Vintage – luminous, or a few words about Oyster from Aquatico.
This is the second Aquatico I have tested and I think not the last. This microbrand has become a synonym for me at a very good price, combined with very good workmanship. Some time ago, my attention was caught by the Oyster model from this manufacturer. Konrad and I wrote a request to send him for testing and here it is! The manufacturer decided to send us for a test watch, which in my opinion is the most versatile combination available. And we can choose from 4 different models: black bezel – black dial, blue bezel – blue dial, black bezel – silver dial and blue bezel – silver dial.
Of course, what I consider to be a universal thing doesn’t have to translate into your preferences. Each of the above-mentioned models received a limit of 99 pieces.
Several days have passed since the delivery of the watch, so I can share my observations with you. I invite you to a short presentation.

Box

The cardboard box is traditionally small and cube-shaped. Inside is a mini catalog in which we can view the current collection of models from Aquatico, as well as read the quick start guide for a mechanical watch.

The material lining the center is soft to the touch, so the box can act as a travel case (let’s not forget about the small size). After removing the book, we see a watch, which we get in the set on a strap with a carbon structure. Optionally, you can buy a bracelet for the watch, which lucky for me was also sent with the watch 🙂

Case

Do you remember the Balticus Deep Water I reviewed quite recently? Here, we also deal with a barrel type case. I like this type of case because of its slightly vintage vibe. The first thing I noticed was the bezel, whose insert was made of ceramic. At twelve o’clock there is a red triangle with a large dot inside. The dot was filled with Superluminova C3, just like the rest of the indices in that bezel. The outer bezel ring is quite densely milled, which on the one hand gives a sense of strange sharpness when setting it, but on the other hand, even my colleague – a total watch layman – said that it works very well because his fingers don’t slide off it . The bezel rotates with adequate resistance, not too easy, not too difficult

Another feature of this model that is noteworthy is undoubtedly very short lugs. The length of the watch is 49mm, which at 44mm case width does not seem to be a big value. Thanks to the short lugs, the watch looks good even on smaller wrists. The distance between the lugs is 22mm.
From the top, the case is brushed, but the delicate accent turns out to be gently cut and polished edges separating the upper part from the side. In turn, below the brushed sides of the case, the manufacturer also cut the edge at an angle of 95 degrees, polishing it at the same time. The quality of the cuts is at a very good level, which Aquatico has already got used to me.

At three o’clock there is the manufacturer’s signed logo, the screwed down crown. It is well chosen when it comes to size, although an interesting situation occurs if we want to wind up the watch by hands. It turns out that when you try to wind the watch manually, we rub inadvertently with our fingertips on the bezel. Perhaps this is also the case in other watches, although I never paid attention to it. In this case, I immediately sensed padding on the bezel, which – as I mentioned above – has densely spaced, specific cuts. A small downside for me is a slightly loose crown, although this problem also concerns my Eterna KonTiki, which is a watch several times more expensive than Aquatico Oyster.

Let’s move to the bottom of the case. It is only when we look from below that we see how the case is embossed. This effect was achieved thanks to the case back, firmly screwed on 5 screws. To be honest, I liked this solution very much and if not for the manufacturer’s designation, I would think that I am dealing with a quartz watch. And they say that flat butts are passe … The case back is traditionally signed, described, and its engraving is so shallow that the edges are not sharp and sliding your finger over them, we practically don’t feel the discomfort I mentioned on the occasion of the Obris Morgan Seaster review.

Dial

We look at the black, matte dial through thick, flat glass, covered with an AR layer on the inside. The dial is matt and even in its structure. Gently shimmers when changing the angle of incidence of light. Interestingly, looking at it, I am sure that the sunburst was not used here, but the effect it gives is visible here. Such a curiosity. A significant element that affects the reception of the watch is the internal chapter ring with a minute scale. In my opinion, this is the weakest element of this model. At the beginning I had a big problem understanding why the manufacturer used such a bad-looking element in his watch. From a distance of 70 cm, of course, we will not notice imperfections, but a trained eye, when zooming in on the watch, will notice the uneven structure of the ring circumference. As it turned out, the reason for this is that the chapter ring consists entirely of a thick layer of superluminova C1, on which uneven surface the indices was printed, and this created just such a visual effect. It justifies them a little because the watch thanks to this shines sensational … strong blue luma chapter ring contrasts well with the green shade of Superlumin c3, which was applied to bezel, indices and hands. The effect after passing from the sun to a dark place is staggering, and the hour can be read easily until the morning when the blinds are lowered to the end.

In the cutouts of the chapter ring, there are applied longitudinal indices, filled with Superlumin C3, which shines strongly and long. The edges of the indices have been polished, which makes them look very good. For easier time reading, the indices for 12, 6 and 9 hours have been extended. At three o’clock there is a date window with a white painted frame. In my opinion, the date background should refer to the color of the dial, but on the other hand it fits well with the light ring of the minute scale. Under the index at 12 o’clock there is the name of the manufacturer, and between the axis of hands and the index at 6 o’clock we find information about waterproofness (500M), as well as about the movement used.

Sword hands have been matted and also filled with the same type of luma that was used to fill the indices. The second hand is neon red, and SuperLumin C3 is also applied on its cave. It enlivens the entire watch in its own way, contrasting nicely with the black bezel and the dial. Thanks to the composition of the dial – especially the use of an inner ring – the watch optically looks smaller, which will be a plus for many potential customers.

And this is how the glow looks:

Movement

The heart of the watch is the Seiko NH-35 movement. It is a movement quite often found in microbrands, because it is relatively cheap, with a fairly simple structure and at the same time extremely durable. It has features that every modern movement should have – the stop second, date stamp, hand winding from the position of the crown. I mentioned in a previous review about the good adjustment of this movement by Aquatico in the Nautilus II model. I must admit that this was not the case, and the confirmation is a daily deviation of approx. +7 sec./24h.

Bracelet / Strap:

The strap we get in the set looks very sporty. Its surface resembles the structure of a carbon fiber, and its stitching with orange thread intensify the impression of a sporty look. The strap is quite stiff, finished with a very comfortable pre-v buckle, signed with the manufacturer’s name. It is made solid and should serve for a long time.

Milanese mesh bracelet, i.e. with heavily concentrated links. Bracelets of this type are very comfortable to wear. The wrist does not sweat, as in the case of straps. The material from which it was made is real steel. I have already encountered bracelets of this type, which were quite light and I think they were from a different, cheaper to work with material. Here the weight seems to be adequate to the size of the bracelet. Fastening is regulated and signed with the manufacturer’s name. In my opinion, it is no different from the bracelet we get together with Glycine SST-12.
This bracelet is not sold as standard in the set with the watch, it will soon be available for purchase on the Aquatico website.

Summary

Readers of our blog can use the discount code for Father’s Day shopping on the Aquatico website. The “2gwatchblog” code works on all products and reduces the price by 10%. It is valid until June 21, 2020.

Using this code, we can buy this model for $ 315.
This is another watch from Aquatico, which positively surprises, although in this case we can attach to the uneven structure in the chapter ring and delicate slack when the crown is unscrewed. If these two elements are not scary to us, then in return for just over $ 300 we get a thoroughbred diver with an automatic movement, sapphire glass with AR, a well-shaped case and a ceramic bezel. Thanks to the contoured case and recessed case back, it’s great for holding your wrist, which is very important to me. I will add that this is one of the best glowing in the dark watches that I have come into contact with and I had a lot of them;)
At this price it will be difficult to find a watch with similar parameters.

Tomek

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