Aerowatch Renaissance 7 Time Zones Watch Review
The Aerowatch Renaissance 7 Time Zones simultaneously displays the local time as well as the prevailing time in six of the world’s major cities. Angus Davies gets hands-on and shares his thoughts.
A watch that multitasks
As a child, I vividly recall my mother serving Sunday lunch. The pans would contain boiling vegetables, the beef needed carving and the roast potatoes would spatter hot fat everywhere. In her stressful state she would often scream, ‘I only have one pair of hands’.
People, and indeed most watches, only have one pair of hands, but the Renaissance 7 Time Zones by Aerowatch has a plethora of hands and is capable of clearly imparting information in seven time zones simultaneously. Mindful of my mother’s words, I was curious to discover the secret to this timepiece’s enviable capacity to multitask.
Aerowatch Renaissance 7 Time Zones dial
The local hour and minutes are conveyed with blued Breguet hands. They interface with black Roman numerals, denoting the hours and exuding an air of tradition. The hour markers are presented on a smooth circlet, detailed with various city names, including London, Moscow, Dubai, Beijing, Tokyo and New York.
The time in each of these cities is presented on a total of six snailed subdials, each employing a lone blued hand to impart the prevailing hour in each locale. Clous de Paris adorns the central area of the dial, augmenting the sumptuous feel of this timepiece. A pushpiece at 10 o’clock advances the local hour in one-hour increments when travelling from one timezone to another. The local time, together with the time in the six aforementioned cities, is adjusted with the crown at 3 o’clock.
Encircling the dial, the chapter ring is neatly marked with black strokes, aiding the wearer to read-off the minutes when observing the local time. There is an abundance of information and detail delivered with this dial but it never appears cluttered and its legibility is exemplary.
Aerowatch Renaissance 7 Time Zones case
The satin-finished case measures 44 mm in diameter but somehow appears smaller when worn. Its proportions proffer a welcome neatness and the short lug design guides the strap downwards to encircle the wrist comfortably.
The depth of the watch is not unduly great, allowing the watch to nestle happily beneath a shirt cuff. The dial sits beneath a domed sapphire crystal. The rear of the case features a pane of sapphire crystal, affording views of the hand-wound mechanical movement within.
Aerowatch Renaissance 7 Time Zones movement
The hand-wound movement is instantly recognisable as a Unitas calibre, now termed the ETA 6497-1 and measuring 16.5 lignes. Aerowatch has developed its own module for the display of seven time zones, affirming its technical prowess.
The Swiss watch brand from Saignelégier has heavily embellished the movement with circular Côtes de Genève motif on the bridges, blued screws and circular graining on both the main-plate and bridges.
An area of particular note is the rose gold plated ratchet and crown wheel which are open-worked and feature a spiral-shaped motif. The bridges have delightful straight edges which evince a contemporary character. This is a very handsome movement courtesy of the enhancements performed by Aerowatch. The balance has a frequency of 18,000 vph (2.5 Hz) and the movement contains 17 jewels.
Aerowatch Renaissance 7 Time Zones – closing thoughts
The Aerowatch Renaissance 7 Time Zones delivers a refreshing alternative to the commonplace GMTs and Worldtimers which dominate the catalogue of most brands. Indeed, this watch confers a degree of individuality seldom seen elsewhere.
In its pursuit of individuality, Aerowatch has not blindly ignored the prerequisite of lucidity. Indeed, this is a watch equipped with a simple to read dial that proffers the amenity of displaying the time in six key cities in addition to the local time.
Aerowatch has beautifully upgraded the movement, equipping it with its own module and embellishing it with its own very agreeable finishing.
Before seeing the Renaissance 7 Time Zones watch, I had never physically held an Aerowatch in my hands before and I am pleased to report that I was not disappointed. Indeed, based on this impressive performance, I hope to review further models from this family-owned watch company in the near future.
Technical specification
- Model: Aerowatch Renaissance 7 Time Zones
- Case: stainless steel; diameter 44 mm; water resistant to 5 bar (50 metres); sapphire crystal to front and case back.
- Functions: hours & minutes (local time); Hours (6 different locales)
- Movement: ETA 6497-1; hand-wound movement; frequency 18,000 vph (2.5 Hz); 17 jewels
- Strap: black leather strap with customised steel folding clasp