Audio Review - Alcadus Opus 39

Published on Mon, 08 Mar 2021 09:08:09 -0800

Synopsis

The podcast features an audio review of the Alcadus Opus 39 watch by two watch enthusiasts. They discuss the brand's history, the watch's specifications, design elements, quality of execution, and value proposition. While appreciating the watch's overall refinement and attention to detail, they find the large domed crystal clashes with the watch's otherwise modern design language. They also debate whether the watch fits neatly into a particular category like pilot or dress watch. Ultimately, they conclude that despite some design nitpicks, the Opus 39 is a well-executed and versatile watch that many enthusiasts will enjoy, especially with the upcoming more affordable version.

The speakers share differing perspectives but maintain a lighthearted, conversational tone throughout the review. They provide insights into the microband space and manufacturing considerations, making for an informative and entertaining listen for watch enthusiasts.

Transcript

Speaker
Speaker 1 Hello, fellow watch lovers, nerds, enthusiasts, or however you identify. This is 40 in 20, the Watch Clicker podcast with the Degenerates today with an audio review. The B team. Yeah, just the clear B team. We're coming at you today, me and Mike, with an audio review of the Alcatus. Alcatus? Alcatus?
Mike I've said Alcatus in my head.
Speaker 1 Oh, I've been calling it an Alcatus. It doesn't sound right. It's never sounded right. But we're coming at you today with an audio review of the Alcataz Opus 39. So welcome, Mike. Is this your first audio review?
Mike I believe it is. Yeah. Well, I record a lot of them just by myself, but they don't get published.
Speaker 1 Mine either. Usually they're in the shower and I'm crying, but it's not a big deal. So we've got an audio review with us Degenerates. We are the reason for the editing of all the podcast content.
Mike Yeah, proudly.
Speaker 1 Godspeed to you, my friends, because it could get weird. We don't know yet. Like I said, we're talking the Alcatraz Opus 39. And Mike, why don't you, since you're a little bit more familiar with this brand than I am, why don't you give us an intro into this brand real quick?
Mike Yeah, for sure. So one of the, at least hear them tell it, one of the only micro certainly micro brands if not brands that's actually based in Malaysia proper and they make that a point of pride. Started kind of the genesis was around 2017 when the founder Yukon had been collecting watches for about five years and kind of wanted to do his own thing. You know not an atypical story for a micro brand obviously. Yeah, yeah. Collector wants to do his own thing, has ideas. So, you know, he actually, the Opus 39, the Opus Collection is the first model that they've put out. And it actually launched last year on the Kickstarter, but was not successfully funded. What he ended up doing was creating a small run anyway. Um, which sold presumably pretty well because of the initial run, um, which are, we have initial run pieces.
Speaker 1 Oh, so we have production pieces, huh?
Mike Yeah. So we have full production pieces and they feature that at a 20, 24, which we can get into that in a little bit more, maybe cap off the review. Um, he continued, they sold well enough. He, I think he just said, you know, I think this is still valuable, but at a different price point. Um, and so I believe that the plan is he still has a couple of the white and the black dials in stock. Um, the plan though is to, uh, relaunch kind of B2 version two with a Miyota 9019 and a much lower price point.
Speaker 1 Hopefully he does only the phantom gray because the full loomed dial is dope.
Mike Really cool. Yes. Really cool. So it's going to be the phantom gray, the black lacquer, the white lacquer, And then a pink, teal, gray, and blue dial, I believe.
Speaker 1 That's a lot of colors.
Mike A lot of options. But I think that's kind of the only choice you need to make. You know, we've seen a lot of Kickstarters that kind of up front, you have to choose like 15 different things. And it's for this is it's just all you're choosing is the dial color.
Speaker 1 Which is probably the wise way to go on Kickstarter because I imagine a lot of when you have a dozen options on Kickstarter, some of those watches are one of a kind. Yeah, yeah, that's that becomes problematic in the way of production.
Mike Yeah, that's that's a back end issue that I think people don't think about.
Speaker 1 And we do love those back end issues. So let's dive into this watch. I forgot to pull up specs on it because I'm on Everett's computer in our new studio. Um, 39 millimeter case. It's got this, it's got a Salida movement, correct?
Mike Uh, so the ones we're handling have at a 20. Oh yeah, the Etta movements and they have a skeletonized. Yeah. 92. Um, but that price down and then it's going to be down even to the 9019 Miota, but we have the, uh, with the custom gold rotor, uh, which is nice.
Speaker 1 It's super cool.
Mike I don't care about see-through casebacks. I understand, especially for non-entrenched watch people, they're really cool. And I think at a very, very high end, they're very cool. That said, if you're gonna do one on a more run-of-the-mill movement having an actual custom rotor is where it's at. And I think this one is super cool.
Speaker 1 Yeah, they nailed it on this because I'm in the same boat you are. I could care less about being able to see the movement of my watch because I wear it. Um, I, I really only look at open case backs on review pieces and, and, and, uh, things of that ilk that we have in my own, uh, exhibition case backs. I don't, I don't ever have it.
Mike Yeah. Um, the, uh, something to note in the V two, it will be closed case back. which will add a little bit, certainly more sturdiness, though perhaps disappointing for people who say, ooh. Mechanics.
Speaker 1 Yeah, but I mean, whatever, if you're going home, Yoda, nobody needs to see it. Just just turn over any of the other watches you have. You have that movement available.
Mike And I'm sure closing the case back is shaving off a couple of dollars, as is not doing a custom rotor. Yeah, I'm going to say I think it's a win overall.
Speaker 1 Yeah, so you want to run me through the dimensions on this real quick?
Mike Yeah, so 39 millimeters, the 20 millimeter lugs, 45.5 lug to lug, and then 13.3 thick.
Speaker 1 Without the crystal?
Mike With the crystal.
Speaker 1 Oh, really?
Mike Yeah, which maybe we could start that. Yeah, let's start there. That is the crystal is kind of the first thing you notice. And 13.3, you're getting into kind of dive watch thickness, you know. And this is not that.
Speaker 1 Not even by a long shot. This is this is very much a dress sport designed watch.
Mike Yeah. You know, I have this is described as a box sapphire. So, you know, I think.
Speaker 1 Refrigerator box sapphire.
Mike What you told me was basically, you know, he loved The idea of vintage watches and this box element was what he wanted to do. It's a two millimeter crystal. It is not small. And for me, it's, you know, it's disparate from the rest of the watch, which is very modern. Yeah. The dial, everything about the rest of the watch is modern. Then you have this very vintage-y crystal.
Speaker 1 Well, it's not just modern. It's also very refined. All the, everything about it is very subtle, very refined. It's got a very well polished bezel. All the dimensions are great. It's, it's a very, very discreet dial. Yeah. And then this, this box crystal, it just, it doesn't, it's a bit of a design disagreement.
Mike Yeah. And I, I I'd love to have seen this either a with a shallower box crystal or maybe something that we've been seeing in some micros lately is the uh dome crystal but with the beveled edge could look really cool on a watch with like you said really sharp crisp lines like this and i think if they cut the the i think if they cut the the crystal height in half and then beveled the edges this would be a an absolutely phenomenal watch and the the selling price on these right now is six
Speaker 1 657. 657 for pre-order and they'll MSRP, I wanted to say like eight.
Mike Well, so yeah. So what it is, is, uh, the, the remaining pieces he's got, I believe about six in stock, three of the black, three of the white. Uh, that's all that remains of the ETA with the open case back. Um, those are 657, um, or 637, um, right around there. Uh, those, that's what they're selling at. That's the price. If you want one, that's what you're getting it at. Um, the V2 will launch around $400 on Kickstarter.
Speaker 1 Oh, wow. That's a, that's a significant price difference.
Mike Yeah. And, and every other than the case back in the movement, everything is identical. So really, I mean, unless you're hyper-focused on the movement, I mean, you're still getting a great movement and I think a really cool watch though, you know, as we'll get into, I think a little there, Uh, it struggles to define itself.
Speaker 1 Yeah, there's a, there's a bit of a disconnect. And I was, I was talking, I mean, we've talked about this watch most of the day and this watch is going to be for a lot of people. A lot of people are going to dig it. It's just a slight, it's a slight miss for me in the way of the design language because everything else about this watch besides that disagreement between, uh, the collision of modern and vintage is terrific. The dimensions are great. It wears super comfortable. We've got a quick-release leather strap, quick-release bracelet with solid end links.
Mike How do you like these leather straps?
Speaker 1 I like it.
Mike I really like them.
Speaker 1 I've worn the bracelet only to say that I've worn the bracelet.
Unknown Sure.
Speaker 1 I like it. There's nothing special about it besides the quick-release solid end links. I like the detailing on the inside of the clasp. Kind of a
Mike that a perlage there.
Speaker 1 Yeah, kind of a perlage finishing, which is yeah, wholly unnecessary. And I think as a result, a really nice touch because it's inside of the crown. Yeah, the loomed crown, the stamp useless and awesome. Yeah, I just all these little amenities to this watch that are super cool. Yeah. In our stamped kind of an etched, actually an etched buckle on the leather strap.
Mike Yeah, I really like, you know, I think we're used to, and as they do on the clasp of the bracelet, which is, you know, a generic, I think micro-brand oyster bracelet with a generic clasp that's not even, I mean, it's etched in, right? It's super generic. Here are our letters. For the leather clasp, they went a little bit further. and did a bit of frosting and then a polished name, which it's just a nice touch that I like. I think, you know, one of the things about this watch is like it or hate it. And on balance, I like it. The quality and execution is top notch.
Speaker 1 Yeah, there there is no actual technical. Failures here. Yeah, they all every every detail was done very precisely very well and I mean you've heard it and I think this is the last time I'll mention it. My only complaint is the design disagreement.
Mike So here's the one thing I'll bring up. Let me, I'm gonna do the compliment sandwich.
Speaker 1 Shall. May I? Please.
Mike So I love, you have the white lacquer dial which is this rich like milky really almost porcelain, especially with that blue, right? Um, I, I held on to, for the, so we could do this, the black lacquer dial, which is, you know, if you guys are familiar with it, just, it has this just deep inky and it just sucks light in, but then on occasion and on the edges and rims, it'll just catch a little light, which is really nice. And it does it really nicely on the, um, kind of rounded date window. Right. Um, and then, so, it's not as much of an issue on the black one. Because that's kind of a bit the black the white on black is a very classic like pilot watch. Thing but on the white you have this very like elegant lacquer dial. And then these pilot hands yeah right. And so when I look at the watch as a whole it's not so much but when I took some macro photos and all I could see was the white lacquer and the pilot hands. I was like that's That's a little confusing too, as far as like, what is this? Cause like pilot watches don't have white lacquer dials, you know? Um, so that was the only thing, but far less, um, far less of a disconnect. And again, when you zoom out and look at the whole watch, not really a problem at all. No, I think, and, and the other slice of bread is the loom is exceptional. I mean, it's even, it charges quickly. I mean, I stepped outside, for half a second to toss something in the trash. And the loom just exploded when I went back inside.
Speaker 1 Yeah, it's got bright loom. Everett wants me to point out the anodized red ring on the crown stem, too.
Mike Yes, that is a thing. And the case is also hardened. It's got a anti-scratch coating that brings up to 800 vickers, I believe.
Mike per their website is four times harder than your typical 316L.
Speaker 1 This is also a really, really pleasurable watch to wind.
Mike Yeah. Yeah. It's got that.
Speaker 1 It's tension. You don't feel the wind. You kind of feel the tightening. Yeah. As opposed to the clicking wind that is also very pleasurable. But this is just tension.
Unknown Yeah.
Speaker 1 So next up for me is loving the crown size.
Mike Perfect. And the shape, which gives you, uh, you know, which it's a classic pilot shape, right? That flare kind of pumpkin comes out, you know, but, and you know, I think they do a good job of in my review, which will be up, I guess, once this posts, when is this posting?
Unknown Yes.
Mike Great. Okay. So it'll definitely be up because it's posting on Wednesday.
Speaker 1 Oh yeah. No, this will, this will beat the audio review or your, your review will beat the audio review.
Mike I kind of came, I was trying to kind of classify the watch after I had written my review. And I said that, you know, the it's best conceived of as kind of a go anywhere, do anything pilot watch. Cause it meets all of those criteria that Casey wrote out in his article, which I agree with way, say a hundred meters or more. no extraneous features, um, around 40 millimeters, um, and, uh, limited complications. Right. Um, so it meets those, but it's also, I think it is a pilot watch cause it has all these pilot elements, the crown, the instrument panel, hands, the clean dial, the triangle, which they use the logo, which I love. Um, but it's a pilot watch that feels more at home in the airport lounge than in the cockpit.
Speaker 1 Yeah, that was just beautifully said. This to me feels kind of like the quintessential enthusiast production brand watch. I like these. I like these elements of this watch. I like this element of this watch. It's a bit of a Frankenstein. It is. It's not a true to form anything. It's neither a diver nor a sport watch. It's not exactly a pilot's watch, but it's definitely not a dress watch. I had the Saab and the Bambino side by side, made a little family tree and sent that to you, and I think that sums it up. It takes a really classically designed sport watch, a very vintage-inspired dress watch, and I think this is what you get. All in all, I mean, I have no real or valid complaints about this thing. it's a bit of a mishmash of design. It's somebody who likes watches, who, who was passionate about creating something that they wanted to wear and they've made something that I think a lot of people are going to wear.
Mike Yeah, I think so. And it's an easy watch to wear too. Um, you know, I, I think, you know, our, our, our nitpicks are just that right there, their nets picked, um, You know, I think a lot of people are going to enjoy this watch. I think it is like we said, there's no technical flaw here, right? And a lot of people love a gigantic big dome crystal. I think a lot of people are going to look at that and say, fuck yeah.
Speaker 1 Yeah, that's awesome. Yeah. They're going to, they're going to say, why isn't it three millimeters? Yeah.
Mike Right. Um, yeah. I mean, I mean, there's not, There are not a lot of issues with this watch. Um, certainly I think it's just a matter of, you know, it struggles to find itself, but that's really when you put it under a microscope.
Speaker 1 Yeah. And which is kind of what we do as, as watch reviewing, uh, lake dwellers is we put things under a microscope and we take macro pictures and say, do you see this imperfection, the speck of dust? Can you believe it?
Mike It's disgusting.
Speaker 1 Yeah. I know. They're just, how could, how could they allow something like that to happen?
Unknown Yeah.
Speaker 1 This watch. I mean, I think at the price point it's coming in now for me is North of where I'd want to pay for it. Cause it's not just, it just, it's a little bit of a miss for me at the $400 range. I think this is for everyone.
Mike Yeah. So, so the V2, even with the, um, what many would consider a lower end movement, but still a Miyota 9019, I mean, not a movement to scoff at, um, at $400 and it's around there. It might be a little under, might be a little over. And I believe the plan is still to offer, um, every buyer it'll come with a bracelet and their choice of the leather strap.
Speaker 1 Um, which is great money. This is one of my favorite OEM. leather straps I've worn.
Mike Said the exact same thing in my review. It is one of the best I've ever had. Um, you know, I don't know if it's a catalog piece. I don't care. I think it's, it's, it's well done. Um, I, I'm a sucker for suede too. I think you got one of the suede ones.
Speaker 1 I have the gray suede. Yeah.
Mike Yeah. So, so he, it came with two of those, one of the brown leather and the bracelet. Um, I, You know, I was thinking about the price and even these at 657, um, considering the quality alone, I think it's spot on eight, eight 75 or whatever the full retail was going to be. That's a little high for me, six 57 for, you know, ETA with a neat custom rotor, even though I'd never look at it. Um, you know, It's a well-made watch, and I think the price is there. But again, you know, I don't love it enough to spend that kind of money on it.
Speaker 1 I think 657 has market value, too. I think I think when you start getting into that 650 to 700 dollar range, this is that's the type of watch you're getting. You're getting really deliberate details. You're getting really well executed details. Yeah, you should be. And I think this falls into that category of watches appropriately priced in the six to eight hundred dollar range. the finishing on the case is very well done. It's not exceptionally challenging, right?
Mike There's not, there's not chamfers, there's not a ribbon chamfer, there's not twisted lugs, there's no angles on the lugs. It's, I do really like the choice, um, for vertical brushing on the side of the case, as opposed to just horizontal nothing.
Speaker 1 Yes. And this watch wears really well for being 13 millimeters. It doesn't feel big because most, not most, a quarter of your height that you're getting on that watch is coming from the domed crystal. The watch itself wears pretty slim, it's comfortable, it's got a nice compact lug to lug, and it's just a really comfortable watch to wear. And with the dome, It grabs all the light and makes it really visible even when the loom isn't exploding on the watch.
Mike Yeah, that's I just strapped it on and that's as you said that I was noticing like this is bright and my room is not well lit right now. I've got the mood lighting going on.
Speaker 1 I'm liking it and with the super polished. Polished bezel, you're getting more light splashing into that crystal and making it more visible.
Mike It's also another element that kind of makes you go, what kind of watch is this? Yeah. And I guess, I guess at the end of the day, like, it doesn't matter what kind of watch it is. Right. When the watch is, you know, there's nothing ugly about the watch. There's nothing problematic about the watch. It's, I think, you know, in reviewing watches, we want to put it in a place and say, this is what this watch is. It doesn't matter because everything's executed well. Right. And so, It's a watch with all these features. And if you like those features, you're going to like the watch and the value is going to be there, especially on the V2. And I guess that's where the period goes. Not well, but you know.
Speaker 1 Yeah, there's no well, but for me.
Unknown Yeah.
Speaker 1 Yeah.
Mike Awesome.
Speaker 1 I don't have anything else. So one thing we talked about quick release bracelets today. And I'm fully accepting that I'm not going to see quick release bracelets. Industry wide. Because there's some watches I don't ever want to take my bracelet off of. I really like the quick release bracelet on this. Because their leather strap is so good. This is a watch that I would. This is a vacation watch.
Mike You don't like it. Which I mean that's the reason to like. That's the whole point of quick release. Right. You know and Omega just released their proprietary one. And you know they show it. They don't just show the bracelet coming off, they show the rubber going on, which you need to know about, right?
Speaker 1 You need to know that rubber went on.
Mike Yeah. That's it. I mean, it's important because accidents can happen.
Speaker 1 So I, this is a vacation watch for me. It's, it's clean. It's refined. It's a go anywhere, do anything. It's got the water resistance and you've got the quick release bracelet and leather strap. You bring a set of lugs and a NATO and you really don't need anything else when you go out of town.
Unknown No, easy. Done.
Speaker 1 All right. Anything else to say, my friend?
Mike I got nothing. I enjoyed this watch. Some of the new dial colors are really cool. So I'm looking forward to seeing them. Maybe I'll be able to snag one and do a quick update for the website, but the review should be live soon.
Speaker 1 Ooh, that'd be cool. So look for the... Well, actually, you're going to have already read the review by the time this goes up. So thank you for joining us for this audio review of the Alcadus... Alcatus? We'll decide later. Alcaduce, yeah. The Alcatis Opus 39. Check them out on their website. You're going to see the Kickstarter going live for V2 coming in at $400 with a Miyota movement and a closed case back. Thank you for joining us for this audio review edition of 40 in 20, the Watch Clicker podcast. Tune back in for all of our full episodes and future audio reviews on the Watch Clicker website. Bye-bye.
Unknown Oh,