Bronze clocks. What are they all about?
Bronze watches
There are three main materials for making watch cases - stainless steel, titanium, and bronze.
Today I will talk to you specifically about bronze watches, tell you about their specifics, and show you cool options.
Bronze is a fairly rare material in watchmaking today. Out of 50 standing models in a display case, at best, one will be made of bronze, or even none at all.
Bronze is always more expensive than stainless steel. So if you see the same model in stainless steel and bronze and the bronze is more expensive, don't be surprised.
The main feature of bronze is that over time it begins to oxidize and become covered with a patina, a green coating. Very often, after a new watch has been lying around for some time, you can see that the surface becomes uneven and changes color. This is normal.
This is why bronze is usually loved, because of course the patina pattern will always be individual. So your watch will look special, with its own, unique pattern. This adds a sense of vintage and a certain charm.
Of course, bronze can be cleaned of patina if you need to. Special, fairly simple solutions are made for this. So you always have a choice.
Those are the features, and now let me show you some real examples. As I said, there aren't usually many of them on the market, and my store has a few great options.
Let's start with the Italians Venezianico and their model from the Redentore collection.
Venezianico is a young Italian brand founded by two brothers in Venice in 2017. Of course, at first it was a microbrand, but now it has gone beyond that.
There is a boutique in Venice, the guys constantly present their watches at major watch exhibitions around the world, release some incredible, designer models, as the Italians know how, and have even managed to make their own movement caliber, which is nonsense for such a young brand.
By the way, the model with this mechanism cost as much as the initial Swiss premium and was sold out quite quickly.
Our beauty is based on the basic design of the Redentore collection. It has a graceful case shape, a beautiful, convex bezel that harmoniously flows into a domed sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective coating.
The body is made of bronze and has a mix of satin and mirror polish.
The quality of the finish is excellent and you can see that the watch is new, but in some places the coating already looks uneven. These are the first signs of the watch's patina.
The model's dial is made to match the watch. It looks like a worn bronze plate. There is nothing in terms of markings here, because there is no need for them.
Venezianico is very often not about readability. These are watches about style and design. Just hands and an overlaid cross logo. And nothing else is needed.
It looks very stylish and attractive.
The back cover is made of stainless steel and on it you can see the image of the horses of St. Mark, which are located in the Basilica of San Marco in Venice.
These horses are made of bronze, so it turned out quite symbolic. Well done to Venezianico, who very often make their watch models with a story, or timed to some event, or a work of art. Because you understand that we value watches not only for the time, but also for their vibe, for the history around them.
The model's strap is made of artificially aged genuine Italian leather. It looks great. In general, leather and rubber are the best options for bronze. Usually, it will be leather.
According to our characteristics:
- Japanese mechanical movement with automatic winding Miyota 9039 with a power reserve of 42 hours, operating at a frequency of 28800 vibrations per hour. This is already an expensive segment of Japanese mechanisms. Time-tested and absolutely reliable.
- We have 30 meters of water resistance, which means you can wash your hands and not be afraid of rain, and this watch doesn't need more than that.
- We have sapphire glass.
Dimensions:
Diameter - 40 mm, From lug to lug - 47 mm, Thickness - 10 mm, Weight - 69 grams.
The watch fits perfectly on my 18 cm wrist.
I have the last copy left. It currently costs 36,400 UAH and is a great option for those who want not just a designer watch, but a really cool watch made of bronze.
It looks great, it's unlike anything else, it's imbued with the spirit of Italy and has a certain history that you can always tell about, and it has great quality.
You can order HERE .
If the first model in the review was elegant and sophisticated, the second one was the opposite.
This is a brutal novelty from the microbrand Phoibos from the Argo collection.
And this is one of my favorite micro-brands in the under $500 price range because these guys make incredibly high-quality watches. Sometimes even micro-brands can't compete with them.
Today, Phoibos creates watches with an exceptional design, stuffing them with some incredible features and delighting with excellent quality workmanship.
Argo is available in 5 different dial and strap colors. This means that you can choose a model for completely different looks if you wish.
Of course, the watch is made of bronze and looks quite masculine and brutal.
There are sharp and angular shapes here, which is cool in its own way. And at first glance, the case seems a bit simple and clumsy, but it has a rather complex and unique geometry. All these transitions and angularities are quite intricately made.
Even the bronze clasp really nicely emphasizes this whole style.
That is, an absolutely unique design is provided here. Next, let's go into the details.
The back cover is also made of stainless steel. It's not just like that. If it were made of bronze, it would be visually like a collective farm. That is, it is customary, you need contrast.
The back cover is adorned with a deep engraving of an octopus - the Phoibos brand logo. These are the kind of things that neither the Japanese nor the Swiss will ever pamper you with in this segment. They usually have bald and rustic covers.
This is a diver's watch with a water resistance of 200 meters. Incidentally, its name is dedicated to the legend of Jason and the Argonauts and their journey in search of the Golden Fleece.
Bezel with ceramic insert. Super comfortable. The grip is great, the clicks are clear and pleasant. There is no play.
The dial is just a piece of candy.
Made in the style of sun rays. Very beautiful gradient.
The rough-shaped superimposed markers blend beautifully into the angular design of the watch and give it a wonderful volume.
Plus, Phoibos will always delight you with its royal 15 layers of Swiss Super Luminova.
The model is powered by a Japanese caliber from Citizen Miyota 9015. It is similar to its predecessor. It also has a 42-hour power reserve and operates at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour.
We have sapphire glass with 3A anti-reflective layers and 200 meters of water resistance.
By the way, the strap is simply awesome. Without exaggeration, it is very elastic rubber with a quick-change system. And putting the watch on and taking it off is a pleasure.
Dimensions:
Diameter - 40.5 mm, from lug to lug - 48 mm, Thickness - 12 mm, Weight - 108 grams.
My hand is 18 cm. In terms of volume, it fits very well.
And it looks very unusual, expensive and attractive. Phoibos is a watch for those who want to buy a unique watch for an adequate price, which will give the feeling that it costs twice as much as its price.
At the same time, it will look very unusual, will attract attention and you will not encounter clones, because it is definitely not a mass market. That is why Phoibos is very often bought by those who have already tasted the premium segment. Because people are interested, and people want to have something not from the mass market and not like everyone else!
And today this watch costs 23,100 UAH. All its colors are still available in my online store Feeltime.
You can order HERE .
Let's not stray far from the checkout line and take a look at another diver from the microbrand Spinnaker from their most expensive Tesei collection.
By the way, many have long believed that Spinnaker is not a microbrand, it is a full-fledged brand. And this is due to the fact that it has been very popularized over the past 5 years. The company really invests very seriously in marketing. This is a fact.
And there have been a lot of collaborations in recent years. For example, over the past year, there have been a lot of SpongeBob SquarePants, but now there's a new trend of Popeye the Sailor Man, which I'm really looking forward to in my store.
The Spinnaker Tesei looks more down-to-earth than the Phoebos in that the design is pretty standard. I would say Rolex-like. It’s not a direct homage, but the watch format is similar to the Rolex Submariner, so if you’re looking for a quality and affordable alternative, this might be for you.
This watch comes in three colors and each model comes in a gift box and a diving case. The packaging here is really nice.
Although I can't call the design of this model unique, I like it.
With its quality, its workmanship, its color scheme.
The watch looks quite mature.
Bronze case. Excellent workmanship. The crown is very comfortable. As is the bezel with a ceramic insert. Not as comfortable as the Phoibos, but also made to a high standard. The sound is pleasant, there is no backlash.
You can see that there's a stainless steel helium valve here to stabilize the pressure in the watch case. And this is a professional diver with a water resistance of 300 meters, so it's useful.
Although a genuine Italian leather strap is definitely not the best option for diving, so if you are going to come into contact with water, it is better to replace it with rubber.
This is not a problem at all, because firstly, there is a quick-release system, and secondly, the fastening is standard, so you can choose a belt without any problems.
The point is that, as I said, genuine leather looks best with bronze, so the emphasis here was more on the correct style, rather than on making it a comfortable diving watch for diving.
The back cover is again made of stainless steel. And this is probably one of the first Spinnakers to be released with a Swiss automatic Sellita SW200. It has a power reserve of 38 hours and operates at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour.
That's why this watch stands out in terms of price even from the Spinnaker model range. First, the bronze gives weight to the price tag, and second, this mechanism has a strong impact on the price.
The dial is wonderful.
The wavy texture, beautiful, layered markings look cool and give the right volume.
There is a date at the 3 o'clock mark, but on a black backing, which is correct and the attention to detail is not annoying.
Plus, there should definitely be a gorgeous glow. Let's take a look together!
Dimensions.
Diameter - 43 mm, from lug to lug - 51 mm, Thickness - 16 mm, Weight - 126 grams.
Well, this watch is really big. I won't say that it feels bad on my hand, but it will definitely look better on a larger one.
It currently costs UAH 38,378 and, in principle, has all the data to cost that much.
And this is a fairly well-known microbrand today, it has nice packaging, it's bronze, it has a fairly expensive Swiss automatic movement on board, and it's basically a very well-made watch, which, as I said, looks quite mature.
A large, high-quality copy for a massive wrist.
You can order HERE .
The latest ones we have today will be new items from the Italians Venezianico from the Nereide collection in reduced 39 mm cases.
And these are much closer to my liking than the same Spinnaker ones, which are a bit big for me.
The Venezianico Nereide is quite neat, has a cool design, and feels like a really expensive watch to me. I don't know how to explain it to you.
You just put them on and you can feel that this is an expensive watch. It's just a matter of design and detailing.
In total, 2 color versions were released. And opposite ones. One is milky, and the other is black.
The design itself is not new and is a hallmark of the Venezianico brand from the Nereide collection. That is, almost all watches in this collection have the same shape, which makes them very easy to identify.
At first glance, there's nothing new in the world of watches, but who knows, you'll immediately recognize the Venezianico models.
Bronze cases. Made in a classy way. Mostly satin-finished with mirror-polished transitions at the surface joints.
The bezel is completely bronze, which I definitely like. It gives the watch a sense of integrity and solidity.
The bezels are very comfortable. Probably the most comfortable of all the ones I've shown today.
On the back cover we can again see the engraving of the horses of St. Mark. This model is once again symbolically dedicated to them.
Straps made of so-called tropical rubber. There is a replacement system. The strap itself is very comfortable and elastic. It has a bunch of holes so that your hand can breathe in the summer.
It feels great on my average wrist. It's comfortable and looks, as I said, unique and expensive.
Dimensions:
Diameter - 39 mm, from lug to lug - 45.5 mm, thickness - 10.65 mm, weight -
That is, you can see from the numbers that it looks like a diver with a water resistance of 200 meters, but it is very accurate in all parameters. And this, I repeat, is tangible. It sits as if you were born with it on your hand.
There is already a marking on the dial, but again, nothing superfluous.
Just the time, logo, brand and collection. The date was also not placed. Very nice colors, good contrast, good sense of volume and good lume.
Everything that creates cool dials is present here.
The model is equipped with a Japanese Citizen Miyota 9039 automatic movement. We have already talked about it.
Sapphire glass, 200 meters water resistance.
It costs 41,650 UAH today. And very often I hear people like: “Oh, for this money you can buy Swiss watches like Certina or Tissot.” Of course you can, but I will tell you that usually people who have held both watches in their hands in this segment choose Venezianico.
Because you can't fool yourself. They feel more unique, they don't feel like a mass market that's been pushed into the wrong direction. At the same time, the brand already has a name and that also affects the feel of the watch.
That is, the feelings are similar. It's like you went into a boutique and bought yourself a beautiful custom thing. Yet in inexpensive Switzerland there is no custom there. Just popular watches like everyone else's. If you want to be like everyone else, of course you should go there. We will find everything for you.
You can order HERE .
I have interesting feelings after finishing the examination.
I don't really like gold-plated watches. And bronze is very similar to them. But they are completely different materials. And I even became interested in wearing bronze myself and seeing what it would become over time.
Maybe for the sake of experimenting I'll try it in the future.
In any case, these watches are not for everyone. If you like this color, if you agree that your watch will acquire an unexpected pattern on the case and become more vintage and unusual, then bronze may definitely appeal to you.
If you already wear bronze watches, brag and share your experience in the comments.
And I will leave you with this. I hope it was useful. See you soon. Bye!
