Belaggio bel tempo Ravello chronograph a la MCV

The watch arrived yesterday (Overstock don't fool around! ) and, while I won't even attempt to match Bro. Marc's excellent review, I fancy that if I can't add to that feast, at least I can bring a six-pack of Bud as the apéritif.

OK, first, this watch is all that Marc said it was! At $53 shipped it may well be the most astounding value I've ever seen. An' I've seen some Crackerjack deals! Given the superb overall fit & finish, and the presentation, this watch rivals a few sure 'nough RMWs, and blows many $500 watches in the weeds.

But it's not perfect. No watch is, though some come darned close.

The first problem is no fault of Bellagio. Rather, I lay this one squarely on Overstock's doorstep..


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They said it would fit an 8-1/2 inch (~ 21cm) wrist, and that's a lie. No! A Damned Lie! That photo was taken with the deployant set to the last hole and, obviously, it's cutting me circulation off there. Wear it too long like that, and me hand 'd fall off!

In reality, at max it would accommodate a 7-3/4 inch (~ 19.7cm) wrist. But it's a very nice strap indeed! And the deployant is superlative (Note to Marc - it is a match for the OEM Mido deployant!), so I broke out me Caveman Bag O' Tricks...


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..and forced it to work. Juuuuuust barely, mind, and while some would no doubt find my 'solution' -looking, it wears Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr8!

The second problem, now, that was definitely Bellagio's screw-up..


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W. T. H. ? No flippin' way that sticker should have been placed on the movement like that!

Luckily it uses a clean non-aggressive adhesive, and I was able to relocate it to The Proper Place..


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..without leaving any residue behind on the movement. {whew!} But I strongly suggest that you open yours up, Bro. Marc, and check it out. With age that sticker is liable to dig in its heels and, trust me, you would not want to leave it there long-term.

OK, a closer look at the movement. As I expected..


Click HERE for larger photo or HERE for supersized photo

..it is not marked "Seiko", but rather "SII". Definitely built-to-a-price but, again, that's to be expected with an Hattori/SII/TMI branded movement. Quite likely there's also a VD53B variant bearing the brand and, if past experience is an indicator, it would be much more finely finished. Not that this is poorly finished.. my main complaint is that the laser-etched text exhibits a lot of "flare" when viewed in direct light and, frankly, looks like crap. In diffuse light (as here) it does look OK...

I've got to say, the VD53B is an interesting movement. I confess that, at first, I found the small-seconds chrono to be counter-intuitive. But I'm used to it now, and having the running seconds as a large center-hand is nice. An acceptable trade-off, I think.

This is a 1-hour chrono (no hour totalizer), and exhibits one quirk that I'm amazed you didn't mention, Bro. Marc. Indeed, I wonder if you've noticed. A bit hard to explain.. how to word it? OK, the chrono return goes "full count". IOW, the hands don't 'snap' or 'glide' directly back to zero, but rather move swiftly through the full range. So when you zero the chrono, the sub-seconds will spin around madly, umpteen times. They do at least take the shortest path - if the chrono reading is more than 30 minutes they go clockwise, but if less than 30 minutes they go widdershins. Quite fun to watch, actually!

The only other niggle I have - and this is nitpicking pure and simple I admit! - there is not much tactile feedback when activating the chrono pushers. I mean practically zero. Not a deal-breaker, but I would prefer the pushers give me at least a wee bit of a "click" when I activate them.

So, to conclude, I'm just Happier'n A Slopped Hog with this watch!

Thanks for the tip, Bro. Marc!



-Ricky



P.s. - And Bro. December, when can I expect me International Brotherhood Of Fan-cee Watch Owners membership card?

Edit - when is Yahoo gonna come up with a grammar checker? {whew} Glad Cap'n Grammar didn't catch me!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/16/2010 04:39PM by Ricky Lee.