It's a great review. Hits on all the pluses and minuses. Too bad to see it pass, though losing to a Bathyscape is nothing to be ashamed of.Another bitter sweet day in my watch journey. Finally completed my review of the Divido, if anyone's interested, but as it turned out, I've decided to pass this one on. I hope those interested in the watch find it useful, A Study in Indigo - A Fling with One Minase Divido...
I wasn't much of a fan of the idea as well but it looks good in person on both the 5 Windows and the Divido. I've also been annoyed now when I've a single date window and the minutes hand blocks it so I can't see the date.Having browsed around a bit, I remember seeing this brand mentioned somewhere before, but I didn't realize at the time how much work goes into the cases and bracelets.
Someone mentioned a lack of brand cachet (at least outside Japan), but that wouldn't bother me at all. Up 'til now I had a Zenith Defy Classic at the top of my 'next watch' list. Having looked at the Minase Horizon with the blue dial, I may end up with that instead. Same price range, too.
I'm definitely more about the workmanship as a whole than the movement. I had a Rolex Yacht-Master years ago, and the functional, but somewhat cheesy clasp always annoyed me.
The only thing I'm not a fan of is the three-day date window. Having said that, I just bought another watch that has the same type of date window, so I guess I can get past that if the rest of the watch really appeals to me.
I think you hurt Kirk's feelings...Only thing I would say about the new movement is that I prefer Cote de Geneve/Tokyo Stripes to Perlage- seems to be the "wah" pedal of the watch finishing world.
That's good to hear, because I'm right with you when it comes to quality like that. I'm really focusing on the Horizon, but the 7 Windows is also pretty stunning.I snatched the Divido from @kritameth and I've had it for three days now. Not enough to make any meaningful conclusions, but I'm going to say some stuff anyway. If you appreciate over-engineering, design, and finishing - this watch is the jackpot. I can't say I've owned or come across another watch like it. This is a watch for those that appreciate the little things. Straight finishing lines where they would otherwise be slightly jagged, precise brushing where you could get away with some irregularities, a ridiculous bracelet design that really nobody would've ever asked for, but exists anyway, and is every bit amazing.
I've become someone who only cares about the details when I spend more than $2k for a watch (because I can get everything else I need from the sub $2k category), and that usually means that I expect too much from case and dial finishing. But I'm comfortable saying that this is among the best I've seen.
Self plug but that commenter is me lolLatest from Instagram:
- When are the watches with the new movement expected to be available
1wReply
minasewatch
@happy_watcher12the first collection with the new movement will be available at the end of may, then the other collections will follow during the summer
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bienben0
@minasewatchso this includes existing collections like the divido and 5 windows?
1wReply
minasewatch
@bienben0DIVIDO and horizon will be fitted with the new movement after the summer, 5 windows will keep the current movement
1w1 likeReply
bienben0
@minasewatchwill there be a price adjustment for the new movement or will current prices hold?
1wReply
minasewatch
@bienben0yes there will be a price adjustment for the watches fitted with the new movement
1w1 likeReply
That is a very nice color. Great addition to the Divido. I think I'll pass though. I'm not usually a big fan of picking up multiples of the same design (looks away from the box holding all Speedmasters). Looking into the 5 windows midsize for now.Wow, the Minase x Fratello collab piece just dropped, and this dial color is exactly my kind of blue!
Photographs taken from here: Fratello x Minase Divido
Limited to 10 pieces,
Price including VAT: €3,950.00 (rubber strap) or €4,980.00 (stainless steel bracelet)
Price excluding VAT: €3,139.33 (rubber strap) or €4,184.87 (stainless steel bracelet)
I'll go out on a limb and guess that it was Michael Stockton's review of the purple Divido that motivated this collab: Hands-On: The Fantastic Minase Divido
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Yeah. I've got a very Jekyll and Hyde mindset on that. On the one hand, I'm annoyed since people can't see what a beauty it is until they see it in person, leading to even more dismissal of the brand. On the other hand, the subtlety of it is what makes it so great, how you can get so many variations depending on the angle that it's like more than one watch. Citizen and Credor both have watches that do this too, but the Divido dial really takes it up a notch.Thank you very much, I really struggled with this review because I wanted to go into the very fine details, but it almost seems impossible to do with a finite amount of time. And I completely agree, this bracelet is very special and is easily the best bracelet I've experienced that lacks any kind of micro-adjust/quick-adjust. It makes my new Grand Seiko SBGA415 feel very... primitive, and toy-like.
I think it is the nature of the material itself. There is a clearly some kind of coating above the textured layer that makes it appear smooth, and I suspect it is the depth and viscosity of the material that makes it so variable in it's appearance. I think Minase did this intentionally, based on what I've read on their website. So the best way to capture it, with my amateur skills, is to just blast it with light and find the right angle. And based on the pictures in the above post, it seems like Fratello had the same issues too.
10 pieces in a yearly total production run of <500 means that 10 pieces is more than 2% of their entire output. That's a reasonable number, especially given in 2020 their 30 LE pieces means LEs totaled over 6% of their total production run.Limited to 10 pieces.
For crying out loud...
Depends on how much Fratello pushed them. They're not advertised on the Swiss distributor (makes sense). Fratello probably has a larger base that will have gotten the message, but whether or not any of them know of Minase (unlike the Minase mailing list) is the question. The 15th Anniversary on the Swiss dealer wasn't sold out for a couple of days, so there's a chance this one will be around in the morning. Especially since it's a Monday.I see the Fratello edition goes on sale at midnight Eastern time tonight. I'll have to check and see if there are any left when I log on to work at 6am tomorrow.