As some of you might know, I was considering either an IWC Perpetual Calendar or a three watch combo, I obviously opted for the three watches with the first being the AP Safari, and here is the second one:
I was always interested in UN, though never so much as to actually pull the trigger on one, the Freak is a great watch with a price to match, the Marine line is too small, others a bit too out there etc etc. However as if by pure accident UN produced a watch that is both aesthetically pleasing to me and at a introductory price I am comfortable with.
As you can see by the above picture, the watch is a somewhat dressy piece with the Romans and simple styling but the minimal red text, oversized UN lettering, and PR indicator as well as the large small seconds hand add a sporty and casual feel to the watch. To me the key words when describing the design of this watch is "casually elegant". It's size also supports that role very well for me, as it is 43mm and not very thick so it can be worn with a dress shirt or a T shirt all the same and still look great.
The watch has a coin edge bezel, but it does not rotate so I think they where just trying to add a bit of interest and not have the large dial end directly with a smooth case.
Here is a picture of the bezel:
That picture also take me to my next point, the strap is awesome! I mean really excellent stuff here!! Fits the watch perfectely and has a very high sheen which matches the polished case nicely, also the hide has obviously been well chosen to not contain any webbing which I like very much on a dress watch!
Unfortunately though I do not like the deployant, it is very uncomfortable to me as it tapers severely and I suspect it was designed for much smaller wrists, it looks like it will be very comfortable for smaller hands though, but not on mine.
The movement is very minimally decorated, which was a let down! I am sure this is not an indication of UN's capabilities but I was hoping for a bit more, there where some nice touches such as the engraved rotor, sunburst wheel, and a couple blued screws (why are only two of them blued??) but my general impression is that this movement is a very reliable, minimally decorated, workhorse movement. I guess I had high expectations but at this price it is not fair to criticize too severely I suppose.
Wrist shot
Caparison shot
All in all a very good watch at a fair price. It is shocking to me how down the middle this watch is between the IWC Portuguese and Chronomat Evolution!! In almost all aspects: It is not as sporty as the Chronomat nor is it as dressy as the IWC, the finish quality is just in between as well as the price. It really does seem as if those two got together and had a baby!
Another odd observation; the packaging of the watch is shockingly similar to that of Panerai! Same outer cardboard box, inside of which is a piece of paper covering a cleaning cloth and a wood display box. Hmmmm
Anyways, here is a very bad video of the unpacking, sorry for the awfull quality but I was holding my camera with one hand and did not have a tripod!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybfTvAQd3sQ
