A Matt V. Watch Review
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Watch Review By: Matt V. <mattv@mailcity.com>
WATCH REVIEW COMMENTS
AR 2538 "Harley", designed by Ronda S.A., Lausen/Schweiz in 1981 to match the dimensions of their quartz movement cal. "Ronda 375"
so that the same case, dial and hands could accept either a mechanical or a quartz movement. Built in an improved version with
22 jewels and Incabloc shock protection from 1986 to 1989. Size of 11 1/2 lignes (diameter: 25.6 mm, height: 3.75 mm), automatic with
micro rotor auto-winding mechanism. Glycidur balance, 21,600 bph, I have never measured the power reserve but estimate about 40h.
Quickset date. Beautifully perlage decorated, it would have been even more beautiful if they had gone the extra mile and use blued screws
inside the movement. One of the first things I noticed is that the balance wheel is rather small compared to other movements and the auto-rotor
is off-center, allowing for a great view of the whole movement. The manufacturer cautions that the micro-rotor might not always be able to keep the
watch fully wound if the watch isn't worn during regular activities. I cannot confirm this, never had an issue with the watch not being wound sufficiently
by the auto-winding mechanism alone. The manufacturer also compares the dimensions and performance of the 22 year old movement design with the dimensions
of the ETA 2892-A2 and the performance of the ETA 2824-2. The movement is regulated to be within 10s/day according to Aristo.
After about 2 months of "breaking in" the Award 2003, I can confirm the accuracy to be about +10s/day and the precision to be within 1s/day from this value.
I don't know if it will slow down a little more over time to improve accuracy closer to -4 to +6s/day (COSC), but as it isn't sold as a COSC caliber I don't really
expect this performance. Nevertheless, the precision in which the +10s/day are achieved consistently day by day did impress me.
This is a simple yet beautiful and rather rare (I have only seen one other company lately using this movement) micro-rotor automatic movement and I hope spare parts will never become an issue.
Case, Crystal and Crown
The 40mm diameter case (43mm with crown, 48mm lug tip to lug tip) is, to my joy and surprise, a larger size than most of the "IWC Mark XV aviator style" watches out there.
Nicely brushed sides moving the lugs down close to the wrist for a very comfortable fit. With about 11mm height, the watch fits easily under even the
tightest shirt cuff, probably due to the small height of the automatic movement inside . The stainless steel is beautifully mirror polished on the bezel as well as a little "twist" of the lugs, which reminded me of an Omega Speedmaster case somehow.
All corners and edges on the top part of the case are smooth and rounded, the edges on the bottom part of the case and lugs a lot more "crips", borderline sharp even though I found no reason for criticism.
A screw crystal back with sapphire crystal has the information "Made in Germany Aristo 2538 Harley Waterresistant 5 ATM Saphirglas" inscribed around the crystal.
The 6mm wide crown has a perfect size matching the case very well. It is easy to grip and operate at that size but does not have any crownguards ("shoulders") protecting it.
To my surprise, it is a screw down crown (not a lot of aviator watches offer this feature). Unfortunately it is not always easy to operate and doesn't always screw back in smoothly at first attempt.
A sapphire crystal ( not sure if there is AR coating, but reflections aren't very strong or distracting) sticks out a fraction of a millimeter above the bezel and hopefully won't chip if it ever gets hit.
If I could change anything, I would add the Breitling or Sinn style AR coating to the outside of the crystal
and maybe even use a thinner crystal to protect it better underneath the bezel. A water resistance of 50m confirms that this should be quite a rugged watch for an aviator timepiece, sure to hold up
if it ever gets submerged unintentionally or even an occasional splash. I really like the case, it has the fit and finish of a more expensive watch. A signed crown would have been a nice touch.
Bezel
Looks like an added part to the case, nicely polished steel and about 4mm high. Gives the watch a more "dressy" feel.
Dial and Hands
A classic black dial in the IWW Mark XV style with arabic numerals and a triangle underneath the "twelve" position instead of the numeral 12.
Signed "Aristo" "Automatic" and "Made in Germany". A ring of minute markers with thicker markers every 15 minutes. Date window at the 3 o'clock position
without the usual white paint frame around it. White Super-Luminova is being used as luminous material for the arabic numerals as well as the 15 minute markers.
Unfortunately the quality of application of the luminous material is really sloppy, visible to the naked eye are dots and irregularities, even more visible with a loupe.
I have seen better quality dials on $50 Poljot watches, too bad the manufacturer QC slipped on something as visible as the dial. Not what I had expected from a $500 timepiece.
The hands are beautiful sword hands, silver framed and white super-luminova luminous material, second hand all in white (non-luminous). On the hands I can see the same
problem with the luminous material. There is like a hairline in the middle of the hour hand showing that the material isn't applied evenly. This is visible to the naked eye and
even more obvious when the luminous material is "charged" and glows in the dark. Too bad, again I have seen watches at a lower price with better quality hands. Would have been easy to
catch in QC as well. Apart from these details, the overall look is classic, elegant and very legible.
Accuracy
Gains consistenly about 10 seconds per day (after almost 3 months break in).
That seems to be almost within the standard with new watches using the ETA 2824-2 movement, even though they typically settle to about +3 seconds/24 hours within
this timeframe. While the accuracy is quite acceptable, I really like the precision in which it always seems to have the same daily deviation.
Strap, Buckle or Bracelet
The watch comes on a black, padded leather strap (calfskin), Breitling style with white stitching. Simple brushed steel deployant with "Aristo" stamped into the foldover clasp.
Very disappointing. These straps and deployant can be had for $15 aftermarket, the stamping just feels (and looks) cheap. Why a $500 can't have a better quality strap or deployant beats me.
A nice RIOS ostrich or alligator would have been more fitting. Well, I immediately replaced the strap with a nice tan colored alligator strap on EOT deployant and the watch started to shine.
User Manual and Packaging OK, I admit it: nice and expensive packagaging does impress me and furthermore strenghtens my impression of value of a watch.
After all, usually a cheap watch does not come inside expensive packaging (well, except for: you know who I am talking about...).
And yes, I do realize that I ultimately pay for the presentation and packaging material even though most of the time it just sits around and collects dust,
doing nothing for me (or the watch). And by now I have seen most of it, from paper boxes over leatherette to mahagony wood valets.
Aristo came up with a very different idea: the Award 2003 comes inside a black leatherette miniature trunk. It doesn't look
expensive but at least very different. My daughter took it away almost immediately to play with it and her Barbie dolls, so at least it found a good use.
Inside the box is a cushion and a paper warranty card (24 months warranty). No manual or instructions, but you really shouldn't need them for a simple mechanical watch.
"Mechanical" beginners though will want information about winding, timesetting, auto-winder direction, cleaning, service intervals etc. and a basic "cheat-sheet" would have been nice.
Comfort A solid, but not too heavy watch. Due to the shape of the lugs and case it sits nicely
low and balanced on the wrist. It is very comfortable to wear and the lower height doesn't present any problem with shirtcuffs also in part due to the nice rounded off bezel.
Value
The European List Price for this watch is 495.00 Euro incl. VAT, with the current exchange rates way over $500 plus shipping.
I did however see them on sale with significant discounts or free shipping options (Check with Ernie on watchuseek.com)
This List price puts it at the top of the category of entry-level to mid-level watches as for example from Limes, Zeno, Fortis and Oris.
The Award 2003 is a great looking watch with a special, unique movement. It's design elements honor the Mk. XV aviator watch, with a nice twist
to the case (lugs). It has become my favourite dressy aviator watch, however I believe the shortcomings in quality (dial/hands) and shortcuts/savings
(strap, buckle, packaging) don't do a $500 watch any justice. If you have a chance to handselect the best quality watch at a dealer (don't be afraid to use a loupe and take your time),
the $500 are acceptable in a brick and mortar store that can service the watch and movement later on as well, regulate timing etc.
On the Internet, paying $500 for this watch feels too much. If you can get a nice discount, that's a different story.
So in my opinion, the Award 2003 is not a horological bargain compared to some of the other, also German made watches (e.g. "Sinn").
But a lot of brands use inflated list prices these days and that shouldn't distract from the fact that this is a unique, very fine watch
and I haven't seen a comparable aviator this nice (and with the unique decorated micro-rotor movement). Add to that the fact that the
movement is only available in limited quantities and the watch a 500 piece limited edition, it sure will keep its value with collectors.
Copyright © 2003 by Matt van Doorn, All Rights Reserved | |||||||||||||||||||||
