A Matt V. Watch Review |
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Watch Review By: Matt V. <mattv@mailcity.com> Date of Review: 10/12/02
WATCH REVIEW COMMENTS Movement 25 Jewel ETA 2824-2 automatic with date function, 42 hours power reserve, 28800 bph and produced since 1972; a classic. In the Nettuno 2 supposedly decorated (see photo below) and encased with a metal movement holder, but I haven't opened it up yet. I read that this is not the basic (cheap) version with nickle
balance wheel as in other ETA based watches but cannot confirm this yet.
The ETA movement is the workhorse in a number of watches at all price
levels and I was even looking at Tudor Submariners that sell for quite a
bit more and they also use this ETA movement, guess I can't be that wrong
than. Anyhow, the 2824 has a reputation for reliability and robustness,
its popularity virtually ensures that parts shouldn't be a problem and any
watchmaker can service/adjust it without a problem. Case, Crystal and Crown The 40mm diameter case (43mm
with crown) is about the size of the original Sub (or other less expensive
versions by Invicta, Sandoz, O&W etc.) and looks great even on a larger
wrist. With 11mm height, the watch is fits easily under even the tightest
shirt cuff. The stainless steel is beautifully mirror polished on the
sides and back, brushed on top. All corners and edges are smooth and
rounded however I might have preferred the edges on the lugs a little more
crisp (more like on the Invicta or Chronomat watches). A screw back is
decorated with the Trident symbol and so is the huge (7mm diameter) and
great looking screw down crown. The crown is easy to grip and operate at
that size and fits perfectly between the crownguards ("shoulders") leaving
no unsighly gap (one of my pet peeves with other Sub style watches).
Sapphire crystal and a magnifying lens (cyclops) over the date. If I could change anything, I would add AR coating and maybe even move the "cyclops" to the inside to avoid it getting caught or damaged, but I understand that a lot of people scratch the AR coating on divers watches so in the end remove it anyway. The screw down crown/stem looks and feels very solid. A water resistance of 200m confirms that this should be a rugged watch.
Bezel Uni-Directional Divers Bezel, adjusted in 60 positions, in steel with black inlay and luminous dot in the "0" triangle. Looks nice, is not as difficult to turn as on the Rolex Sub but not as easy to
grip and turn as on the Sandoz. Lines up nicely and has a quality "feel" to it, however might be rather difficult to grip with gloves or under water.
Doesn't catch on shirt sleeves though with the smooth finish. Dial and Hands Cheap dials blatantly trying to imitate Rolex but don't quite achieve their quality are my biggest pet peave with Invicta and Sandoz Sub's. The Nettuno 2, while going for the Submariner looks and style, takes a different route. A shiny black dial with applied, uniquely shaped markers and a printed, outer 60 seconds track looks refreshingly different and seems to be a smaller version of the "Tridente" dial. The "Marcello C" name is printed in white/silver on the top half, "Nettuno 2" and "660ft /200m" "Automatic" on the bottom half. "Swiss made" on the bottom of the dial confirms its origin. Markers and hands have white Superluminova applied and work throughout the night, even though the relatively small surface doesn't get it to glow like a christmas tree (Seiko). Hands are the classic silver mercedes style and well aligned (don't you just hate it if they don't properly line up?).
Accuracy Gains about 8 seconds per day (haven't had a chance to put it on the Vibrograf yet). That seems to be within the standard with all new watches I get that have the ETA 2824-2 movement. In my experience, that should slow down to about +3 seconds/24 hours within the next few months, so I won't bother timing it until it had its run-in period.
Strap, Buckle or Bracelet While most of the time I prefer straps on my watches, I am a sucker for a nice, thick and hefty bracelet that matches the style of a watch. If it is comfortable to wear and looks good, even better. So far I found e.g. the Invicta bracelet to be a good value and once the shiny middle links were brushed, the looks were good too. Breitling bracelets in my opinion define the upper class (their Pilot bracelets are a dream to wear) however they do come with a hefty pricetag as well and I actually put a less expensive Sinn "Pilot bracelet" on my Navitimer. In the case of the MarcelloC Tridente, the impressive 22mm wide bracelet alone is worth buying the watch. Thick (4mm) solid links using screws (not cheap pushpins), very flexible and comfortable, highly polished on the sides and neatly brushed on top sets the standard for Oyster style bracelets. The Nettuno 2 inherited its smaller brother: 20mm wide and a little over 3mm thick, it seems to match the smaller dimensions of the Nettuno 2 great without loosing its sturdiness! A difference I noticed comparing it to the Tridente: the sides of the links are brushed, not polished. The double foldover deployant clasp is also solid and doesn't come loose by itself however you need to use the opposite side of the clasp as a lever to open it if you don't want to risk your fingertips or breaking off your nails. Nice quality touch: the Marcello C name is engraved on the mirror polished foldover clasp, not just etched. Two thumbs up for the bracelet and clasp, unbelievable quality at this price level and the new standard others will have to measure themselves against! And did I mention solid endpieces between the lugs, not cheap stamped sheetmetal?!
User Manual and Packaging OK, I admit it: nice and expensive packagaging does impress me and reinstates my impression of value of a watch. After all, no cheap watch comes 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). MarcelloC came up with a smart idea: their watches come in good looking black leather pouches that can be used as a padded travel case as well. While the Tridente has a zippered puch holding up to 2 watches securely in place, the Nettuno 2 comes inside a smaller puch with no zippers but perfect for a single watch. Excellent idea and in this case I might put this packaging to good use! Two thumbs up for the packaging.
Comfort A heavy watch (not as heavy as the Tridente though) and heavy, solid bracelet. Due to the shape of the case it sits low on the wrist. The bracelet can be adjusted in 4 positions at the clasp, individual links can be removed for sizing (screws, not pushpins!) and a divers extension takes care of quick adjustments. After getting used to the size and weight it is comfortable to wear and the height doesn't present any problem with shirtcuffs etc. due to the rounded off bezel.
Value The European List Price for this watch is 358.00 Euro incl. VAT. So far I haven't been able to find it being sold anywhere on the Internet for less. This List price puts it at the top of the category of entry-level to mid-level watches as for example an O&W Sub ($275 Internet price) with the same ETA automatic movement. If I compare the Marcello C to the O&W, the Nettuno 2 strikes me as being in a whole other League. There are lots of small details that make a difference, for example the perfect fit of the crown, the bracelet, overall quality feel. To me the watch is more comparable with e.g. the Tudor Submariner. The heft, choice and quality of materials and quality of manufacturing are that of a watch costing at least $800. So in my opinion, the Nettuno 2 is a horological bargain just like some of the also German made "Sinn" watches are and I can only recommend it to anyone looking for a quality divers / submariner style watch. A great find and I sincerely hope we're going to see some more gems from this company. And if you can pull of a watch with more heft and 43mm diameter: absolutely check out the Tridente from MarcelloC. If you though the Nettuno 2 was great and a bargain, the Tridente will amaze you!
Copyright © 2002-2004 Matt van Doorn, All Rights Reserved | |||||||||||||||||||||
