In our widely read article regarding the Italian watch brands, we have covered Locman watches too. Locman is based on Elba’s isle, the offices located on the seaside, inside the harbor, and a few steps away from the waterfront. Locman, along with the Locman-founded Italian School of Watchmaking, is an independent company capable of making a statement in today’s watchmaking industry. The Montecristo collection is, along with the Stealth, my favorite so far, despite them being so different from each other in either pricing and technical prowess.
The Montecristo product range is the epitome of Locman‘s top craftsmanship, showcasing unusual materials like carbon, for instance (Locman was the first brand to adopt a carbon composite case); they also provide supreme mechanical complications and often house gorgeous mechanical movements. Among them, I’ll pick the Montecristo split-second Chrono, or the beautiful two-counter chronograph powered by a DePa Swiss movement; finally, I love the stunning Montecristo Moon featuring a Lemania 1873, which bonds a vintage mechanical movement with a quintessentially modern-looking case design.
The Locman Montecristo Open Heart is a range extender, based on the Montecristo Chronograph, a three-register chronograph boasting a 44 mil case across, equipped with a Sellita SW 500 caliber and a fully transparent dial, with the disc of the day in full view. The three Chrono registers are raised and blackened out, as it is the case, sporting a PVD treatment on two out of four product options. What always makes any Montecristo stand out is its distinctive case design.
The long, integrated lugs are hollowed; they thus create a two-piece bracelet where the first part is in one-piece with the case, and the second can either come as a silicone or a leather strap. The see-through case back is surrounded by a titanium alloy ring. It’s a pity the brand didn’t opt for a column-wheel operated chronograph movement considering how technically and esthetically refined are the Limited Edition Locman Montecristo watches mentioned above. The PVD-treated case comes in either matte black in blue; they come in 350 pieces, each, to celebrate Locman‘s 35th anniversary in 2020.
The standard Locman Montecristo Open Heart comes in steel and titanium, with silicone or leather strap. I would, no doubt, opt for silicone; also, choosing silicone instead of caoutchouc makes for a softer strap, allowing the watch softly and perfectly wrap around your wrist; even more so, considering how impressive is the Locman chronograph in width as it is in thickness. To sum it up, the Locman Montecristo Open Heart is available in four options: two limited edition models with either a black or a blue PVD treated steel case, retailing for 2,280 Euros; a steel and silicone strap variant priced slightly under 2,000 Euros (1,998 euros) and, finally, the Locman Montecristo Open Heart in steel on a leather strap, priced at 2,068 Euros.
(Photo credit: courtesy of Locman)
Gaetano C @Horbiter®
