist

The Black/Gold Mesh is somewhere in the middle of casual and formal. It’s sleek, simple, and versatile.

I wore my gold watch with a green suit to a rehearsal dinner recently and it got a ton of compliments. To me, that’s what this gold watch is all about—sleek but playful.

Vincero Kairos gold on wrist

I also picked up the Blue/Brown combo to round out the formal end of my style. The day after that rehearsal dinner (the wedding), I paired the blue and brown watch with a navy suit.

VIncero Kairos brown strap and blue dial on angle

The color combo is definitely less bodacious than the gold, but it’s classy and elegant—perfect for formal events like weddings.

Of the three color options I picked up, I’ll probably get the most use from the matte black. That’s only because I dress casual far more often than I do formal.

Vincero Kairos black on angle closer up

That being said, I love having the gold and the blue/brown watches because they’re the perfect accompaniment for those few outfits I wear when I’m dressing to impress.

Despite the different styles, each timepiece in the Kairos collection is built the same.

What follows is a review of the collection as a whole.

Packaging

Vincero Kairos brown with blue dial in box

Vincero ships all their watches in the same simple black box. We’ve talked about it before when reviewing the Rogue, Chrono S, and The Altitude, but there’s nothing particularly impressive about the packaging.

They’ve made a few changes to it to look sleeker, but when it comes down to it, we’re okay with not getting the best box in the world for a sub $200 watch.

Vincero Kairos gold strap in box

I like that the box is small. When I traveled for a wedding, I just took the whole box with me. The shape was easy to fit into a backpack.

So while I’m not stunned by the box sitting on my dresser every morning, I’m grateful every time I travel. I’ll gladly make that trade-off every time.

Case

Vincero Kairos gold and black versions lying close to each other

The Kairos collection has a 42mm case. As a tall guy with average-sized wrists, 42mm is perfect. While 44mm pushes the boundaries, a 42mm case is something I can wear every day.

Even though this timepiece is made to withstand 10 atmospheres of pressure and is water-resistant, I won’t be doing any diving with it—in fact, I won’t be doing any diving at all. Have you seen Deep Blue Sea? The sharks kill Ice Cube’s bird. I’m not going to subject myself to that.

The 316L surgical grade steel is sturdy and generally, not irritating to the skin. Over the years I’ve worn a lot of different watches, and while it’s not common, a few are made with sub-par stainless steel. Low-quality steel can cause skin irritation throughout the day.

That’s not the Vincero way, thankfully. This is my fourth Vincero and I’ve never had any discomfort.

Vincero Kairos blue dial and brown strap lying on packaging

The case is 10mm thick, which is one of my favorite things about this design.

At 10mm, this piece hits the right balance between standout and low profile. It’s thin enough to slip under a coat sleeve but thick enough to make a statement if you’re just wearing a t-shirt.

While different color options will lend themselves to casual or formal wear, the design is universal.

Caseback

Vincero Kairos case back on white background

The caseback is often overlooked by watch designers. Since only the wearer gets to see it, some companies won’t spend time crafting something meaningful.

Vincero’s gone the other direction.

They place a fragment of Italian marble in the back of each watch case, along with an engraving that reads, “Veni. Vidi. Vici. Live Your Legacy.” The marble is a reminder that the largest Empire ever created was built one stone at a time.

Dial

Vincero Kairos black close up

The Kairos collection has the simplest dial in all Vincero’s offerings. With a double baton marking 12 o’clock and single batons marking the hour, they’ve kept to a minimal look.

Vincero Kairos gold close up on dial angle

There’s a date box at 3 o’clock and branding for Kairos and Vincero at 6 and 12. Otherwise, the dial is bare.

Vincero Kairos blue dial close up

The design works well for this timepiece, especially in the Blue/Brown colorway. The simple, bold blocks of color really helped this watch pop in whatever outfit I chose.

Crystal

Vincero Kairos gold band close up on wrist

Vincero watches use a mineral glass crystal treated with a sapphire coating. The added sapphire keeps these timepieces scratch-resistant.

It’s important to note that there isn’t the typical color and light distortion that some watch-lovers enjoy. The glare can also be bright in the middle of the day. Besides those minor downsides, the crystal is nice and clear.

Movement

Vincero Kairos gold strap side on crown

Vincero relies heavily on the Miyota Citizen quartz movements. In fact, many watches do.

The Japanese movement is known for its reliability, durability, and value. Honestly, I drive a Honda for those same reasons.

Some dudes go crazy for muscle cars.

Here in North Carolina, I see a lot of them broken down in people’s front yards.

Meanwhile, I’m cruising by in a 2002 Honda Civic that hasn’t failed me once and will last me another five years. Am I bummed about that? Absolutely not.

I’ll state it loud and proud here: a Miyota Citizen quartz is the Honda Civic of watches.

Maybe it’s not the sexiest. But it works. Consistently.

With the Kairos, Vincero took their favorite reliable movement and made it look good.

Strap and Wearability

Vincero Kairos gold and black lying across each other

I tried two styles of bands within the Kairos collection: mesh and crocodile stamped leather.

I don’t have any other mesh banded watches in my collection, so I wanted to pick up a couple different color options.

The mesh bands are comfortable and easy to use.

In the past, I’ve avoided mesh bands for two reasons. I worried they’d pinch the baby-hairs on my wrist. And I worried they’d be hard to put on and take off.

I can’t speak for all mesh-banded watches, but Vincero nailed it here. These are as comfortable as any leather band I have. There’s no pinching, and the clasp mechanism is easy to work.

Both the gold and matte black watches came with a mesh band, though there are leather bands available through Vincero, too.

Vincero Kairos black strap black dial on wrist with model wearing jeans

My blue and brown watch came with a crocodile stamped band. This, too, is unique in my watch collection. I’ve never been a huge fan of the crocodile look, but I loved the case and dial so I went for it anyway.

The band is a bit stiff and it’s formed a few creases during the times I’ve worn it. It’s not the highest quality band, but it’s a solid value given the price of the watch.

I’d like to see Vincero offer more variety in their leather bands, particularly something that hits the boardroom look without being as showy as a crocodile band.

Of course, I have a simpler taste, which is what drew me to the Kairos collection in the first place.

My Overall Thoughts on the Vincero Kairos

What I Like

  • Simple dial design that really lets the bold look and colors stand out.

  • These watches have a masculine and confident look to them.

  • These are some of the most versatile timepieces I own. I’ve paired them with a lot of different outfits and they almost always look great.

  • It’s pretty hard to beat free worldwide shipping.

  • The two-year warranty is a reassuring touch.

What I Don’t Like

  • The leather crocodile band is a little stiff and a different style than what I’d normally wear. It would’ve been nice to see some different formal band options to pair with the great-looking case.

  • I bumped my matte black watch into a wall while wearing it and created a small scratch on the case. Totally my fault—but the matte black coating seems more prone to nicks than the silver and gold cases.

The Verdict

Vincero has managed to create another bold and masculine watch without going over the top. They’ve kept the Kairos simple, and that’s what makes it great.

These watches are right at home with Vincero’s other collections. I’ll stay on the lookout for newer, more modern bands from them.

But in the meantime, I know I’ve got just the right watch for pretty much all occasions.

Vincero Kairos
(Get 20% off with code TAM20)

While we’d like to see a greater selection of leather bands from Vincero, the simple, masculine design of the Kairos collection works equally well in the office, at a wedding, or out for drinks.

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