The Meccaniche Veneziane Nereide GMT is currently taking Kickstarter by storm, having raised over £430,000 in preorders to date. It certainly looks good but is it all it seems?
Meccaniche Veneziane Nereide GMT Comes to Kickstarter
The Meccaniche Veneziane Nereide GMT certainly wears its influences on its sleeve. Some less kind commenters have compared it to a Rolex GMT Master II with stick markers instead of dots on the dial. Dig a little deeper and there is a little more to the watch than first meets the eye. Unlike its inspiration, it has a 22mm lug width and so it should wear a little larger on the wrist. The colour options are also interesting – we are very taken by the anodised gold coloured bezel and white dial combination.
Meccaniche Veneziane Nereide GMT – Specifications
- CASE: Ø42 mm, 316L Stainless Steel,
- MEASURES: Lug width 22mm, lug to lug 49mm, thickness 13mm
- MOVEMENT: Swiss Made ETA 2893-2 (Cal. MV297)
- CRYSTAL: Antireflective Domed Sapphire Glass
- HANDS/INDEXES: Diamond cut
- LUME: C1 Swiss Superluminova® / Old Radium
- BEZEL: Unidirectional rotatable, Enamelled Aluminium
- WR: 20ATM = 200mt
- STRAP: Real vintage leather Made in Italy
- EXTRA STRAP: Metal mesh band 22mm (Silicone for PVD versions)
- CROWN: Screw Down Crown
First Thoughts on the Meccaniche Veneziane Nereide GMT
Our first thoughts were that the watch is really attractive. It’s a very cost-effective way of getting what looks like an elabore grade ETA 2893-2 GMT movement, although there is some confusion over whether backers will actually get a standard grade with a decorated rotor. On closer inspection of the photos, we also are a little concerned over the length of the hands, which do not quite meet the markers around the dial – something which bothered us in the Seiko SUN025.
The internet has also been resolutely underwhelmed by the project’s stretch goals: a perlon strap, a strap change tool, and finally a NATO strap and polishing cloth. We would have hoped they would have thrown the jubilee bracelet in for free after beating their goal so comprehensively. Nevertheless, we’ve backed the watch and so look out for a full review next year when it arrives – and if you miss the Kickstarter there will be plenty more available after the end of the campaign at shops like the Microbrand Store.
We initially backed the campaign but changed our minds for three reasons:
- The hands look too short, as they do not hit the chapter ring markings
- The ETA GMT movement only sets in one direction and, unlike the Rolex GMT, it is the 24 hour hand that “jumps”, which means you have to set both local time and GMT time every time you cross a timezone
- The makers chose to use a unidirectional diver’s bezel instead of a GMT bezel assembly, which means that you cannot use the bezel as a way to track a second time one without rotating it all the way around every time
Buy a Meccaniche Veneziane Nereide GMT
You can order a Meccaniche Veneziane Nereide GMT on Kickstarter at the price of €559 plus €25 postage for the next three weeks. The jubilee bracelet is an extra €65 on top of the price, and we think that’s an essential addition as it may be hard to come by as an aftermarket extra. Potential backers may also be worried about the high VAT cost on such an expensive watch: the watch ships from Venice Italy sp as long as it arrives before Brexit on 29th March 2019 then then UK backers will have nothing extra to pay.
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