When I was first asked to try the Vintro Le Mans 1952 Automatic, I was a bit skeptical. A top quality watch from a Kickstarter campaign? Surely, this is impossible. But from the moment I touched the sturdy, stainless steel case, I knew I’d gotten my hands on a well-engineered timepiece.
So how does the Vintro compare to other microbrand watches we’ve looked at? Let’s take a deeper dive into this little wonder.
It All Starts With the Movement
This watch features a Sea-Gull ST1940 movement, which is a newer variant of the Venus 175, a respected Swiss movement. The Venus 175 was developed between 1940 and 1960 by Swiss watchmaker Fabrique d’Ebauches Venus. In the 1960s, Venus needed to raise money to develop a new movement, so they sold the rights to the 175 to the Chinese Airforce.
Since then, several versions of the Venus 175 have been released commercially. These include the ST1940, which maintains the 175’s original column-wheel chronograph, making it as rugged and reliable as the old-school Swiss design it’s based on.
Is this the best movement on the market? It’s not the same caliber as you’ll find on certain boutique watches. But it’s one of the most reliable, accurate commercially-available movements, a great choice on Vintro’s part and a solid start to their build.
The Watch Face
The Le Mans 1952 has a dial that would be too busy if it used large markings. Thankfully, the numbers and hash marks on the scala are printed in a fine, elegant font that’s easy to read.
Vintro has also done a good job of ensuring that more important features are more visible. For example, the 12 and 6 o’clock markings on the primary scala are printed in bold, black numbers, while the stopwatch scala is a tiny red band with minuscule, fine numbers.
The main watch dial has sharp, pointed hour and minute hands for high visibility. A slender, long stopwatch hand rests at the 12 o’clock position when it’s not in use, and a smaller complication at the 9 o’clock position features a miniature second hand that runs continuously. There’s also a 30-minute counter for timing everyday tasks.
All of this is housed in a rugged stainless steel case that’s exceptionally tightly engineered. This watch is water resistant down to 100 meters, which is more than most you’ll see on the market.
The Crystal
One thing I appreciated about the Vintro was the crystal. This watch features a stunning, crystal-clear sapphire lens which provides an undistorted view of the watch dial at any reasonable angle.
It’s also multi-coated both inside and out, which cuts down significantly on glare. This is a nice touch from a first-time watchmaker, since many manufacturers only coat the outside of their lens, leaving the inner surface prone to glare.
The Crown & Pushers
No digital watch can even come close to the beauty of a well-designed analog watch. But there’s one thing they typically do better; they’re easy to control.
The Le Mans 1952 Automatic Watch comes as close to that ease of use as I’ve seen on an old-school timepiece.
The central crown is used to set the time. Pull it out and twist to make any adjustments, and push it back into place when you’re done. The top button starts and stops the stopwatch. The bottom button returns the stopwatch hand to 12 o’clock to keep it out of the way. And that’s it. No complex adjustments of any kind.
The Extras
A watch isn’t just a case and a watch face. It’s a complete package, and you want some high-quality extras to go along with your designer watch.
The Le Mans 1942 comes with a tanned or deep blue top grain leather watchband, along with a slick black PU leather storage box and a matching business card holder. I could take or leave the box, but the watch band in particular is very well-made, with fine stitching and a smooth, suede-like feel. All Vintro watches include a 2-year manufacturer’s warranty.
The Inspiration
Inspiration is cheap. Designers like to talk about it because it’s a nice way to fill marketing brochures, but it doesn’t actually tell you much, which is why it’s at the bottom of my list in terms of importance. That said, it’s still nice to know where the watchmaker is coming from.
For Vintro, it’s all about the quality of Swabian engineering. Their founder, a watch enthusiast named Uli, is also a fan of racing. Two of his heroes are Hermann Lang and Fritz Riess, the German racing team who won the 1952 24-hour LeMans race in their Mercedes 300SL. His aim is to produce watches with the same unparalleled quality as their classic racing machine.
Did he succeed? He’s certainly come close. The 1952 Vintro Le Mans is a high-quality timepiece, a fine beginning to any watchmaker’s collection.
For more specs and information on the 1952 Le Mans head over to the official Vintro website here.
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