Earlier this month, we brought you word of a brand new Vesuviate chronograph that was available on Kickstarter. Well, even though the watches are not shipping out just yet, we’ve been able to spend some time with one, and are here to give you our thoughts. And if that was what you were waiting for to make your decision, you do still have a few days left before the campaign closes.
As we mentioned in the previous article, the Vesuviate Attivo Chronograph takes the prior case and dial design that we saw with the Vesuviate Attivo, and made adjustments to fit in a new chronograph. On the dial, that of course means that you’ve got two subdials (in a rounded square shape that mirrors the case), the left-most for running seconds, and the right-most for tracking chronograph minutes. That means, of course, that the orange seconds hand is stationary, except for when the chronograph is running.
The other noticeable change for the Vesuviate Attivo Chronograph, as compared to it’s predecessor, is the fact that the case is a bit thicker (13.95mm vs 11mm) in order to fit the necessary components for the chronograph, as well as the rotor for automatic winding. The big question, then, is how wearable is the watch?
In a word, very much so. With the stubby lugs, the bracelet drops quickly from the case shoulders, allowing it to keep the watch snugly in place. Sure, the case sits up proudly from the wrist, but that’s what you need to expect for a mechanical chronograph. Or, frankly, if you’ve worn any sort of beefier dive watch, you’ll be used to a watch this thick. I wore the watch around the house, and out (and even with a suit), and I didn’t have any problems with it.
While I didn’t use the chronograph capability a whole lot with the Vesuviate Attivo Chronograph, I still found it as an eminently legible watch, with no issues reading the time. Spending time with the watch, I really liked the details you pick up on. For instance, the subdials are color-matched to the dial, but they’re textured and glossier. Then there’s the handset. Yes, those hands are lumed, but in the daylight? The luminous paint is color matched to the dial, which is no mean feat, and something you’d don’t see happening on many watches, let alone ones at this pricepoint.
The other thing folks might be wondering about is the Seagull movement inside. Obviously, the week or two I had with the Vesuviate Attivo Chronograph is not a long-term test, but I found it worked just as you’d want. To further see how it behaved, I had it on a watch winder (one we’ve got in for review), and I did not notice any appreciable change in time (fast or slow) day-to-day. Service would be the question down the road, but other than that, the movement wouldn’t give us pause.
As we mentioned at the outset, the campaign for the Vesuviate Attivo Chronograph has a few days left on it. Super earlybird pricing starts at just $395, while MSRP (after the campaign is closed) is expected to be $475. The campaign itself runs through August 16th, with delivery starting in September. Oh, and if you miss the campaign, but still want to pick one up directly from Vesuviate, you’ll be be able to use the code vesuviateoffer to get an additional 7% knocked off the price. campaign page / vesuviate.com
Tech Specs from Vesuviate
