We just wrapped up our 7th annual design survey, and as of April 1st, we received 5,823 responses. That makes this the largest survey we’ve run to date, and it gives us a pretty meaningful dataset to work with as we think about the next round of releases.
At this point, the survey has become a core part of how we operate. It’s one of the simplest ways for us to maintain a direct line of communication between what we’re designing internally and what our customers are actually hoping to see. We’ve always tried to build Vaer in a way that reflects the preferences of the community, and this is one of the more structured ways we can do that.
It’s also a good reminder of who is actually taking the time to respond. A large portion of the respondents are enthusiasts, often people with multiple watches in their collection, and people who care enough to spend 10–15 minutes working through a survey. That’s a great signal, but it’s not the full picture. We still have to balance that input against the much larger group of customers who may only own one watch, or none at all, and are waiting for the right one to come along.
Pricing and Where We Sit
The pricing data came back largely as expected. The center of gravity for Vaer is still clearly under $500. That’s where we see the strongest alignment between value, durability, and everyday usability, and it continues to be the foundation of the brand.
At the same time, there is still interest in more premium pieces. We’ve taken a bit of a pause on Swiss-made development due to tariffs, but that’s more of a timing issue than a directional shift. Over time, we do expect to continue exploring watches in the $1,000 to $2,000 range, as long as the execution supports it. The takeaway here is fairly simple. The core stays where it is, and we expand upward carefully when it makes sense.
The Standout: G5 Gilt GMT
The clearest result from the survey was the performance of the G5 Gilt GMT, which came in as the top-ranked design. That’s not entirely surprising given how important the G5 platform has become for us, but the strength of the response to the gilt execution was notable. It’s a design language we’ve used before across a few models, and it’s clear there’s still strong demand for it.
So this one moves forward with priority. It will be produced in larger quantities than we originally planned, and we’re targeting an early fall release window, likely in the September to October range. The G5 Pepsi also performed very well, which puts us in a position where we need to balance production between two strong GMT variants. That’s a good problem to have, but it does require some careful planning on the inventory side.
A4 Tactical Automatic
The second-place result, the A4 Tactical Automatic, is probably the most informative outcome from the survey. We launched the C4 Tactical (solar) last year, and it performed well. The assumption going in was that most of the demand was tied to the use case, a rugged, low-maintenance tool watch. What this result shows is that the design itself is doing a lot of the work.
There’s clearly a segment of customers who want that exact look, but in a mechanical format. This was already something we had in the roadmap, so the survey didn’t introduce a new idea as much as it confirmed that we’re moving in the right direction. As of now, that watch is one of the earlier releases coming out of this cycle, with timing likely in the mid-summer window.
R1 Ocean Racer V2
The R1 Ocean Racer V2 is a slightly different case. It’s not a new concept so much as a return to something that didn’t fully land the first time. The original Ocean Racer was well received, but it never reached the same level as the Rally design. So we went back and reworked it with a clearer objective, which is to position it as the most premium version of the R1 chronograph.
That includes a ceramic fixed tachymeter bezel, an upgraded case, and a more refined overall execution. We explored two directions, a black version that leans more classic and a cream version that is a bit more expressive. The black came out ahead in the survey, but both had enough support that we plan to move forward with both. Assuming production stays on track, this is likely a late summer release, somewhere around August.
What Gets Made (And When)
One of the more common questions we get after sharing the survey is whether these designs are speculative. In most cases, they’re not. The majority of what you see in the survey will be produced in some form. The real question is timing.
The designs at the top of the list are the ones that get pulled forward into the immediate release schedule. Others may come later, or in smaller quantities, depending on how they fit into the broader calendar. There are also a few things we intentionally hold back each year. Not everything we’re working on is shown in the survey, and some of the more interesting releases tend to fall into that category.
Who the Vaer Customer Is
This year we added a question around broader customer interests, which gave us a bit more context. Football came in as the top response, followed by running and biking, with surfing and water sports in fourth place.
That’s useful for us. Vaer is very much a coastal brand by origin, we’re based in Venice, about a mile from the water, and a lot of our visual identity reflects that. But the customer base is clearly more diverse than that. It’s a good reminder that the watches are being used across a much wider range of environments than what we typically show.
Ownership and Feedback
In terms of who responded, we had 3,657 people who currently own a Vaer watch, and about 2,000 who don’t. That second group is important. A lot of those people are effectively waiting for a specific watch that we haven’t made yet. That’s exactly the type of input we’re trying to capture with this survey.
Customer satisfaction came in at a 9.03 average, which is consistent with what we’ve seen in recent years. We also received 2,479 open-ended responses. Those take more time to work through, but they tend to contain the most useful insights, especially when it comes to small product improvements or details that don’t show up in structured questions.
Closing Thoughts
Stepping back, the overall direction is fairly clear. Most of the demand is concentrated in categories where we already have momentum, GMTs, tactical field watches, chronographs, and heritage field designs. The feedback is less about pushing into new territory and more about continuing to refine and expand within those categories.
From our perspective, that’s a good place to be. It allows us to stay focused, improve execution, and continue building depth in the areas where the brand already resonates. And as always, we appreciate everyone who took the time to fill out the survey. This is one of the more direct ways the community shapes what we build next.
