Next month, Olvo Watches will launch Kickstarter pre-orders for their debut model. I got my hands on a prototype Ovlo Manston and found it bold and attractive but also perhaps more than a bit polarizing.
Ovlo went with a modern dial layout that leaves ample breathing room between its elements. The hands are long, lumed batons without tails. The index is an assemblage of infinitesimal blocks, fine lines, and tiny numbers rendered in a lightweight typeface. Prominent, applied numbers at the cardinal hours lend some height, and if you have a loupe, some texture as well. That loupe may also show an imperfection or two on the surface, but I’d note that this is a pre-production piece, and you’d never see it without magnification.
The Ovlo Manston is both simple and striking. It is simple in its clean, open design, and striking in its size: 45mm wide and 52mm long. Honestly, it makes sense because if you were to shrink this watch to 42mm or more commonly these days, 40mm, and try to retain the same proportions on the dial, you wouldn’t be able to read anything but the four main numbers and the logo. Increase the size of the diminutive index, and you’d lose the acres of open space that define this dial.
Shrinking the case would also make it seem thicker. While 12mm is respectably thin for an automatic watch, it can still look pretty stout on a 40mm case, especially with the Manston’s vertical case sides. If you spread that same 12mm thickness across a 45mm diameter case, the result looks relatively lean. Indeed, the Ovlo Manston’s wearability was surprising. I have a small wrist (6.75″), and while the watch undoubtedly filled all the space my arm could give, it was neither ungainly nor uncomfortable.
Sure, it looks large on me because it is. While I’ve worn bigger watches (see the 47mm Graham I reviewed last week), I recognize that when I wear a watch over 42mm, it shifts from “smart casual” to “bold statement.” That’s my wrist, but it would be right at home on someone bigger. I know more than a few guys who have been lamenting the trend toward much smaller watches, and for good reason. I can rock a 36-38mm all day, but if you have an 8″ or 9″ wrist, that is just tiny. Large-wristed folks, rejoice! Ovlo has delivered.
Ovlo offers the watch with black, blue, and white dials in addition to the cream shown here. I’d have preferred a no-date option as the window seems lost in the dial’s broad expanse. This is an everyday watch and, as such, is equipped to handle everyday wear. Water resistance is a useful 100m, and the crystal is AR-coated sapphire. I love the trippy distortions it produces when viewed off-axis.
The Manston’s push-pull crown is appropriately sized and easy to operate. It is signed with the Ovlo “v,” representing a compass pointing 45 degrees east. Bright polish on the bezel and top surfaces contrasts with the short, vertical brushing.
When the lights went out, I was surprised to see the markers light up. They didn’t stay that way for long though, as black lume really only muster so much. You will be forgiven for thinking this is a full-lume dial because the cream color perfectly matches the C3 SuperLuminova on the hands. It is not. That said, the hands did the job just fine.
Inside, beats Miyota 9015 automatic. You can get a gander at it through the sapphire display case back if you like, although the only real decoration is the Ovlo-signed rotor. I have great respect for the accurate, reliable, and smooth (28.8 bph) 9000 series. It’s impossible to wrong with one of these under the hood.
The Manston’s strap is 22mm at both ends, fully stitched, and on this model, a fetching red-brown. Its defining feature is the dual-prong buckle. I’ve never owned a watch with one, and I have to say, it looks kind of cool. The two conjoined tangs make it appear wider, balancing out the size of the case. It’s a welcome change from the more common round frame or Pre-V style buckle I’d normally expect on a watch this size.
The Ovlo Manston is an appealing watch, and with Kickstarter Early Bird pledges to start at £260-270 ($282-293 US), its price is pretty tempting too. Expect full retail to be £330 ($358 US). Its size will certainly be a factor in its success. A few years ago, it would have been right on target; now, it pushes the envelope. Still, I believe the watch market has room for all, and I know there is a substantial contingent who have been hoping for a new, large, smart casual watch just like this. If you are among them, I suggest you head to ovlowatches.com and sign up for early notification.
