It’s been almost seven months since we took a look (here) at Egard’s initial outing. They’re back with a new limited-edition watch, and we’re bringing you a hands-on review of it today.
In just about every way, the Adoro is a dramatic steup up from Shade. One similarity that we do notice is that you’ve got similar (if not identical) hand sets in use. Here, though, they’re rose gold tone, rather than painted; the last similarity is the case, which is an identical design.
It’s with the 43mm case that we start seeing the upgrades, however. This is striking, as you’ve got 18K Rose Gold plating (yes, actual gold, not just a colored coating) on the case, as well as the butterfly buckle on the leather strap.
The other big upgrade is inside the case – Egard has gone from a Miyota 8N24 automatic movement (no slouch there) to an ETA 6498 manually-wound movement. Sure, going from an auto to a manual wind might seem like a step down, but you do have an improvement (in terms of desirability, if nothing else) with the Swiss movement getting tucked in.
Accordingly for a new watch, the dial has been changed around. As with the Shade, the Adoro features a variety of textures and finishes. While this keeps things visually interesting at a quick glance, I think they could maybe do with fewer textures. It’s when you really get in close and examine the dial that it just starts to seem busy.
Oh, and there is an interesting twist with the dial too, in terms of the indices. If you’ll note, they’re not at the standard layout we’re used to. Yes, you do have the standard hour markers. In between, however, you’ve got two tick marks; this nets you a 20-minute division in the hours, instead of the more common 15 minutes. No noticeable impact to readability, but it is a bit of uniqueness fellow watch lovers would notice.
So, with all these upgrades, and the fact that the Adoro is limited to 100 pieces, you won’t be surprised to hear that the price is on the higher side – you can pick one up for $1500 here. If you like the style of this piece, definitely keep an eye on the pages here – we’re getting some word that there will be another variant coming down the pike (more news as I can share it, I assure you).
