The last time we covered Gavox (here and here), we were looking at watches that very much fit the military / aviation theme. Today, Gavox is back on our pages with a watch that takes things in quite a different direction. While I won’t go so far as to call it a dress watch, it is indeed a more refined-feeling piece.
Though, as with many aspects of watches, you could change this one over to a decent dress piece by swapping in a strap that had a bit more of a shine or a pattern. As it stands, the Roman numerals and pomme hands definitely fit the bill (surprisingly, those hands also feature a bit of lume).
Along with the main readout on the large dial (it’s a smaller bezel on this 41.4mm stainless steel case), you’ve also got the sub seconds residing at 4 o’clock, and then a larger day/night indication over at 8 o’clock. While day/night indicators aren’t quite as useful as a GMT complication (as you can’t set them to a different time zone), they are handy for those of us who might run the power reserve out (38 hours in this case), and want to get things set back onto the correct date and time.
I was a bit surprised that the asymmetrical design of the dial wasn’t off-putting to me. Perhaps it’s owing to the very stark black, white, and grey color scheme, but it just all came together quite nicely for me. And, even though the subdials are of differing sizes, the handsets used are actually fairly close in length, so that likely helps a bit as well.
In daily wear, I found the Legacy to be quite comfortable, owing in large part to it’s light weight (74g), as well as it’s comfortable fit owing to the curved lugs and the 12.5mm case height. The lightly padded leather strap (our sample was in black) was comfortable as well, and should fit wrists from 6.3″ to 7.9″ in diameter. If you prefer, you can also opt for one of five other straps (see here) that would certainly make for a dressier presentation.
All told, this is an interesting presentation that offers up a good bit of capability courtesy of the Miyota 8219 movement with it’s custom Gavox rotor. Pricing comes in 330,00 € (tax-inclusive) for those in Europe. For those of us outside of Europe, the VAT gets dropped, bringing the price down to just over $350 – which is a bargain, if you ask me.
In the end, this is a very competent watch, offering up a majority of what most people would want from a watch – time, date, and an AM/PM indication as icing on the top. It offers a little bit different styling that you might normally expect from a dressier piece, and that allows it to both stand out, as well as makes the watch a bit more flexible. gavox.com
Review Summary
- Brand & Model: Gavox Legacy (ref. 358.5)
- Price: €330 (in Europe); ~$350 (outside of Europe)
- Who’s it for?: Someone looking for a dressier timepiece that is more than a simple two-hander
- Would I wear it?: Yes, I have, and I would.
- What I’d change: If anything, the change to a movement that offers a true GMT complication would be a nice change
- The best thing about it: The overall look and feel the piece – different from the rest, but not in a way that’s offputting.
