After their first collaboration with the Royal British Legion sold out within days, the second AVI-8 Flyboy Royal British Legion limited edition watch commemorates the 40th anniversary of the Falklands conflict.
AVI-8 Flyboy Royal British Legion Falklands 40 Review
The AVI-8 Flyboy Royal British Legion Falklands 40 has been designed as a tribute to the brave and courageous men and women who served during the Falklands conflict in 1982.
At a glance |
AVI-8 Flyboy Royal British Legion Falklands 40 |
| Price | £160 (£10 goes to the Royal British Legion) |
| Case size | 40mm |
| Thickness | 13mm |
| Water Resistance | 50m |
| Movement | Japanese Meca Quartz M-SII-VH31-HL |
The usual excellent AVI-8 packaging has had a poppy emblem added, as well as an outer sleeve with the Royal British legion’s logo. £10 from each sale goes to the charity (click here to visit their Poppy shop). You get the usual paperwork: instructions, warranty card and a couple of cards with information about the Royal British Legion. All in all, a superb commemorative package.
Case and Movement
The Seiko meca-quartz movement in this watch is, unusually, in a three-hander configuration rather than its native chronograph functionality. The watch has the chrono sweep permanently engaged to effectively give a smooth(ish) sweeping second hand. It’s an unusual choice that I’ve not seen before – but I imagine it is more cost-effective than a low-end Miyota automatic, and it won’t suffer from that movement’s jerky second hand problem. The 40mm case is unremarkable but finished to the same high standard as usual.
The crown has a beautiful poppy emblem filled in epoxy – it looks great. The domed crystal – whilst looking very cool – did pick up a lot of unwanted reflections and I can imagine it taking a fair few knocks during its life. I’d have preferred a gentler dome or a flat crystal. The bezel had a fair bit of play, although I can’t see myself using it for anything more important than boiling an egg so that’s not a deal-breaker. I would also have preferred a deeper-engraved, more ornate case back on a watch that is intended to be a collector’s piece.
Dial and Hands
The dials on AVI-8 watches are always very good. This one has a stunning red sunburst. I really like the colour, which whilst not quite poppy red, helps bring the design together nicely as it matches against the stitching on the strap and the poppy counterbalance on the second hand. The other hands are thin triangles, which are very easy to read.
I’d have liked a more three-dimensional dial, as I have seen in other Solar Time watches, but that’s not to say the AVI-8 Flyboy dial is bad: in fact, when the lights go, out it has a stunning glow from hour markers, hands and bezel numbers. I captured it in the video review, and it really caught me by surprise.
Strap and Buckle
AVI-8 straps are always good. This one has a very subtle reddy brown colour – which seems exaggerated in photographs. It is soft, supple and comfortable to wear. Overall, the whole package hangs together really well.
AVI-8 Flyboy Royal British Legion Falklands 40 – Video Review
What I Liked… and What I Didn’t Like |
|
| þ | The design language is on-point; coming together to something greater than the sum of its parts |
| þ | The poppy emblems are subtle but effective. |
| þ | A really well designed and made watch, especially for the price |
| ý | The dial could have had a bit more depth |
| ý | The case back is disappointing |
| ý | That domed crystal feels a bit much and will be easy to knock against door frames |
AVI-8 Flyboy Royal British Legion Falklands 40 – The WRUK Verdict
Overall, the AVI-8 Flyboy Royal British Legion watch gets a lot right and very little wrong. Personally, I’d have liked an automatic movement and a more ornate case back to tie in more closely with the Falklands anniversary. But let’s not forget this is a £160 watch (and £10 of that goes to charity) and in that context, it is excellent.
Buy an AVI-8 Flyboy Royal British Legion Falklands 40
More information about the preorder is on the AVI-8 website. You can buy this watch from AVI-8 Watches – Use our link and AVI-8 discount code MICHAELRICHMOND20 for 20% off stocked non-discounted lines.
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