Vertigo Medusa
Manufacturer: Vertigo Watches | Price: €220 EUR (£199 GBP, $259 USD)
When I’m not sat at my PC writing these reviews, I spend a lot of my time reading and watching other reviews. I also spend way too much time on my phone, scrolling through Instagram, looking for something that might catch my eye and subsequently want to review. That is exactly what happened with this Vertigo Medusa. I immediately clicked the link to head over to the Vertigo Watches website, to look for more information on the Medusa. Nothing! I thought bugger it, I’ll just take a chance and send them an email requesting a review sample. A week or so later, the prototype arrived… 
Specifications
- Dimensions: Diameter – 41.1mm, Thickness – 14.1mm, Lug to Lug – 47.8mm, Lug Width – 22mm
- Movement: Seiko SII NH35, Automatic, 21,600vph (3Hz), Hackable, Self Winding, 41hr Power Reserve
- Case Material: Brushed 316L Stainless Steel, Polished Sides
- Bracelet: Brushed & Polished 316L SS Beads of Rice, Solid Links, Milled & Signed Clasp
- Crystal: Domed Sapphire, Inner Anti-Reflective Coating
- Bezel: 120 Click Unidirectional, Aluminium Insert, Lumed Pip
- Water Resistance: 300m / 30ATM / 990ft
- Lume: Swiss Super Luminova® C1 Crown: Signed, Screw Down
- Caseback: Screw Down, Deep Stamped Medusa Artwork
- Warranty: 2 Years Overall Weight: 152g (Sized for my 6¾″ wrist)
- Where to Buy: Vertigo Medusa Kickstarter Campaign
- Dial Colour Options: Black, Green, Red
The Idea, the Project, the Realization
Vertigo Watches comes with the presumption of producing watches from high technical and aesthetical appeal indisputable, they can adapt to the changes of a sub or blazer for a business man and, above all, are not the preserve of a few, but available for all, 'cause we believe in democracy beauty. With this hope that I have given life to this wonderful idea, sure to find the consent and encouragement of other fans like me!"
Case & Crown
The case of the Vertigo Medusa has a diameter of 41.1mm. The lug to lug is 47.8mm and the overall thickness, including the domed sapphire crystal, I measured in at 14.1mm. The entire case, caseback, bezel, crown and bracelet are all solid 316L stainless steel. The finish of the watch case itself, is mostly brushed, but with the addition of polished sides.
The Medusa has a rather substantial water resistance rating of 300m, thanks to the screw down caseback & crown. The proportions of the watch are absolutely spot on, with not a lot that I would personally change or remove. The Medusa wears brilliantly on wrist and it’s very comfortable, with it just melting onto your wrist, thanks to the superb BoR bracelet.
The crown is very nice too, perfectly proportioned to the dimensions of the watch. There’s no wobble whatsoever, when the crown is in use and you can also feel a very nice little pop as you unscrew it. The caseback has very detailed Medusa artwork which has been deeply stamped and I have to say, it looks stunning! One of the best casebacks I’ve seen in a while! The Medusa doesn’t have the usual specs etched around the edge and honestly, it’s rather refreshing to see. 
Strap / Bracelet
Fitted as standard to the Medusa is one of the nicest beads of rice bracelets that I’ve seen fitted to any microbrand in ages. As you can probably guess, it obviously utilises all the lovely bells & whistles that us watch enthusiasts crave… solid links thoughout, screw pins for adjusting & sizing, as well as a very nice double push-button milled clasp.
The bracelet is 22mm at the lugs, yet tapers down to 19.6mm at the thinnest most part, then back up to 21.7mm at the clasp. Talking of the clasp again, there are a total of 4x micro-adjustment holes to ensure that perfect snug fitment.
Movement / Accuracy
The chosen movement for the Vertigo Medusa is the microbrand go-to movement of choice, the super reliable SII NH35, manufactured by Seiko. A fantastic workhorse that is a 21,600vph, 3Hz, 24 jewel movement with self winding and of course hacking, not forgetting the very respectable 41 hour power reserve. Checking the accuracy after running the Vertigo Medusa for just over a fortnight, mainly on wrist and occasionally in my watch winder, I thought the accuracy was great, with it showing an average of +8.2 spd. Rather impressive for a press sample, that has seen the best part of the entire globe in the past few weeks/months.
Dial & Bezel
As you can see in the images, the hour and minute hands are nicely done with their sword style appearance. The seconds hand is decent too, with it reaching right out to the minute track when sweeping around the dial. The dial has a fantastic overall design and for once, there’s not a lot I’d change, other than maybe a date option (at 6, of course).
Lume
It wouldn’t really be fair of me to try and score the lume on the Medusa as such, considering that this watch is only really a “proof of concept” of what’s to come from the brand. Andrea, the owner of Vertigo Watches, has assured me though, that the Medusa will have a substantial amount of Swiss Super Luminova® C1 applied to actual production models.
Conclusion
As prototypes go, this Vertigo Medusa is definately one of the best I’ve been sent. Sure, it isn’t perfect, but being honest, it’s not that far away from a truly brilliant timepiece. The Medusa does wear very nicely and it’s extremely comfortable. It’s also an absolute bargain if you manage to grab one at the early bird pricing of just £199, once they go live on Kickstarter. The beads of rice bracelet is quite frankly, superb! One last thing, when you’re looking at the scores below, these are only based on this actual prototype. Once the Medusa’s are at the production stage, I would love to take another look at one, as I’m pretty damn sure my scores would increase, along with the possibility of a Gold Award.
Vertigo Watches – I’m certain you’ll smash your Kickstarter funding goal. Excellent job!