Daniel Oliver 
Historically, lovers divide watches into two wide groups: style watches and “important” watches. But as absolutely everyone is aware of, there is no this kind of factor as black and white – there are infinite shades of grey. And so there are watches that have a little bit of a person and a little bit of the other. And for that really motive, they appear to signify that perfect bridge that unites the two sides of the river.
In quick: these are, for all intents and needs, watches appropriately manufactured, with appreciable technological articles, but speaking the exact same language as the men and women transitioning from smartphones and smartwatches to a thing distinctive. And this product from Gravithin, named Argo/Argomatic, does just that.
Who is Gravithin
The enterprise was born in which you would minimum expect it: from the lands of Salento. A region well known for a thousand other items but absolutely not for watchmaking. Nevertheless, this oh-so-modern and captivating challenge comes to us from this sun-kissed land and the Adriatic Sea.
Born in 2017 from the idea of Cesare Zuccaro, the firm needs to characterize a obstacle. A obstacle to stereotypes, and a testimony to a continual and continuous look for for self-improvement, offering cost-effective gown watches that make style their workhorse (the corporation has received many prestigious design awards these types of as the IF Style Award and the A Style and design Award).
The title is intended to evoke lightness and subtlety, two of the founding principles of the company’s style and its collections. But now to what interests us most: the view.
The Gravithin Argo product
The elementary ingredient of the Argo is surely the structure, minimum and up to date – and absolutely nothing in this area has been left to likelihood. The check out comes in a stunning rectangular box with a counter box and important embossed information that reveal the notice to depth.
Opening the box, we discover ourselves in front of our timepiece, perfectly-shielded thanks to a collection of compartments lined with a velvety content. In addition to the guarantee card and the instruction card with a QR code to obtain the finish guide, we also find the bracelet and a helpful instrument to groom the bracelet to match our sizing, and of class, the enjoy head. Worthy of be aware are the springbars, that includes a speedy lock procedure – a reasonably rare remedy on affordable watches like these.
One tiny notice: the enjoy head is a little bit tough to get out of the box, so caught up in the urge, we could possibly test to do it with some metal instrument, with the risk of scratching the case.
Scenario and end
Talking of the case, we are faced with a UFO-style scenario with out lugs, so in spite of its measurement of 42 mm, it feels smaller sized and sufficiently suits even significantly less vital wrists.
The observe we gained is metal with a PVD-deposited satin gold coating, a complete that is also recurring on the bracelet. If you are not a fan of this appear, you will discover that the classic polished steel edition with Milanese website link bracelet is a lot more to your liking.
The satin end of the scenario is pretty classy, in our feeling – different from the standard and properly contrasting with the blue tones of the dial and the pink specifics. It has a strong glimpse, matches effectively with the bracelet, and conveys an great perception of sturdiness despite its peak of about 10 mm. The press-pull logoed crown has a design that will make it straightforward to run, and the enjoy promises a water resistance of 50 meters.
Dial and palms
The dial is certainly the most enjoyable component of the watch: it has a distinctive style that is somewhere in between minimum and industrial and is embellished with specifics such as a sandwich construction in shades of mild blue and blue and a matte end with a contrasting “automatic” lettering in a shiny impact.
The fingers are effectively executed, traditional in form with tonal inserts on the dial, and outfitted with BGW9 SuperLuminova coating. Nothing at all to say the closing impact is charming and puts the Argo in much better types than it might appear from its record rate.
The sapphire crystal is flat, aiding to make the look at a lot more dressy, and the dial properly readable, thanks in element to the anti-reflective treatment method.
Motion
The Gravithin Argo presents several versions, both quartz and automatic. We examined the automated 1, geared up with a movement very various from those normally adopted by modern day Microbrands.
We are conversing about the Miyota 9015, a robust and dependable computerized caliber made by the Japanese firm belonging to the Citizen galaxy, with 42 hours of power reserve, noticeable via the sapphire crystal scenario back again so that you can value the complete of the Cotes de Geneve (or possibly Tokyo, in this case!) bridges.
There is also a small date window, situated at six o’clock – which stands out mainly because of the white coloring of the day window. Possibly a coloured solution com the dial would have been extra classy, but it is a detail.
Strap & Wearability
As pointed out, the Argo functions several various strap variants. The variation in our possession has special gold-coated metal elements that taper towards the butterfly clasp – a really sophisticated resolution that provides this view an additional style and design touch. But we also like the variation with a Milanese steel mesh strap. And offered the design of the check out, in the subject of 3rd-occasion proposals, you can locate some good tips for shifting the look of your Argo. For example, a mild blue printed leather model could possibly be a fun substitute.
The metallic bracelet, as provided, is very significant, so you will have to strip it of some links to adapt it to your dimension. Gravithin encloses a distinctive instrument, but to be on the secure side and to keep away from rifling the inbound links, the intervention of a watchmaker would maybe be desirable.
Base line
Wearing the watch feels an abnormal bodyweight for modern day watches, specifically if, as in this circumstance, the timepiece offers dressy functions. And its style and design turns out to be eye-catching, and it appeals to people’s eyes for the reason that it is a view, but not the regular standard variety that everybody would hope.
And the real surprise is when you glimpse at its record price tag. The variant with a quartz mechanism is on sale for 139 euros, whilst the automatic one particular expenditures 329 euros. This is a more than affordable rate thinking about the watch’s attributes and create high quality. Most importantly, it is a enjoy that “weighs” substantially more than it prices. Intercontinental consumers, particularly from the United states and Japan, who are paying out particular notice to this good Made in Italy timepiece, know this experience nicely.
