Manufacturer: Atticus Watches | Price: $675 USD (Pre-Order: approx $400)
As highly anticipated watch releases go, the Icarus from Atticus Watches has got to be right up there for me. I first heard about this pilot watch at the tail end of 2019. Rusty, the owner, was planning to have working prototypes of the entire Adventure Series in the first quarter of 2020. However, COVID-19 hit, and the majority of us were thrown into lockdown. Atticus Watches decided to hold back their initial launch and subsequently shelved their idea of sending out prototypes to reviewers. Fast forward approximately six months, Atticus decided to get things into gear with the whole project again.
Some of you might know the owner of Atticus, he doesn’t actually need any introduction from me, that’s for sure, as quite a few of you might have (indirectly) already witnessed or even be wearing his previous work, I know I do. Rusty Mahony has been an integral part of NTH Watches since 2014, as an IT and product engineer, responsible for many things including case design, 3D modelling etc… Rusty is the man behind the 40mm NTH Sub case design and is also
responsible for the inclusion of adding lume to crown engravings, which has since been copied by countless other brands. I haven’t actually spoken to Rusty in great length, other than the usual various emails to get this watch in, but if his sense of humour is anything like that of Mr Cockwomble himself, Chris Vail (the tea-boy at NTH), then we’ll get along just fine.
Specifications – Atticus Icarus
- Dimensions: Diameter – 37.8mm, Thickness – 10.8mm, Lug to Lug – 45.7mm, Lug Width – 20mm
- Movement: Miyota 9015 or 90S5, 28,800vph, 4Hz, Hackable, Self Winding, 42hr Power Reserve
- Case Material: Brushed 316L Stainless Steel with Polished Accents
- Dial & Hands: Matte Black, Printed Markers, Sword Hands, Blue Seconds Hand
- Bracelet: 316L Stainless Steel, Solid Links, Female End Links, Push Pins, Milled Signed Clasp
- Crystal: Flat Sapphire, Multiple Underside Anti-Reflective Coatings
- Bezel: Fixed, Polished Lume: Swiss Super Luminova® BGW9
- Crown: 6mm, Screw Down, Signed
- Water Resistance: 100m / 10ATM / 330ft
- Caseback: Solid, Screw Down Weight: 108g (Sized for my 6¾″ wrist)
- Warranty: 2 Years Options: Date (at 6) / No Date
- Where to Buy: Atticus Watches (Pre-orders beginning early 2021)
Atticus - A Brief Introduction
All of the watches in our Adventure Series feature a 38mm, 316L stainless steel case with an anti-reflective sapphire crystal. The screw down crown and caseback helps to ensure that they are water resistant to 10ATM (100 meters), suitable for swimming and watersports, including recreational diving. Whether you're snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef or hiking up Everest, we've got your next adventure covered!"
Case & Crown
The case of the Atticus Icarus has a total diameter of 37.8mm. The lug to lug length is 45.7mm and the overall thickness, including the sapphire crystal, albeit flat, I measured in at a very impressive and svelte 10.8mm. The entire case, bezel, caseback, crown, bracelet and clasp are all 316L stainless steel. The brushing is extremely well done and the polished chamfered edges that run along the top edge of the case and down over the lugs shows superb attention to detail.
The Atticus Icarus has a water resistance rating of 100m, which is more than adequate for this pilot / sports / everyday watch. It’s all thanks to the inclusion of a screw down caseback & crown. The overall proportions of the Icarus are just perfection, coming in at the perfect sweet spot of 38mm, with a relatively short lug to lug distance of just under 46mm.
The signed crown is very nice and the quality is definitely up there with the best of them. There’s zero wobble when the crown is in use and you can also feel a nice wee pop when you unscrew it. However I will say, I do feel in my opinion, that the crown is maybe just a tiny bit too small at >6mm and should have been made just a wee fraction bigger. Additionally, the logo on the crown, the “TT”, I just can’t think of anything else other than “titty“, the same title Audi TT drivers get labelled here in the UK . Anyway moving on, the caseback is nicely executed, with no artwork or deeply stamped logos or whatever, just a few basic specifications etched around the edge, giving it a very clean, yet classy aesthetic overall.
Strap / Bracelet
The bracelet that comes fitted to the Icarus is nothing short of superb. The solid female end-links are fitted to the watch perfectly and the tolerances are incredible! The bracelet itself is 20mm at the lugs, tapering down to 16mm and back to 18mm at the clasp. There are solid links throughout and there’s absolutely no rough or sharp edges to be found anywhere. Resizing was simple enough to do, due to the decision of utilising push pins to securely hold things together.
The H-link bracelet on the Icarus is entirely brushed and there’s also a lovely chamfered edge on each side of the clasp. Talking of the clasp, it is milled and signed of course, which is always preferred. If I had to give any criticism though, I’d have loved to have seen a hardening treatment applied, just for extra durability and to save the watch from scratching.
Movement / Accuracy
The chosen movement for this Atticus Icarus is the smooth sweep, high beat, Miyota 9015 movement, with the subsequent no-date models fitted with the Miyota 90S5. Both of these movements are very slim Japanese made 28,800vph, 24 jewel calibers, often compared to that of the Swiss made ETA 2824-2. Power reserve is also a very healthy 42 hours. Checking the accuracy after running the Icarus for just over a fortnight, mainly on wrist and only very occasionally in my winder, I was very happy with the results, with this prototype Icarus coming in at a very respectable +6.2 seconds per day.
Dial & Bezel
The Atticus Icarus is all about 100% legibility, nothing else. White printing on a matte black dial, that screams nothing but clean and simple aesthetics. The inner minute track is executed in an identical fashion, with a matching monochrome look. There’s also a borderless date window too at the 6 o’clock position, which looks absolutely spot on… and it’s colour-matched to the dial. Perfect! As regular readers know, this is how I think a date complication should be done.
As you can see in the images, the hour and minute hands are very well done with their sword style aesthetic and black paint finish in the centre that runs from the pinion, thus giving the illusion that the hands are almost floating. The seconds hand is nice too, fully lumed in an almost pastel shade of blue, matching the same finish of the model name.
Lume
The lume on the Icarus is somewhat what I expected to be fair, not at pro diver levels, but it’s certainly executed to a very high standard for a pilot / sports watch. The actual formula that’s been applied to the Icarus, is Swiss Super Luminova® BGW9. You might also notice that the seconds hand and the model name are fully lumed. A very nice additional touch!
Conclusion
There is no doubt in my mind that the Atticus Icarus is a superb watch! Since it arrived, I’ve found myself wearing it almost everyday and I will, without question, be very sad to see this one go. Looking through my past watch reviews, I can easily see the Icarus as a more budget friendly alternative to the hugely popular Sinn 556i that I reviewed earlier in the year. Even though I loved the Sinn, mainly down to the fantastic build quality, I can easily state that the Icarus is better in some key elments. The major FAIL of the Sinn 556i was the shitty clasp, and for a £1,000+ watch, it stopped me pulling the trigger on one. The clasp on the Atticus Icarus is better, not perfect, but still miles better than that of the 556i. I also prefer the date placement of the Icarus, as it is far more symetrical, although the deep black inky finish of the Sinn is just stunning. All I need now, is for the Icarus and Sinn 556i to come together to create what could be, the perfect watch!
I might have given the Icarus a slightly hard time throughout my review, but that is only due to the reason that it is so close to being my perfect everyday watch. Testiment to Atticus Watches, as I previously mentioned, I HAVE been wearing the Icarus almost everyday since it arrived. That says a LOT, considering the amount of watches that I have available to choose from. Another negative from me is the retail price. That’s too much in my opinion, however it’s an absolute bargain at the preorder price of around $400 (that’s still to be confirmed, but it’s the price I’ve heard from “rumour control”). I don’t really like banging on about prices, as I know everyone does have different manufacturing costs and bills to pay etc, etc… But, given the stiff competition in the microbrand world, the retail price of the Icarus is just too high. My recommendation? Grab one with both fuckin’ hands if that preorder price is accurate!
Atticus Watches – The Icarus; most definately worthy of a full 10 across the board at the preorder price.
