Recently, the folks behind a new watch start-up reached out to us to introduce their product, the Carnot Watches Riviera model. Now, I have not had a chance to check out the watch in hand, but the look of the prototypes is very polished and the team does not seem to be overpromising. Another nice change when compared to crowd sourcing, is that you are buying an actual product when you put your money down, so you will have protections offered by your credit card companies that are not in place with crowd funded campaigns. Overall, the watch looks to be a nicely made product that offers a fair bit of value.
The Riviera is, obviously, a dress watch. There is a 40 mm rose gold IP stainless steel case coming in at a svelte 8mm tall, so it is going to sit nicely on the wrist and slip under any tailored cuff. With only the rose gold option, it probably is not the watch for me, but the version with the white dial and the blued hands does call to me. If you prefer a darker hue, there is also a black dial with rose gold hands. Three sub dials display the day, date, and month, and a moonphase indicator sits at 6:00. The heart of the watch is a Swiss made Ronda 706.3 quartz movement.
The watch will retail for $499, but is available for pre-sale at $349. It is shopped on a 20mm leather strap with crocodile grain embossing, and includes premium features like a slightly domed sapphire crystal and a rose gold IP deployment clasp etched with the brand’s name. The dial itself features a scalloped Guilloche wave pattern, with applied rose gold indexes and a minute track on the far edge. Overall, it is a classic design with a lot going on, but it does not look overly busy. The watches are scheduled to ship in July of this year. carnotwatches.com
Watch Overview
- Brand & Model: Carnot Watches Riviera
- Price: Pre-sale price of $349, retail of $499 (including shipping)
- Who we think it might be for: Dress watch buyers on a budget.
- Would I buy one for myself based on what I’ve seen?: I am not a fan of rose gold, but I like the white dial/blue hand combo.
- If I could make one design suggestion, it would be: Offer a stainless case without the IP.
- What spoke to me the most about this watch: The scalloped Guilloche wave pattern on the dial is very nicely done..
Tech Specs from Carnot
- Movement: Ronda 706.3 quartz
- Functions: Day, date, month, moonphase
- Case: Rose gold IP stainless steel.
- Glass: Domed sapphire
- Water resistance: 50 meters
- Lug width: 20mm
- Straps: Crocodile grain embossed leather.
- Diameter: 40 mm
- Case Height: 8 mm
