Nice and simple retrograde watch... for MEN!
Written: Nov 02 '08 (Updated Jan 25 '09)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Good looking watch with interesting mechanical mechanisms
Cons: My only disappointment is that the month indicator does not change by itself
The Bottom Line: Good and affordable mechanical watch with some good looking features. A little annoying to keep running if one is not into mechanical watches.
|
|
|
| icio's Full Review: Giorgio Armani Emporio Armani AR4205 Watch for Wom... |
For men and not for women. I have no clue why Epinions.com lists this watch as for Women, this is a large and bulky watch that even on the wrist of a 6'2", 225lbs man like myself, look big. Of course, women could wear it, but definitely it would look almost like a clock and not a watch.
Emporio Armani Meccanico. This watch belogs to a small class of Emporio Armani watches, the group named "Meccanico". Meccanico in Italian means "mechanical". Some people, like myself, have a fascination with watches and mechanical complications. Do not get me wrong: I own Suunto watches with compass, altimeter, etc, but still I cannot resist the beauty of a well-made mechanical watch. Of course, there are plenty of "grande complication" watches equipped with all sort of mechanical complications to purchase, but the problem is their cost that runs quickly in the 10's of thousands of dollars or more (for watches with tourbillon mechanisms, it is not unusual to be priced over $100k!
This watch does not even come close to anything like that, but it is well made and it definitely has the look of an important watch. Of course, when you pay about $500 you do no get a Patek Philippe, a
Vacheron Constatin or the like of those big names. You just get a honest watch for everyday use and without having to be concerned about ill-minded individuals chopping off your hand to steal your watch away from your person.
MAIN FEATURES:
- Retrograde date; vote 10/10: It is likely the most noticeable feature in this watch. What is retrograde date, anyway? The name refers to the fact that there is an arrow pointing to the day of the month, when you reach the end of the month, the arrow skips back to the first day of the month. So that jump is what gives the name to the feature.
Of course, the watch does not know that February has 28 or 29 days for instance, so it would not go back to 1 at the end of the month and it requires manual assistance. But that's the crux of mechanical watches.
A watch could also be double retrograde, as you could see in this
picture of a Maurice Lacroix masterpiece (this usually retails around $6,000-$7,000)
http://www.thewatchery.com/Maurice-Lacroix_Watch_7328.htm
You should be able to recognize the two retrograde features. The first one is the 24 hour indicator for the second time zone, and the, .. yes, .. the date indicator in the lower part. You might think that there is a third retrograde mechanism on the right (the power reserve), but that is not the case, the power reserve indicator only jumps back when you manually charge your watch.
Hopefully I did not bore you too much with these details, but since you are thinking about this watch, it is worth understanding what is available out there.
- Day of the week and month vote 7.5/10: The watch also has two round indicators: one for the day of the week and one for the month.
These just follow a circular clockwise pattern and do not jump, unless you make them too, that is. Unfortunately, I just noticed that the month does not jump when needed and it requires to be forced to jump by pressing a small button on the side with a small pointed object. This is disappointing. The day mechanism works fine.
- Year - vote 5/10: the features on the front of the watch are completed by a small (perhaps too small) year indicator. It is a tiny box. You might wonder, how can a mechanical watch keep track of the year over a long period of time? Good question! The answer is that simply it cannot. Translation: you have to change it manually by pressing a button on the lower part of the case, the watch the numbers available inside the watch can track the year only for a limited amount of time - 10 years. After that, assuming your watch still works, it will not be showing the correct year in the little window anymore. The watch is only meant to track the year until 2015 or so, depending on the year it was made.
- Case; vote 8/10. It is bulky and if you do not like bulky then you would not like it, but it is solid and well built. It is bulky as it needs to lodge the various mechanical mechanism that allow this watch to work. You can actually see your watch at work since the back of the case has a glass that allows the owner/user to take a glimpse of the mechanical parts while they work. Some watches have a small "heart" on the front (which I prefer as you can watch the mechanisms without having to take off your watch), some have it in the back in which case it can be much larger, like the EA Meccanico AR 4205. It is a nice feature although not a great one.
- Charge; vote 8/10. Since this is a mechanical watch, there is no battery. This watch has an automatic winding movement that should power your watch by deriving "power" from the movement of your wrist. However, if you do not use the watch for 30 some hours, it is likely that it will stop. Then you will need to wind it up manually (the only big wheel on the case, so you cannot really have any doubt) and re-adjust the date and the day of the week at least. A little annoying, but this watch is for those who like mechanical pieces. If you don't, then you should stick with watches equipped with a battery.
Watch precision- vote 9/10. So far I have no complaints. In one month it has kept the correct time with a more than acceptable accuracy. The time is very easy to adjust: just pull the big wheel and rotate it in the required direction, then press it back close to the case.
Strap - vote 9/10. Crocodile looking it is not made from the skin of a crock or it would cost a little fortune. However it is solid and, having owned another EA watch for 3 years, I can say that it is really well made and resists the challenge of time. In other words, if properly used, it does not get ruined easily. After 3 years, mine is still looking like new. For this watch it is dark brown. I am not sure you can change it, but I believe it is possible as it is not too complicated to do so. You just need to find someone who sells you a different strap and the strap fits around the case.
Waterproof? yes, up to 30 meters or about 100 feet for those keen to use US units. I think that this is more than enough for at least two reasons:
- If you go deeper than that and you are not a scuba diver, you are in serious trouble and the watch would be the least of your concerns;
- If you are a scuba diver than either you have an excessive sense of fashion, or you are too cheap to buy a proper scuba watch.
The waterproof feature is just a gimmick. For example, I do not see why I should go swimming with a bulky watch like this of all things. Or, why should I take a shower with the watch on? And, if I were a scuba diver honestly, I would buy the proper watch for that sport.
Otherwise, just take the watch off, do your things, and put it back on. In any case, if you got caught in the rain.. you are safe! Your watch would work properly afterward... Hooray!
Least favorite feature - hidden buttons; grade 6/10. I mean, I like hidden buttons, but my experience has taught me that this kind of buttons that you need to operate with a thin pointed object are also the least robust and tend not to work properly after a relatively short period of time. Hope it is not the case with this watch, but I am at least a little concerned about the feature.
Warranty - grade 9/10. A 2-year warranty is not too stingy. They claim that you could take your watch to any dealers who sell Emporio Armani watches. I cannot say that to be true or false as my previous Armani watch did not need to be taken in for any repair.
Price paid: $485. You find it advertised lower than that, but usually they are always not available. It is not an easy to find this watch overall. It took me a few months to locate one and being able to purchase it. If you see it and you want it, buy it or it might not be there for long.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
icio
|
 - Top 1000 |
|
Location: Thousand Oaks, CA
Reviews written: 59
Trusted by: 6 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.