Yesterday, we started taking a look at The Shade from the new company Egard. We focused in on the movement and other relevant specs on the piece, as well as the presentation box that the watch comes in. Today, we’ll wrap up our review of the watch, and give you our final impression.
To begin with today, let’s focus on the styling. Here, I found the watch to be walking a very fine line. As a whole, I liked the piece, though I have a feeling some folks might not appreciate the mix of dress and sport aesthetics. Another divisive decision may be the Egard name being engraved on the left side of the case (I think it nicely breaks up the thicker case side).
With the dial, I also appreciate the varied layers that it presents, as well as the cutout allowing you to see the movement working away. The one part of this watch that didn’t sit as well with me, however, is present on the dial, in the form of the Roman numerals.
On the top half of the dial, where the numerals are, you’ve got curves that the numerals sit in (or on, in the case of the blue accents). Where the visual problem comes in is that the numerals themselves keep straight planes, and this just feels a little jarring to me. I think perhaps if they had slight curves to them, sat in a completely north-south orientation, or maybe were just smaller, this would improve things.
All told, this is an interesting option from a new company. Where I think this fits best would be for someone who wants a dressier looking watch, but isn’t ready to split off into the classic dress watch dimensions, or just wants one watch that works for just about any occasion. Normally, this watch would retail for $635, but if you order before June 1st, you’ll actually be able to snag it for $550.
