Yesterday, we started looking at the 500M from Artego Watches, covering the focus of the piece, as well as the movement used. Today, we’ll dig into the design of the case.
As I mentioned yesterday, we’ve got a Miyota 8215 movement doing the work for us, a known reliable piece. Of course, if that movement is housed in something that isn’t functional, or just plain doesn’t look good, it’s not worth it. No worries on those points, though, with the 500M. On the styling front, this is firmly in the classic dive watch camp, with a slight cushion case, chunk 120-click bezel (with lumed triangle at zero, and option for lumed numerals), and solid screwed end-links bracelet.
Now, this case is on the beefier side (44mm diameter, 15.3mm height), and the bracelet (which has a built-in diver extension) is accordingly sized (24mm lugs). Given that these are all made of 316L stainless steel, you know two things. First, it can take a good bit of abuse. Second, this isn’t a lightweight watch. Of course, that heft is reassuring that it’ll stand up to the pressures, should you take it diving. To help maintain that water-tightness, the watch features an engraved caseback that’s screwed into place, a screw down crown, and a flat (AR-coating on the underside) sapphire crystal.
Since we’re already there, let’s have a peek at the dial. Artego offers it in two colors (black, or a lighter blue); our sample was in black. The thickly-applied lume made things very easy to read, either in daylight or darkness. Another nice touch, on the dial, is actually with the hands. But, for that, you’ll need to tune in tomorrow!
