ALCADUS Opus 39

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Manufacturer: ALCADUS | Price: $627 USD (£495 GBP, €539 EUR)

If my memory serves me correctly, I first started chatting to Yook Hong, the owner of ALCADUS, way back when the Opus 39 was only in the initial design stage. Continually keeping in contact and following the progress with huge interest, made it feel like I’ve been a part of the whole manufacturing process. From the initial design stage, through prototyping and amendments, to eventually seeing the finished product. As soon as they were ready, the Jet Black version turned up on my doorstep. Unfortunately, it wasn’t possible at the time, for me to get the Argent White version that I was drooling over…

Alcadus Opus 39 Review

Specifications

  • Dimensions: Diameter – 39.2mm, Thickness – 12.7mm, Lug to Lug – 45.8mm, Lug Width – 20mm
  • Movement: Swiss ETA 2824-2 Elaboré, 28,800vph (4Hz), Hackable, Self Winding, 38hr Power Reserve
  • Case Material: 316L Stainless Steel, Scratch Resistant Coating
  • Bracelet: 316L Stainless Steel, Scratch Resistant Coating, Screw Pins, Solid Links, Milled Clasp
  • Crystal: Boxed Sapphire, 5 Layers of Anti-Reflective Coating
  • Bezel: Fixed, 316L Stainless Steel, Polished, Scratch Resistant Coating
  • Water Resistance: 100m / 10ATM / 330ft
  • Lume: Swiss Super Luminova® C3
  • Crown: Signed, Screw Down, Lumed Logo
  • Caseback: Screw Down, Exhibition Display, Sapphire Crystal
  • Warranty: 2+1 Years*       Overall Weight: 138g     Where to Buy: ALCADUS      
  • Options: Argent White, Jet Black or Phantom Grey (Full Lumed Dial)

ALCADUS watches come with a NFC enabled warranty card. This card is used for authenticity and warranty checking. *Your warranty is extended by 1 year (3 years total) when you authenticate your purchase using the NFC warranty card.

ALCADUS, Simplicity is the Ultimate Elegance

"Inspired by the workmanship, intricate high-end engineering and the utmost precision required to produce fine mechanical timepieces, ALCADUS is a brand of premium watches crafted for men and women of style and distinction. Featuring Swiss automatic movements and premium components, every ALCADUS watch is a nod to mechanical know-how, elegant design and the revival of traditional watchmaking. Each ALCADUS watch is designed with timelessness in mind, which lends an elegant, understated, slip-under-the-cuff panache to anyone’s style.

The signature creation of each timepiece is infused with understated form, modern lines and and sophisticated style, inspired by classic watch making. Every ALCADUS collection features beautiful pieces which are passionately inspired and crafted with a matchless style that’s rare in the current market, making each piece highly desirable and exclusive. Adding to their premium allure is the modernist, clean design and visual sharpness of these timeless dressy tool / sports watches.

Which makes for an interesting and elegant microbrand collection with a subtle personality. ALCADUS is for those seeking a select and unique timepiece, for those who appreciate the finer things of life, without breaking the bank. Created by Yook Hong, a horology enthusiast and avid collector who’s studied the art of watchmaking for many years, ALCADUS hearkens back to the golden age of artisan watch craftsmanship, when elegant design and engineering captured the most important element of our reality; time."

Case & Crown

The case of the ALCADUS Opus 39 has a diameter of 39.2mm. The lug to lug is 45.8mm and the overall thickness, including the boxed sapphire crystal, I measured in at a nice 12.7mm. The entire case, caseback surround, bezel, crown and bracelet are all 316L stainless steel with ALCADUS’ very own scratch resistant coating. The finish of the watch is entirely brushed, with the exception of a fully polished bezel. Personally speaking, I would have brushed the top part of the bezel and polish the lower edge. I would have also considered maybe just polishing a chamfered edge along the sides of the case and down over the lugs. Not really important, as the entire watch has a lovely hardening treatment.

The Opus 39 has a water resistance rating of 100m, which is plenty for this sporty, everyday piece and it’s all thanks to the screw down caseback & crown. The proportions of the watch, in my opinion, are nothing short of perfection for my 6¾″ wrist, due to the relatively compact dimensions. The ALCADUS Opus 39 wears utterly brilliant on wrist and it’s extremely comfortable, with it just melting onto your wrist. It’s as if there isn’t even a watch there at all!

The signed crown is superb, with absolutely no wobble whatsoever when the crown is in use and you can also feel a very nice little pop as you unscrew it. You can also see and feel the amount of work that has gone into this crown, making it feel rather premium. ALCADUS also went the extra mile and lumed their logo. The caseback has an exhibition display with sapphire crystal that shows off the fully decorated ETA movement. There are also the usual specs etched around the edge.

Strap / Bracelet

Fitted as standard to the Opus 39 is a very nice 20mm solid stainless steel bracelet. It utilises all the bells & whistles that we all love, solid links thoughout, screw pins for adjusting/sizing and a double push-button milled clasp. ALCADUS don’t stop there though, as their attention to detail is outstanding. Just look at the images above for example, do you see that gorgeous perlage finishing? Excellent decision going with that! There is a negative point though, the clasp housing itself. I’ve seen these on cheaper microbrands and to be honest, it’s probably the only aspect of the watch that needs improving.

Movement / Accuracy

The chosen movement for the ALCADUS Opus 39 is the Swiss made ETA 2824-2 Elaboré grade, fully decorated with a custom rotor. The ETA 2824-2 is self-winding, has 25 jewels and the oscillating weight spins up giving a 38 hr power reserve. The balance runs at 28,800vph (4Hz) and the movement is also hackable. Checking the accuracy after running the ALCADUS Opus 39 for a good few weeks, both on my wrist, as well as in my watch winder, I was extremely pleased with the final results, with the Opus 39 showing an average of just +1.8 seconds per day! That’s an outstanding result!

Alcadus Opus 39 Review

Dial & Bezel

The ALCADUS Opus 39 has a fixed bezel with a beautifully executed polished finishing. It is also of outstanding quality with an overall fit & finish that really is outstanding for this price point. The text on the dial that’s printed in white, are the brand name itself and the word AUTOMATIC at just above the excellent colour-matched date window at 6 o’clock.

The Jet Black Opus 39 that I have here, sports a simple, yet very clean, although not sterile aesthetic. The deep black dial looks fantastic, rather similar to that of the Sinn 556i. The hour markers are all printed with the lumed logo at 12.

As you can see in the images, the hour and minute hands are very nicely done with their sword style appearance. The seconds hand is great too, with it’s wee lumed arrow section and white paint finish that reaches right out to the minute track when sweeping around the dial. The dial has a fantastic overall design, however there is one minor aspect that I would change and that is the ALCADUS logo itself… I think it would look much better and more balanced if it was bigger.

Lume

The lume on the ALCADUS Opus 39 is very nice indeed and I can honestly say, in execution, it’s even better than some dive watches that I’ve reviewed. The actual lume that’s been applied is Swiss Super Luminova® C3 and it has been applied pretty much perfectly. The lume is not only initially potent, more importantly, it has great stamina and does actually last for many hours during low light conditions. Great job ALCADUS! (Yep, I do actually love the lumed logo too).

Conclusion

To summarise this watch in a nutshell… It is very similar to the size and design of the much loved Sinn 556i. There are however, aspects of the Opus 39 that I wish were included with the Sinn and subsequently vice versa. Want me to explain? Oh ok then… I actually prefer the dial and hands of the ALCADUS, although as previously mentioned, the logo needs to be bigger for a more balanced design. I would however choose the more tool-like case of the Sinn though, as well as the bracelet of the 556i, as they’re Sinn and the quality really is phenomenal.

If the ALCADUS Opus 39 and Sinn 556i got together and had a wee bit rumpy pumpy time and produced offspring, it might just be the ultimate daily-wearer for me. HOWEVER, the two brands still need to work on a better clasp that is worthy to be a part of either of these models. Just the fact that I’m comparing the Opus 39 to the Sinn 556i, ALCADUS should really take this as a compliment, as everyone knows just how well respected Sinn are, especially with us watch enthusiasts.

ALCADUSA totally outstanding watch, however with a couple of tweeks, it would certainly be worthy of 10/10.

Design
9.5/10
Quality
9.5/10
Value
10/10
TOTAL
9.7/10
ALCADUS Opus 39 1
Zaltek Reviews Gold Award
9.7/10 - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Will Duncan
Will Duncan
Editor, Zaltek Reviews
A massive thanks to Yook Hong for sending out the ALCADUS Opus 39 for review. Very much appreciated. To view the ALCADUS website, or to join their mailing list to be informed of new models etc, visit alcadus.com.
 
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