Do you remember the watches from Xetum from a few years back? In my mind, they really capitalized on the idea of a “lugless” case design, where the straps actually connect in a recess on the underside of the case. Take that idea, and mash it up with the “crown on top” aesthetic that you see with CT Scuderia, and you’re starting to get the idea of what Bolido Watch has on offer.
While there are definitely some design ideas I see from other brands, that could be partly due to the fact that I’ve been immersed in the watches for so long. To be fair, the Bolido Watch does look to be its own beast. Let’s start with the case. This design is a monocoque construction, which means that the case is a single piece, with the movement and dial loaded in from the front side. If nothing else, you’ll be interested to realize that this helps with the water resistance (no case back means no seams to leak; there is an exhibition window in there though). The case shape is also rather unique as well.
For the Bolido Watch, the stainless steel case is a modest 43mm at it’s base. As you rise up towards the curved sapphire crystal, the case sides taper down to a 38mm diameter. That’s not the only dimensional shift. When you look at the case profile, you’ll notice that the case height has a taper – 12mm at the crown end (at the 12 o’clock position) down to 10mm at 6 o’clock. In short, there are a lot of moving surfaces here that should be interesting to see in person. Along with the 22mm strap, the case should also fit a variety of wrists, and the angle conceivably makes it quicker to get a read of the time.
The first thing that Bolido Watch loads into the case is the movement (again, that monocoque construction necessitates this). For this, the movements come from Swiss Time Precision, and are either a STP 1.11 or STP 6.16, which is used exclusively for the skeletonized version of the watch. Over the top of this, you’ve got a clean, crisp dial, with some versions popping in a good bit of color. Contrast is kept high, though legibility could be a bit tricky in the cases where there are black hands over a black center section. The hands are – for me – the weakest part of the design. On the lighter dials, proportions feel ok-ish: the minute hand stretches to the outer ring, but the hour hand seems a little foreshortened. Then, with the black-on-black designs, you’re relying more on the luminous insert, which are very close (visually) in size, making telling the hands apart a bit trickier to my way of thinking.
Then again, we’ll get a chance to check it out in person. We’ve got a loaner on the way in of the Bolido Watch, so we’ll be able to get a hands-on impression to you. In the meantime, if you want to check the watches out (or even get your own), pricing starts at $695 for the regular version on a leather strap, and the range tops out at $1,100 for the skeletonized version on a mesh bracelet. bolido.rocks
