Vesuviate Doppio
Manufacturer: Vesuviate Watches | Price: from $399 USD (£315 GBP, €345 EUR)
I was contacted by the owner of Vesuviate a few weeks ago, asking if I’d like to review their new watch, that is soon to be launched on Kickstarter. After asking to see some images and the proposed spec of the watch, including the price, I said, yeah sure, send it over. Being totally honest, I had pretty much forgot all about it, so when the watch arrived, I was like, oh crap, I had better get my head out of my arse and get this review done before their launch date. So, as I am a bit behind on my reviews, as more watches keep arriving almost every day, let’s get cracking with reviewing the Doppio from Vesuviate Watches. What the hell does Doppio mean? Doppio is Italian for double, hence the dual time bezel I’m guessing.
Specifications
- Dimensions: Diameter – 42.3mm, Thickness – 11.9mm, Lug to Lug – 47.8mm, Lug Width – 25.5mm
- Movement: Miyota 9015, 28,800vph, Hackable, Self Winding, 42hr Power Reserve
- Accuracy: Within -10 >> +30spd Actual: +3.6spd
- Case Material: Brushed 316L Stainless Steel with Hardening Treatment
- Bracelet: Integrated 316L Stainless Steel, Hardening Treatment, Solid Links, Butterfly Clasp
- Crystal: Domed Sapphire, Underside Anti-Reflective Coatings
- Bezel: 120 Click Unidirectional, Ceramic Insert, Fully Lumed
- Water Resistance: 200m / 20ATM / 660ft
- Lume: Swiss Super Luminova® BGW9
- Crown: Screw Down, Signed
- Caseback: Screw Down, Exhibition Display, Sapphire Crystal
- Warranty: 2 Years Weight: 189g (Unsized)
- Where to Buy: Kickstarter Campaign – Launch Date: 28th July 2020
- Dial Options: Blue, Blue/White, Green, Green/White, Orange
Case & Crown
The case of the Vesuviate Doppio has a diameter of 42.3mm. The lug to lug is 47.8mm and the overall thickness, including the domed sapphire crystal, I measured in at a very slim 11.9mm. The entire case, caseback surround, bezel, crown and the bracelet are all 316L stainless steel. The finish of the watch is mostly brushed with the exception of polished sides. The entire watch and bracelet also have a hardening heat treatment done to them by incorporating a thermos-chemical process that takes the hardness of the stainless steel to 1,100HV +/- 10%, thus improving overall wear resistance.
The Doppio has a water resistance rating of 200m, thanks to the screw down caseback & crown. The proportions of the watch are spot on, but in my opinion, the watch does wear a little on the large side for my average 6¾″ wrist. The Doppio is comfortable on wrist though, but I’m sure it would be far better suited to those with a 7″ wrist or bigger.
The signed crown is lovely, looks great and has a nice amount of grip with its coin edge design. There is absolutely no wobble whatsoever when the crown is in use and you’ll 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 the crown, which does make it feel rather premium. The caseback has an exhibition display with the inclusion of a flat sapphire crystal that shows off the gilt Miyota 9015 movement very nicely.
Strap / Bracelet
The bracelet that comes with the Doppio is a very good one. It is rather wide at 25.5mm at the lugs, but that has been done so to follow the lines of the watch head itself, giving a more fluid aesthestic between the actual watch and bracelet. Obviously the bracelet tapers (it’d look bloody stupid if it didn’t🤣), from 25.5mm at the lugs, down to around 19.5mm at the butterfly clasp. The centre links are polished, but as the bracelet has a hardening coating throughout, it won’t be a total scratch magnet. The only negative point with the bracelet for me is, it has push pins and not screw pins for resizing which is a bit of a shame. All said and done though, it is a very nice bracelet and it does wear very comfortably.
Movement
The chosen movement for the Vesuviate Doppio is the smooth sweep, high beat 9015 from Miyota. If I was launching my first microbrand model, this is definitely the movement I would choose. It’s a very slim Japanese made 28,800vph, 24 jewel movement with a 42hr power reserve. Checking the accuracy after running the Doppio for just over a week, mainly on my wrist and occasionally in my watch winder, I was extremely happy with the results, with the Doppio showing an average of just +3.6spd, which is well within Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC) specification although I will add, the Vesuviate Doppio isn’t officially COSC certified. Who cares though, Anyone would be pleased with that accuracy!
Dial & Bezel
The white version with the green bezel that I have here, sports a waffle style dial and it looks very nice, especially under macro as I couldn’t see any imperfections whatsoever. The rectangular hour markers at the 6 & 9 o’clock positions are applied, with an applied triangular marker at the 12. All the other indicies are also applied with everything pumped full of lume. You will also find a neatly printed minute track with arabics every 5 minutes, which is a very nice clean approach.
As you can see in the images, the hour and minute hands are nicely done with their, what I would describe as a sword style design. The seconds hand is great too, with it’s wee lumed section and all-red paint finish reaching right out to the minute track when sweeping around the dial. There is also a date window at the 3 o’clock position, which looks good… and even although I would have preferred it at the 6 o’clock position, it still looks very nice with the silver border.
Lume
The lume on the Vesuviate Doppio is absolutely phenomenal. Just look at that lume shot below, it’s as bright as a belisha beacon! Before I took that picture, I had the watch all set up and after closing the blinds and walked back to the watch, I actually remember saying, “holy shit balls, check that fuckin’ thing out!” Anyway, the actual lume that has been applied to the Doppio, is Swiss Super Luminova® BGW9 and it’s been applied 100% spot on, (and by the truck load it would seem).
Conclusion
This will be a rather easy conclusion to write, as the Vesuviate Doppio is a fantastic timepiece, that is a total bargain at that early bird pricing of just $399 USD. As previously mentioned in the review though, I do feel the Doppio would be better suited to those with a wrist size of 7″ and above, just with the way I find that it wears on wrist. I’d advise you to keep that in mind when backing their Kickstarter Campaign, when it launches next week on the 28th of July.
I don’t think there is much else I can say with regards to the Vesuviate Doppio, other than I highly recommend this watch and you should definitely consider backing this one on Kickstarter, making full use of that excellent early bird pricing!
Vesuviate – A fantastic timepiece that I’m sure will easily break your crowdfunding target. Good luck with the launch!
