We’ve been big fans of Magrette here (their Regattare 2011 was my first automatic), so it was with some interest that I got an email late last week teasing a special “friends-first” announcement was coming up. Well, we’ve gotten the announcement, and now we’re sharing it with you.
Magrette is releasing what is (I believe) their most affordable watch yet, the Regattare Vintage. For this watch, they started with the classic cushion case we expect from them, made of stainless steel in 44mm. This time around, it’s bead blasted and then hit with a black PVD coating, giving it a very matte finish.
The dial also keeps a familiar layout and design, but the color scheme is changed up quite a bit. The dial itself is a nice chocolate brown, and has yellow (I presume lumed) numerals and indices., which are utilized by the gold tone (and lume filled) hands. Those hands are driven by another item we’ve come to expect from Magrette – the Miyota 8215.
All of this is paired to a brown strap – and if my previous experience with their straps is any indication, this should be a moderately thick piece of leather that breaks in nicely. All told, this does present a sort of modern vintage look. The one “odd man out” detail on the watch is the screw-in crown, which remains in stainless steel.
All in all, I do like this piece. If you read through this, you probably noticed that I’ve compared this to prior iterations in the lineup. Rather than this looking like something that’s just a quick color change to grab some cash, I think this shows that Magrette is working to further along what’s proven to work with their watches, and mix things up in a new release.
This release, though, is limited edition. Unlike the Regattare 2011, of which there were 2,011 pieces made, the Regattare Vintage will only have 100 pieces made, world-wide. That, paired with the low price ($385, plus another $30 for worldwide shipping), means if you want to get one, you should head on over and order yours soon. magrette.com
