In Review: Vesuviate Attivo

In case you’re wondering where you’re heard of Vesuviate before, well, it was right here, actually. Oh, and here. This time around, we were able to spend some time with a new watch before it hits Kickstarter, and are ready to give you our take on it. All, meet the Vesuviate Attivo.

Right off the bat, you know you’ve got something out of the norm with the Vesuviate Attivo given it’s 39x42mm “square” case, also sometimes referred to as a TV case (due to things sort of looking like an old CRT TV set). This is a shape more popular in the 60s and 70s, but we really don’t see happen that much these days (well, aside from Bell & Ross). Once you get past the unfamiliar case shape, you realize there’s something different with that bracelet.

In this case, the Vesuviate Attivo has an integrated bracelet, specific to this case shape. This was done to help keep things strong, as are all of the choices around the watch. The case and bracelet steel is hardened, and even the clasping mechanism was done up for robustness. This is a shortened butterfly clasp that is invisible to the eye once closed. And given the shorter “wings” it has, there’s not much in the way of bulk on the bottom of your wrist.

When it comes to sizing the Vesuviate Attivo, do bear in mind that there are no half-links. The links here are quite short, so you should be able to get things to the size you want. Sure, a deployant clasp would give you extra adjustments, but then you’d ruin the looks of this dressier sport watch. For my wrist, I didn’t have it as snug as I’d prefer, but it’s not like it was sliding down my wrist or anything.

As you’re adjusting the bracelet, you’ll see the movement through the exhibition caseback. That movement is the well-known Miyota 9015, the darling of many a crowd-funded watch. Here, we do have the Vesuviate logo appearing on the rotor – past that, it’s the same base movement. You’ll get your date and HMS on the front, no muss, no fuss.

Speaking of around front, you’ll see that our loaner of the Vesuviate Attivo featured a creamy dial, one of six that are planned to be offered. This I found to be very legible, as the indices are black lines, or lumed bits outlined in black. The hands are done in black as well, which I’m still on the fence about. Sure, it keeps the contrast high, but it also makes it just jump out at you. The darker dials, I think it wouldn’t be as jarring, but on this lighter color dial, it’s quite stark. I might like to see them investigate if there’s a similar handset that just has the black on the edges, and then lume filled in the middle. Keep the legibility, but tone it done a little bit on the lighter dial.

Handset aside, I think the Vesuviate Attivo is an interesting style that’ll stand out in the crowd of crowd-funded watches. That it’s a steel sports watch that leans towards the dressier should help it to have a broader appeal as well. While the MSRP is anticipated to be $475, earlybird pricing on the campaign is expected to be around $350, with some super-earlybird slots going lower than that. So, if you’re interested, you’ll want to be moving quickly when the campaign goes live later this month. To be notified when the project launches, you can send an email to [email protected] or subscribe for updates over at vesuviate.com.

Tech Specs from Vesuviate

Dimensions: Width 39mm x Length 46.2mm x Thickness 11.00mm (At the apex of sapphire)
Case & Bands: Stainless Steel 316L case hardened to 1,100HV +/- 10% heat treatment

Crystal: 2.55mm thick Domed Sapphire 2,000HV with inner anti-reflective (AR) coating
Case back: Flat Sapphire Crystal 2,000HV exhibition case back with inner AR coating
Movement: Miyota 9015
- Power reserve: 42 hours (Typical)
- Accuracy: -10 ~ +30 sec (per Day)
- Frequency: 28,800 vph (vibrations per Hour)
- Jewels: 24 pcs
- Rotor Winding: Unidirectional, Clockwise
- Anti-shock: Parashock Shock Protection System

Bracelet / Strap: 24mm, Stainless Steel 316L case hardened to 1,100HV +/- 10% heat treatment
Water resistance: 10 ATM / 100m / 330ft
Indicators: Hours, minutes, seconds, date. Swiss Super-LuminNova BGW9, Grade A