A selection of watches from microbrand AVI-8
Compilation of AVI-8 watches
Friends, hello everyone. You are on the Feeltime channel, Stanislav is with you as always, and today I will make for you a small selection of watches from the AVI-8 microbrand.
About the AVI-8 watch
The AVI-8 micro-brand is currently owned by the same owner along with the Spinnaker brand.
But if Spinnaker adopted a policy of producing diving watches with hints of the vintage of the last century, then the AVI-8 brand decided to follow the path of developing an aviator theme. By the way, again with a touch of vintage.
As many of you know, the value for money in Spinnaker watches is at the highest level. Let's see if this is the case in the AVI-8 clock.
Watch AVI-8 P-51 Mustang Hitchcock Automatic
The watch is called AVI-8 P-51 Mustang Hitchcock Automatic and is dedicated to the pilot and Olympic polo player Thomas Hitchcock Jr., who died during the Second World War in a plane crash.
The watch is also dedicated to the American single-seat fighter of those times P-51 Mustang.
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The design of the watch conveys the style of the aircraft. The crown mimics the exhaust of the engine, and the genuine leather strap is inspired by the texture of the seat and neatly stitched with gray thread.
The case is made of stainless steel with a dark gray coating. The sides are rounded. Mirror polished. The upper part of the lugs and the welt are satin finished.
The quality of the finish is excellent.
Above the welt rises a slightly domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating.
Dimensions
Diameter - 43 mm, ear to ear - 51 mm, thickness - 14 mm, weight - 100 grams.
watch on hand
On my wrist 18 cm. They sit perfectly in girth. Comfortable fit is also affected by a pleasant strap made of natural, gray leather. Made very well. Plus, as I said earlier, these seats are stylized as a fighter seat.
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Through the back of the watch, you can see the Japanese automatic movement Seiko NH35A. There is certainly nothing to admire here. This mechanism has no finishing, one might say. But reliable, has a power reserve of 42 hours, manual winding and STOP second.
The finishing touches were more or less brightened up with a branded AVI-8 pendulum and “Ten Goal Tommy” inscription on the glass, which pays homage to Hitchcock's merits in the field of polo.
Clock face
The dial deserves special attention.
The main plate is made of stainless steel and is factory-worn. This gives the model a stylish and expensive appearance.
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From 0 to 15 minutes there is an overlay plate that looks somewhat like an airplane dashboard.
As you can see, some marks are cut like a sandwich, and some, on the contrary, are overhead. It gives good volume.
Nicely located and date at 6 o'clock. It is on a black substrate and does not distract attention.
On the hands and the largest marks there is a Swiss Super Luminova, which accumulates energy and glows in the dark, so that the main time can always be counted.
Other characteristics
Of the unnamed characteristics, he did not say only about the water resistance of 50 meters. This is a classic for pilot's watches.
Watch AVI-8 Kent Automatic AV-4094-04
The next model AVI-8 Kent Automatic also has its own history.
During the Second World War, there was an elite unit of Polish pilots called Squadron 303. They fought for Britain and, flying Hawkers Hurricane fighters, shot down the maximum number of enemy aircraft, thereby making themselves history.
The unit was run by John Kent. It is in his honor that the model is named.
Symbolism
The watch has both hidden and explicit symbolism of this story. For example, on the dial you can see the symbols RF, which means the squadron code, and on the counterweight of the second hand is a miniature fighter Javier Hurricane.
More explicit symbolism is on the back cover in the form of an engraving of the 303 Squadron logo.
Case quality
The case, as in previous watches, is made of stainless steel with a dark gray coating.
This is full satin. The quality of the finish is also excellent.
Sapphire glass with anti-reflective coating. Again, it rises slightly above the welt.
In general, I can say that the design of this watch is a classic version of the aviator style. Case shape, markings on the dial. Everything is in the best traditions of style.
Dimensions
Case diameter - 43 mm, ear to ear - 50 mm, thickness - 13.5 mm, weight - 85 grams.
watch on hand
They sit perfectly on my hand. Again, a cool genuine leather strap adds to the fit. He is thick, but very soft and pliable. Plus a good quality clasp with AVI-8 branding.
Clock face
I really like the dial.
First, it is very important that there is a 12-hour markup, a 60-minute markup, and a 24-hour markup. That is, readability is on top here. But this is still a pilot's watch and readability should be good.
The hour markers are high and I like the volume that these elements and the recess in the core of the model have created.
Plus, an interesting shape of arrows-swords with black edging, which also makes excellent contrast and adds to readability.
And the backlight here is clearly more interesting than on the previous model.
Mechanism
In terms of mechanism and water protection, the watch does not differ from the previous model. All the same Japanese Seiko NH35A and water resistance of 50 meters.
Watch AVI-8 Diables Rouges Hawker Hunter AV-4078-22
The latest model from our selection is the AVI-8 Diables Rouges Hawker Hunter watch, dedicated to the Hawker Hunter fighters that were in service in Britain in the 1950s and 60s.
Here, the skeletonized dial with an open balance immediately attracts attention, through which you can see the work of the Japanese mechanism.
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Mechanism
The watch specifications don't say what kind of movement it is, but usually this type of open balance watch has a Seiko NH38. It has a 42 hour power reserve, runs on 24 jewels and beats at 21,600 vibrations per hour.
Clock face
In general, the dial is read very well. The high hour markers are well defined, the hands are also bold, but it would be even better if they had a black border, as the silver color is a little lost here.
In general, skeletons are usually overloaded. But there is no such feeling here. The dial looks expensive and quite harmonious.
The hands and markers have the Swiss Super Luminova.
The dial is covered by a slightly domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating.
Dimensions
This model is the largest of all that I have shown. Diameter - 44 mm, ear to ear - 52 mm, thickness - 14 mm, weight - 165 grams on a full bracelet.
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watch on hand
On my arm 18 cm. In circumference they sit butt. On an even larger brush, they will definitely look better.
Case quality
The watch case is made of 316l stainless steel. This is a satin finish with a thin strip of mirror polish at the junction of the side and top surfaces. There is also mirror polishing on the welt and crown.
The welt has a beveled engraving, which gives additional volume to the watch.
Bracelet
The bracelet is also made of stainless steel, it is fully satin-finished, all the links are cast, the quality here is excellent, and the clasp is a classic for watches in this price segment. Folding with double fixation. Cast inside, stamped outside.
Through the back of the watch, you can see the working of the mechanism and the pendulum with a pattern in the style of a hawker hunter fighter. To be honest, the picture is not very clear to me, I think that it would be better to brand it with the name AVI-8 and the characteristics of the movement.
Other characteristics
Of the unnamed characteristics, only water protection of 50 meters remains. As in other models. You can wash your hands, do not be afraid of rain, but you can’t swim in this watch.
Results
As a result, I want to say that given the fact that watches are made under the same roof with the Spinnaker brand, the quality here is plus or minus at the same level.
I think that this is a great option when you do not have huge budgets, but want to get high-quality watches, since the budget models of many popular brands today leave much to be desired. Or have not the most pleasant price tags.
In our feeltime store, you only buy original avi-8 watches with a 2-year warranty. I leave links to the clock at the bottom of the article.
Share your opinion in the comments to the video, participate in the life of the channel. And that's all I have. With you, as always, was Stanislav. See you again. Bye!
