On the wrist, the Davosa Titanium Chronograph watch is a large 48.5mm wide and just 11.5mm thick. The wide lugs make the case feel even larger but the fit is comfortable. With that said, the watch is going to look large on most all wrists – which is the design theme that Davosa is most likely going for.
In addition to the wide, tapering leather strap, Davosa claims that all of the Davosa Titanium Chronograph watches come with an additional leather strap in a brown tone, as well as a rubber strap. So that is three straps with the watch – a pretty nice bonus, along with an included strap-changing tool. The straps are thick and a bit stiff, but soft to the touch and quite comfortable. Davosa even has a custom signed strap buckle.
Perhaps the most controversial design element on the Davosa Titanium Chronograph is the bezel. Offered in titanium or PVD-black coated titanium, the bezel is clearly inspired by Genta’s Audemars Piguet Royal Oak design. There is just no getting around that. Rather than the typical eight screws of the Royal Oak bezel, Davosa decided it didn’t want to venture that close to “possible design infringement” territory and gave the titanium chronograph 12 screws. In a sense, that is logical since the screws do line up with the hour markers. However, it does leave the bezel looking a bit cluttered. The bezel looks nice and works, even if it doesn’t have as much visual refinement as some of the stuff that helped inspire it.
While the Davosa Titanium Chronograph dial isn’t totally unique, it isn’t a clear emulation of anything else. Here, Davosa uses a nice assortment of tried and true design elements which work together for a harmonious dial that is also easy to read. Davosa offers a few versions of the dial including the limited edition carbon fiber dial, as well as this gray dial with black subdials, and also a black dial with gray subdials. At least the latter two both have their own form of “panda dial” look.
A close look at the Davosa Titanium Chronograph dial reveals some nice details. The face itself is textured with inner concentric rings and applied hour makers that themselves have applied lume. I like the hour markers because their polished planes are very flat so the polish does not result in annoying reflectivity. The same applies to the hands – which are polished, but very flat so as not to create legibility problems. It also helps that, other than the hands and hour markers, the entire dial (and most of the case, for that matter) is more or less matte. You really only have a bit of gloss on the slightly recessed subdials. As always, the hint of red on the dial seems to work pretty well.
Dial hands are well-sized, and the proportions of the dial work. Not everyone will love the position of the date window, but it doesn’t overlap anything, and without it too much of the functionality of the 7750 would be taken away.
The all-black ref. 161.506.85 version of the Davosa Titanium Chronograph with the carbon fiber dial is the limited edition version (of 333 pieces) and costs 51 euros more than the three non-limited edition models for a total of 1,798 euros in price. That extra money gets you an entirely black-coated case as well as the carbon fiber dial. The non-limited edition versions include the 161.503.55 with no PVD coating on the case and a black dial, the ref. 161.505.55 with a black bezel and black dial, as well as this (reviewed) ref. 161.505.15 version with the black bezel and gray dial. Price for each is 1,698 euros (about $1,817 at the time of writing). davosa.com
Necessary Data
>Brand: Davosa
>Model: Titanium Chronograph ref. 161.505.15
>Price: 1,698 Euros
>Size: 48.5mm wide
>Would reviewer personally wear it: Yes.
>Friend we’d recommend it to first: Watch guy less interested in big names and more interested in experiencing a variety of styles which happens to include large sporty chronograph watches.
>Best characteristic of watch: Solid execution and value for the money. Legible dial and impressive detailing.
>Worst characteristic of watch: Could easily be too large for many wrists. Bezel design looks cluttered with so many screws. Could benefit from a model name with more personality.
