The Visconti W115 Abyssus Full-Dive Inox watch hands-on

The Italian art of horlogerie is usually associated with the city of Florence, a fact confirmed by last century’s historical events, which saw the birth of legendary brands like Panerai – later acquired by the Richemont Group – and more recent independent manufacturers like Giuliano Mazzuoli.

These watch companies have long represented our very own traditions and style, and, except for very rare cases such as Terra Cielo Mare, Tuscany is still considered the Italian region that best aligns with the concept of Silicon Valley for start-up horlogerie brands (among which is  Locman).

Visconti has been a well-known brand for the last 25 years, mainly thanks to its writing tools.

Still, in 2015, the company also decided to enter the world of mechanical watches by launching collections of sports timepieces that revive the old Italian passion for this niche market.

Despite the recent economic crisis, the passion for sports watches has never disappeared in Italy, and that’s why, in the last few years, many Italian men have become key figures in the most well-known Swiss haute-horlogerie brands.

Nowadays, entering the market of mechanical watches can be quite a dangerous move; those who purchase luxury timepieces place particular importance on the value of a brand, and the risk of manufacturers becoming a one-hit wonder in this niche market is very high, as a few strong and renowned brands have recently experienced on their own skin.

This phenomenon is also because watch fans are increasingly looking for original timepieces, customised items produced on a small scale that completely clash with the idea of mass-produced, popular items (or “bespoke items,” as people would say, using a word coined on Jermyn Street).

Brands specialised in producing niche timepieces need access to significant financial resources, and unless they belong to one of the few existing luxury groups, securing them is quite difficult.

Visconti decided to opt for a completely different path, something they consider “an adventure”; in my opinion, their mission is to create items with a particularly strong flair that, aesthetically speaking, represent some “style statement”.

Rather than being technical wonders, these items have the advantage of being easily recognisable among the countless timepieces currently on the market.

The Visconti W115 Abyssus Full-Dive Inox is one of the entry-level models in the collection of divers’ watches, a specific kind of timepiece that has always fascinated me and is widely discussed on Horbiter (a couple of days ago, I wrote about a professional diver’s watch crafted by Seiko).

This specific category of timepieces represents the real challenge for manufacturers; to look credible, companies need to craft items that professional scuba divers can actually use and that offer more than their competitors’ creations.

Visconti has decided to reinterpret the classic automatic diver’s watch with three counters by combining three distinct concepts: a strong case made of AISI316L, a winding crown at 4 o’clock that may be an homage to the Japanese watchmaking school, and reliable Swiss mechanical technology.

The latter is guaranteed by the presence of the evergreen ETA2824-2 calibre, an automatic movement running at 4Hz that is probably the most widely used in the world (definitely in Europe).

Visconti’s last ingredient for success is what we call “the Italian style”: the natural ability to lend elegance and personality to any item, something that, if made elsewhere, would be considered “extremely aseptic” and “plain”.

In this particular case, I am not referring to the original and beautiful shades of green that have been used on this timepiece but rather to the crafting of the case; it is one of the strengths of this watch, and I am saying that from an engineer’s perspective and from a collector’s and fan’s point of view too.

The original steel block used to craft the case has been skillfully machined with CNC milling machines, resulting in a continuous sequence of concave, convex, brushed, and polished surfaces. These small and large rays pay homage to an Italian patented item that is now widely used everywhere: the Allen screw.

If I were to summarise my impressions in one sentence, I would say that the Visconti W115 Abyssus Full-Dive Inox is the Italian interpretation of a Japanese diver’s watch.

The architecture of this timepiece definitely draws inspiration from Japanese engineering; examples include the crown at 4 o’clock and the sturdy construction that makes this watch waterproof to a depth of 1,000 metres, even though it has no helium release valve.

The Visconti W115 Abyssus Full-Dive Inox is much closer to a real diver’s watch or an ISO- or JIS-compliant timepiece (though there’s no confirmation of such certification), and it clearly represents Italian state-of-the-art in diver’s watches.

Its wearability and finish are of the highest level: the case is not paired with an “accordion strap” but rather with a Nubuk leather one featuring green stitching and a comfortable buckle.

It is not a typical diver’s watch strap, and it clearly shows Visconti’s willingness to craft something different from a tool-watch, something that can be worn daily.

If you are a professional scuba diver and would like to use this timepiece in the sea, I would suggest looking for a different strap, since, as far as I know, the only alternative available for the Visconti W115 Abyssus Full-Dive Inox is an identical strap with a folding clasp.

The black dial sports a central plaque with green writing that states “Abyssus 1000 metri” (Abyssus 1,000 metres), and the baton hour-markers are crafted from a bright green glowing material.

Both the hour hands and the 12-hour mark are filled with green, glowing material, and they sport Arabic numerals, a choice that reminds me of the California dials that were very popular in the US in the 50s and 60s.

I am still not aware of what the retail price of the Visconti W115 Abyssus Full-Dive Inox is, and I would love to be able to provide you with this piece of information to give you a full evaluation of this timepiece, but, unfortunately, I am not in a position to do so just yet.

For the time being, I can only say that, given the brand’s position in the market and the design and craftsmanship of the Visconti W115 Abyssus Full-Dive Inox, it is clear the brand is aiming to enter the premium horlogerie market with an extremely original product.

This is a limited-edition timepiece with interesting technical features. To achieve a higher degree of refinement, I recommend that Visconti replace the current calibre with a Soprod– or Concepto-built one.