Back at the start of the month, we brought you word of the new crowd funding project for the Ciga Design Z Hunter (you can see that here). In that article, we teased that we were working on a full hands-on review, and we’ve got that for you now. Of note, the funding campaign ends on March 1.
Ciga Design Z Hunter: First impressions
The first thing you notice about the Ciga Design Z Hunter is just how open the dial is. Or, rather, the absence of a tradtional dial. With this design, you have a healthy look at the movement, just as with other skeletonized Ciga watches (which we’ve covered here). What this means is that they’ve got the experience of not just providing an interesting view, but also ensuring the watch is something that can be used to tell time as well.
Closer examination of the watch lets you see that, well, the case is a bit skeletonized as well. Though things are hard-mounted into it, you’ve got an outer shell that wraps around the edges, with air gaps on the sides and top and bottom. These mimic the open areas inside of the case, and bring the inside to the outside.
Just how legible is the watch?
With any skeleton watch, legibility is going to be a primary concern (and usually the thing I find the most lacking). While I would not go so far as to say it’s perfect with the Ciga Design Z Hunter, it is done about as well as it can be.
While the handset is skeletonized as well (which cuts down what you’re looking for), they’ve gone with a very flourescent (and luminous) green paint on the tips of the hands, as well as at the four compass positions of the dial. This allows the hands to stand out against the silver tones of the movement, and for your eye to pick out the time. About the only way to improve this would be to make the tips of the hands (or the entire hand) completely solid and painted with the green, making for a sharp contrast against the dial.
Wearing the Ciga Design Z Hunter
As you can see from the photos, the watch comes standard with a bracelet that has the same matte finish as the case. To pick up the gleam of the curved sapphire crystal, you do have polished edges on the bracelet, which is a nice touch. Sizing the bracelet is fairly straight-forward, and once done so, the H-link bracelet wraps comfortably around the wrist.
It has a butterfly deployant clasp, but one that’s not to obtrusive under the wrist. It’s a much lighter wrist feel than you’d expect for a steel case on a steel bracelet, and the 12.1mm thickness means it slips easily under a cuff. In other words, it’s an easy watch to wear.
Wrapping things up
As we mentioned up top, the crowd funding campaign for the Ciga Design Z Hunter is ending on March 1st. As it stands right now, the campaign is fully funded, and we’re not aware of Ciga Design having missed out on delivering any of their prior campaigns. Pricing starts at $389 for the watch, and delivery is anticipated for April 2025. Check out the campaign, and order yours, over at indiegogo.com
Ciga Design Z Hunter Tech Specs
