Every morning, I spend an inordinate
amount of time standing in front of my watch collection, trying to
decide what to wear. If I owned fewer watches, or just fairly neutral
ones (say, stainless steel watches with black dials on bracelets), it
would be an easy task, but I have a widely varied collection that
includes an array of different color dials, cases, and straps. This
complicates things and invites further variety, which leads to absurd
observations like, "These blue watches are too blue. I need something in
more of an azure or aqua color." Because who doesn't? That's not
eccentric at all.
It was this very observation that made me buy an Armida
A7. I have had my eye on this watch ever since they launched the brass
case model with the green dial. I dragged my feet on that one until it
was no longer available but my affinity for the barrel case and ceramic
bezel never flagged. When they released the current stainless steel
version, I knew it was just a matter of time. Armida
offers three A7 variants: black dial with polished hands and applied
markers, black dial with white and orange hands and printed markers, and
blue dial with black and orange hands and printed markers. All
are available with or without a 6 o'clock date. The watch sells for a
very reasonable $379, but this past Independence Day, my intense longing
for a new summer wardrobe serendipitously coincided with an
irresistible 20% off sale. It was too good to be true. I immediately
placed my order for a blue one, no date.
The watch made its journey from Hong
Kong to Washington, DC in about a week, arrived packed safely in
Armida's usual padded tube along with a complementary strap tool. They
offer a chiseled bracelet with solid links and a nifty extendable
diver's clasp for an extra $70, but I stuck with the standard 22mm Cuda vanilla-scented rubber strap with signed buckle. Yes,
I know that I have been telling readers "always buy the bracelet." Am I
a hypocrite? Maybe. Despite the fact that I have liked Armida's
bracelets in the past, I did not anticipate wearing one on this watch.
Well, that and I'm cheap. Mostly the latter.
A
Seiko NH35 powers the watch. This reliable, 24-jewel automatic is a
common workhorse in the micro brand world. It has a relatively smooth
21.6k bph oscillation rate, 41-hour power reserve, and both hacking and
hand winding capabilities. I have also found that the Seiko's
bi-directional rotor is a little quieter than the unidirectional rotors
on comparable Miyota movements.
This is a sizable piece, measuring
43mm wide, and 13.3mm thick. Short, drilled lugs keep the length to a
manageable 49mm, but the barrel shape has only a slight curvature and
does not taper in profile. A polished, beveled edge around the upper
surface of the case provides an attractive contrast to the otherwise
brushed finish but does little to minimize the mass. A signed, 8mm crown
at 3 o'clock with an aggressively toothy edge also enhances the
perception of size. As a result, it wears large; perhaps a touch larger
than I anticipated. It doesn't overwhelm my 6.5" wrist, but it is a
sturdy slab of steel, best suited for weekend adventures.
The A7's sporting
nature is more than just appearance; that burly crown screws down as
does the solid case back. A 2.5mm flat sapphire crystal with internal AR
coating protects the dial, and the watch is rated for 300m water
resistance. The unidirectional bezel rotates smoothly through its 120
positive clicks without a trace of wobble or back play. The black
ceramic insert has an engraved white index and a BGW9 lume pearl. I love
ceramic. It is exceptionally hard, and it looks
fantastic too. The downside is that it will crack if you strike it hard
enough, but that much force will likely damage other materials as well.
For the advantages in appearance and scratch resistance, I'll take
ceramic every time.
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