Capri is an island that does not need any further presentations, it is a state-town located in the Gulf of Naples that is visited by American tourists (many of them) and Arab princes, who invite the band Duran Duran for their wedding reception in a unique atmosphere. You will find a more beautiful sea and white beaches elsewhere, but the magic of this island and its history, that involves personalities like Jacqueline Kennedy and Mr. Agnelli, make it quite unique.
What does Capri have to do with Horbiter®? I am a Neapolitan, I am Milanese by adoption, and I devote at least four weekends every year to this island, which I visit so often that I decided to dedicate the section “Capri by Horbiter®” to the island itself; a game that has become both a habit and a blog section, because Capri is perfect for every watch and it comes quite natural to associate the Blue Grotto‘s color to many watches out there.
Eberhard & Co. donated us a Scafograf GMT, the version with a second time zone of the Scafograf; the diver’s timepiece of the brand that won the 2016 award as “the best sports watch” at the GPHG in Geneva. For all those of you, who have grown up with the Extra–Fort and the Chrono 4, it’s fair to remember that the Scafograf is not a new name in the brand’s history, but rather the testament to Eberhard & Co‘s contribution to the development of the diver’s watch since the beginning of the 70s. If you have one of these timepieces, make sure that you take a look at the vintage market’s quotations as they are definitely interesting and constantly growing.
The original Scafograf shares the same dial with the new Eberhard & Co. Scafograf GMT: big baton-shaped applied indexes and a central second hand with rectangular-shaped tip. The difference is that the current timepiece does not sport propeller-shaped lugs, but rather four straight lugs that taper further in the area where they join the steel bracelet with a retractable clasp and a Déclic patent to ensure it never snaps off; it is a bit annoying because it slightly pinches the inside of the wrist.
However, this may be a matter of adjustments. The revolving bezel, which, together with arrow-shaped orange counter, allows to measure up to three different time zones, is a tiny masterpiece in itself, both when it comes to the quality of the ceramic insert and the engraved numbers and the great feeling it transmits when you turn it to both directions. It is very soft and tightly attached to the case, its opaque blue colour tends to easily change from a blue-gray shade to a deep blue shade; you simply need to find the right light inclination.
The timepiece is thin too, because of the very compact automatic calibre it is equipped with; the Eberhard & Co Scafograf GMT is a well-built sports watch with a simple and familiar architecture, a good and solid construction quality, a range of use that goes beyond that of the Scafograf, and a positioning that falls below the 3000 euro psychological threshold. This is quite an achievement and something almost unheard of when it comes to a steel GMT bearing an important brand logo on its dial.
(Photo credit: Horbiter®’s proprietary photo-shooting)
Gaetano C @Horbiter®
