This is a typo, right? | Monarte Squid Review

[@DutchWatchChannel]

Enjoyed the review Toni, Thanks! Interesting watch design with some cool looking details like the sunray finished bezel and the shape of the hands and lume that is on the hour and minute hands. Very nice that there is a COSC regulated ETA movement under the pretty caseback!

[@watchyawant]

Thank you, Dick!

[@megasoid]

Hello Toni and thanks for a review of what I think is a very interesting watch. Love the dial here.

[@watchyawant]

Thank you, Fred! Really happy to be able to review yet another alternative to "traditional" watchmaking!

[@monartewatches]

Great review (as always)! Thank you for the positive and honest feedback :) We're looking forward to our launch (in just 2 days :D) and to how much we can improve our watches beyond the prototypes!

[@watchyawant]

Thank you, good luck!

[@Christophe-k8s]

Hello, and thanks for this video. I'm not into divers, but I hope this one will be a succes. Its specs are difficult to find elsewhere at this price range.And the overall result looks really nice. Thus, from now on, 'll wait for a chrono, or a dress watch, from this brand. 😊

[@watchyawant]

Thank you for watching! Not a diver guy myself, but you're right, there are few if any watches out there offering so much value for the money. I, too, am looking forward to seeing what they will come up with in the future!

[@stavros_katsopr]

Top hat... ETA 2824! Plus all the other details and the warranty! If a like, surely a buy. PS Although i'm not a fan of green dials, this one on green looks really nice.

[@watchyawant]

Hehe, I finally got to broadcast something you like!... Still have to see Napoli, and then I can die peacefully!

[@stavros_katsopr]

@@watchyawantYou're cruel to yourself, i've seen many i like in your channel... As for Napoli (the beloved city of a very good friend), i'll join you, we both have a good chance of (either...) dying there, or living happily ever after! LOL

[@watchyawant]

Never seen a better love letter to a city than The Hand Of God.

[@stavros_katsopr]

@@watchyawantI've seen a disco/dance music video, from way back in the '80's. First comment under and most "liked" (all comments in Italian btw!) was something like "Wtf are the lyrics?". The second was "I come from Napoli, i understood the first line of them. Then, i got lost too..." 😂😂 PS Haven't seen the movie, i'll try to.

[@niclightfoot4329]

Interesting watch and great review. Made even more interesting by the fact that at the 8:19 mark in the video the second hand on the watch is seen to be going backwards! How does that work?

[@watchyawant]

Thank you so much for the nice words! Really happy you have pointed that out as it shows you watched most if not all my review! It's just an editing trick, reversing the footage to get the "vertigo shot". Time travel still impossible, I'm afraid...

[@darrenak9378]

A very helpful review. Thanks

[@watchyawant]

Thank you, Darren!

[@benjaminvis]

Great review, interesting watch, and some really astute observations here, Toni. First off, well, an ISO rated diver is far away from my usual interests. But it has to be recognised that that this watch has various surprises. 30atm with 11.5mm thickness is just great. The size in general is modest. On the other hand I have to say that it does fill up your 19cm wrist and actually doesn't really look so thin from the side. So, it's one that is objectively modest in size and thickness yet seems to wear more like a traditional diver size. For me, that's not progress exactly. The bigger surprises are the dial and handset. That's the kind of decorative and complementary detailing you'd expect on a fancy dress or elaborate sports watch. While initially impressed, I would tend to agree that ultimately the dial doesn't entirely deliver on promise. The guilloché concept seems nicely done, but not only can I see your argument about the matte band breaking up the visual impact of that concept, it also really did not need additional writing. The markers, oddly for me, might have just benefitted from a smidgen more presence. At times they almost get a bit lost in the dial, despite it being a diver. The lume composition, however, is excellent beyond a doubt and the handset, while I might nitpick at every detail before claiming perfection, is very well considered. I quite enjoy the sunburst bezel, though arguably would have preferred all markings etched in, without paint, except perhaps for the triangle. I touched on the needless writing in the concentric band, but now I have to consider typography as a whole. On balance I find the faux-handwritten font of the printing gets a pass. The logo also gets a pass. The combination creates a bit of friction, and to put 'diver's' on the dial is just a mistake. Unfortunately, the there is the font on the date wheel and that really rips up the composition for me. There are elements too many here. Furthermore, I think the date wheel should have been matched. I agree, once again, that the bracelet is not the best choice for the style, though a BOR might not have satisfied me either. So what do we end up with? I think it's a really interesting watch, but it probably ends up being a case of trying to do too much while not quite taking care of literally all aspects to a sufficient level. Given this was unlikely to be a watch for me, I'm left interested in what a slightly more restraint attempt for a dressier watch genre would end up delivering. That might get really interesting.

[@watchyawant]

Thank you, Benjamin, your endorsement means a lot to me! I wish I had the chance to review this watch again, as I should have probably gone more into detail on what the ISO rating brings to the table. Thing is, beyond being tested well below the depth the watch is aimed at, ISO certified divers are also tested for their anti-magnetism and resistance to shocks, which are features far more important to the average user than the capacity to withstand 30 bar of pressure... About the "diver's" inscription: I probably should've emhasised that badge is the marking of the watch being ISO-compliant. It might look out of place for you (I quite like it, actually), but it's a very important piece of information that HAS to be on the dial. Wasn't gonna mention it in the review, but this one has reminded me of one of my first micros: the Reverie Diver. That one's a more compact package and, without the premium specs of the Squid, is a good alternative for one enjoying a guilloche dial and unusual hands.

[@benjaminvis]

@@watchyawant for the brand and those who care, having been ISO tested (not just claimed compliance) must be an important aspect and something that drives up the cost. For a diver I did not know that still included antimagnetism for example. Still, to put 'diver's' on a dive watch just looks daft to me. Sure, if it has to be marked on the product, either do that super subtly or even better on the case back. If it truly has to be on the dial, arguably it starts becoming an argument against taking certain design approaches when aiming for ISO compliance. It would likely look less out of place or even daft on a toolish design listing key specs on the dial altogether. At any rate, not all punters will dislike this.

[@benjaminvis]

@@watchyawant had a quick look at the Reverie. It's an excellent comp for style. Can't help but feeling that I'd like something more, but I think it might come down to: I'd like it to be even more dressy but then it should become a sports watch through and through OR I'd like it to become just a little more foolish and completely convince as a capable dive watch with all the specs. There is lots to like in their design, too, and it's cleaner than the Monarte, which is appreciated. Still, the Monarte gives many more details to be enjoyed and I think Reverie could get more out of their concept.

[@bidipbo]

Regardless of whether it's good or not, it's too damn expensive for what it is - and that's no typo. Why pay for inflated prices? And, who the hell is this company anyway, to arbitrarily ask for so much? I couldn't find any info about the company patrimony, or even founding date. Not only that, but they have the audacity to call themselves a 'manufacture' - BUT THEY DO NOT MAKE THEIR OWN MOVEMENTS. Manufacture is a legal term in Switzerland that specifies that everything is made in-house, including the movements. But, I also see that they work with a German outfit, and Germany doesn't have that specificity when throwing around the term manufacture, so it seems a purposefully disingenuous use of the term with a built-in mea culpa. Just because it is expensive to live in Switzerland, doesn't; mean we should all be paying through the nose to support the higher wages, any more than we should be paying for the 30% of a Rolex that is the marketing expense that the NOT-FOR-PROFIT tacks onto its pricing. This is what every other industrial powerhouse has learned: when the labour costs are too high, move production elsewhere. The Swiss seem to be the last ones to get the message. But, no matter, China is overtaking the Swiss for build quality, and total number of units sold. Just like Switzerland dethroned the UK more than a hundred years ago for watchmaking, China is doing that now to Switzerland,

[@watchyawant]

Quite a lot of hot takes here that I would argue if I hadn't had the sense your mind is made up and no argument could sway it.