 Packaging  CaseThe Padua by Zampieri watch company based in Canada traces its' roots back to the owners Italian heritage and this most definitely is a traditional gentlemens dress watch by all aspects. The Padua puts many of those cheap fashion watch brands into their place with its' great specifications, movement, and build quality for not that much more money than some of those "other" brands. This watch is housed in an incredibly thin 6.5MM solid 316L steel polished case with a diameter of 39MM. The lug to lug distance measures in at 45MM and the lug width is standard at 20MM. The incredible thin steel case really surprised me the first time I put this watch on my wrist. It certainly can fit under a cuff and is meant to be a dress watch for sure. This definitely is a watch that can be worn to a formal event or a wedding whether suited in a tux or a fine suit. In terms of finishing, the high polish is neat and smooth to the hand while the caseback features a real screw in back and some specifications engraved. This watch really reminds me of the good old traditional dress watches from the 60s from big swiss houses such as Patek and others. Finally, the crown itself is pull/push with a 50M water resistance rating which is quite impressive for a timepiece of this dimension, so do not be afraid of getting caught in the rain!    Dial The Enamel white dial is quite striking and very luxurious at first glance. It gives off a clean and good feeling whenever I glance down to read the time. This dial also features applied polished indices which are quite legible to me. The indices also match up quite nicely with the long dauphine style hands which remain polished as well. This is a time only watch with a time only movement, what a dress watch should be. The logo is printed in black below the 12:00 position and is quite bold but minimal at the same time. I think they did a good job keeping it quite symmetric and balanced, which I can appreciate. To top it all of we get a flat genuine sapphire crystal which sits quite flush with the case and gives it a more luxurious feeling. MovementPowering the Padua is the trusted and reliable swiss made ronda quartz 1062 caliber. This movement is a time only movement and features an incredible long battery life of six years. This is great for the end user because no watch collector enjoys changing batteries out every two years like some other Ronda calibers. Overall, it keeps great time as it should gaining a couple seconds a month and is as reliable as a movement can probably be. Genuine Italian Leather Bands Now, the 20MM Genuine Italian Full Grain Calf leather band definitely shows that Zampieri did not skimp out on any aspect of this watch as a total package. These straps are of the highest quality and are also vegetable tanned to top it off. They also feature a nice quick release function for swapping out straps quickly. However, being as this band is extremely supple and comfortable out of the box - I do not think you will be swapping out straps any time soon... ConclusionFurthermore, I see what Zampieri has done here and I can appreciate it from a watch enthusiasts perspective. They basically took a look at all those cheaply made mens dress watches that larger companies produce for dollars and created something of very high quality for a reasonable price. This is something that can be worn and enjoyed for a very long time. This is not "what's in" right now, this is a real mens dress watch. The watches specifications and luxury packaging definitely ticks all the boxes for me at this $365 pricepoint. This is a watch I can recommend to my readers who are on the hunt for a special timepiece for a special occasion, or an everyday work watch to pair with a suit. Thanks for taking the time to read and please do check out the full hands-on video on Watch Addiction Watch Review YouTube channel. 
1 Comment
  Case Swiss Watch Company has released their latest offering which is a chronograph this time around, but very much resembles their original popular dive watch. It is much larger at 44MM in diameter and 17MM in case thickness with a lug width of 22MM. The case itself is of course solid brushed 316L stainless steel with some nice chamfered lug tops and a smooth finish. I have not found any sharp edges nor blemishes on the case which shows that these were built to a high standard. This is a diving chronograph so we do get that awesome 300M of true tested water resistance for diving and any other water activities you may encounter. The watch is also equipped with a custom 60 minute uni-directional dive bezel which features minimal play and smooth confident action. These models are available in two different color configurations ( Blue / Green ) and both feature a custom limited edition number on the solid steel screw down caseback. The case back itself is rather simple featuring basic specifications and their logo engraved. Overall, it is a mans watch with a nice hefty feel on the wrist, but really does not wear overly large due to a shorter lug to lug distance than most 44MM timepieces. The pushers are polished and firm with each click and have a nice rebound action which is always a plus on an automatic chronograph. Our crown is signed this time around and screwed down of course, and threads in and out smoothly without issue.   Dial The dial on these models is green of course and features your typical Valjoux 7753 Layout with three subdials and a date window at the 4:00 position. The lumed marker plots are rather large and extremely legible as they should be for a 300M diving chronograph..and are layered with 20 layers of lume! ( Even the Subdial hands are lumed! ) Honestly, the lume is insane on this watch and I cannot think of another watch I have encountered in my time here reviewing watches that can battle this beast. The sword like hands are also filled with evenly distributed Swiss SuperLuminova. We also do get all the goodies such as a genuine Sapphire crystal with 5 layers of Anti-Reflective coating making this one extremely legible in all lighting conditions. They definitely got their AR coating down nicely and it does show while in use in the real world. Functionally speaking we can read and time up to 12 hours on this chronograph which is always an upside of utilizing a swiss made valjoux movement.   MovementThe automatic Swiss Made calibre they went for is the Valjoux 7753 ( not the 7750 ). This caliber is quite similar featuring hacking seconds, hand winding, a 12 Hour chronograph, and a quickset date. It also features 27 Jewels - Push Set Date with a button on the left flank of the case - and a power reserve of a whopping 54 hours stated by ETA. This movement is easily serviceable by any reputable watchmaker, robust, and one that will last numerous years if properly cared for. I have seen this movement in watches from all price points such as Breitling and Baume Mercier. New Bracelet The solid steel bracelet is quite solid and tough with a nice brushed finish to match the case. It featured neatly fitted solid end links and a nifty new clasp that SWC has developed. The clasp is not overly large either like some other smaller brands have been utilizing lately in their offerings. This clasp features a dual button milled clasp with a ratchet extension which can be used for daily use whilst the wrist swells due to heat or for actual diving. It is definitely comfortable on wrist and can be used with larger wrist sizes as well, which is always a plus.   ConclusionFurthermore, my time with the SWC chronograph has been pretty positive so far and I do not find much wrong with the watch. For a watch containing a 7753 calibre and with specifications that check all the boxes for me at this $1300 price - it is definitely a watch to take into consideration when getting into a entry level diving chronograph or luxury watch I should say. Please do check out the full hands on video review to me in action with this timepiece, and thanks for taking the time to read.     Packaging   Case The all new Obris Morgan SeaStar 70s is definitely a watch to take a look at, especially this model. Upon initial impressions I was really blown away by the fit and finish - including some awesome accessories the watch came with. The case itself on my model is completely sand blasted and done right. It is very smooth to the hand without any sharp edges nor errors/marks. The case itself is rather thin which was a delightful surprise, coming in at 11.5MM thick with a case diameter of 39.5MM across. The watch features a 49MM lug to lug span and 20MM lugs. A nice detail referring back to most watches from the 70s are the drilled lug holes which really make swapping out straps a breeze on the SeaStar. On wrist, the watch wears very thin and almost conforms perfectly to the curvature of my 6.5" wrist. In terms of extra specs, we get a fully anti magnetic watch with the use of a metal plate hovering above the Miyota 9015 below the caseback. This is really quite smart and inovative as I have never seen a smaller company do this before. The watch also features two screw down crowns for that 200M of water resistance. One of the crowns is a HE valve for you serious divers out there - But I doubt most users really wont ever go diving...It does however give the watch a more vintage and tooly look in my opinion. Heading to the screw down caseback we get a very nice moulded seastar emblem which is very neat and detailed, for some visual excitement.  Dial The enamel black sunburst dial is crisp, clean, legible and features hand filled BGW9 lume which glows blue on all the chrome applied indices/hands/bezel. It is rather a legible dial with a very new and simple Obris Morgan logo below the 12:00 position, which more fans seem to like. At 3:00 we have our black date window to match the dial and a white outline to match the hands and markers. Some nice details which you may notice is the pop of Neon Green on the sweeping seconds hand which matches the green "200M" printed above 6:00. As you would expect at this $369 pricepoint the crystal utilized is an inner anti reflective coated genuine flat sapphire crystal. The 120 Click lumed bezel is a 12 hour bezel instead of our typical 60 minute dive bezel. However, if you really wanted to use it to time sixty minutes you most definitely can. One thing that was really noticeable was the smooth and precise bezel action. Now, it is not rolex buttery smooth, but its' almost there.  MovementMost of you are familiar with the japanese made Miyota 9015 automatic caliber - as it is used widely in the watch industry. It is a 4HZ movement meaning that it beats at 28,800 BPH allowing a nice smooth sweep of that seconds hand. We get around a 42 hour power reserve and a stated and regulated accuracy of +6 seconds from Obris Morgan themselves. Now usually these movements can be a bit loud with the excessive rotor spin - BUT considering we have that anti magnetic metal plate the movement is actually rather quiet and I could not hear it whilst on wrist.. Bracelet The 3 Link solid steel sand blasted bracelet is a nice one, and I dont see myself swapping out to the rubber strap for a while to be quite honest. It features screw links, solid end links, and the same level of finishing as the case. We also get a nice solid custom milled clasp along with a signed buckle which seems custom as well. It certainly suits the character of the watch and I do not see and issue with it. However, if you are a strap guy I would not hesitate swapping out for the genuine rubber strap if you want some more versatility.    ConclusionFurthermore, this is my first experience with Hong Kong based Obris Morgan and I must say it has been quite a good one. The international shipping was very fast, everything pretty much exceeded my expectations from the build quality down to the bracelet and bezel action. I am not sure if it actually feels like a microbrand watch because everything is rather perfect and symmetrical down to the decimal point. I think they did a great job in all honesty and I can now see why they are one of the more popular and more respected smaller watch brands in the industry.  |
