The world of Swiss watches is incredibly diverse. Top-level brands create models worth tens, hundreds of thousands, and even millions of Swiss francs. This is a kind of showcase, or, perhaps, more precisely, an exhibition of the achievements of Haute Horlogerie, originally from Switzerland.
Other brands base their activities on more prosaic principles, solving a task that seems simpler, but in fact is far from elementary - to combine the original Swiss watchmaking quality, timeless elegance and affordable prices, while creating an effective international distribution network.
Continental more than deserves to be considered one of the examples of a watch brand of this kind.
A bit of history
The centennial anniversary of this brand is not far off. Its corporate logo reads: SWISS MADE SINCE 1924. On September 13 of that year, the Continental watch brand was registered in one of the capitals of the Swiss and the world watch industry - the town of La Chaux-de-Fonds. True, the true history of the brand is even longer: the Continental Watch Co trademark has been known since 1881, when the master Julien Galle began producing high-quality pocket watches in the same La Chaux-de-Fonds, which were profitably exported to America.
Throughout the 20th century, the brand enjoyed increasing recognition, although it did not escape a number of dramatic situations associated with the “quartz crisis” of the 1970s. and internal personnel problems of the 1990s. The brand has changed a number of owners, at one time it was part of the very famous SSIH group, and then - in the EVACO holding, based in the town of Mölin in northern Switzerland, near the border with Germany. As a result, all crises are in the past. Today EVACO bears the name of EST SWISS TIME GmbH, and Continental is its main asset.
present day
Continental continues to move forward, remaining faithful to the credo chosen once and for all. Continental watches are in good demand on all continents, thus justifying both their name and the stylized image of the globe on the logo. In addition to this image, the dials of all Continental models are marked with Sapphire markings (watches of this brand are equipped only with sapphire crystals) and, of course, proud Swiss Made.
Continental watches are powered by precise and reliable Swiss ETA and Ronda calibers, either mechanical or quartz, with stainless steel cases, coated or uncoated. The Continental brand book is very extensive, but at the same time it is so logically systematized that there are only four collections in it: Gents (men's watches), Ladies (women's), Multifunction & Chronograph (models of complex configurations) and Pairwatches (watch "duets", for Him and for Her - good marketing move!
Today the focus of our attention is a model from the Gents collection.
First impression
Let's start, oddly enough, with the packaging. However, it is not particularly strange: after all, in order to pick up the watch as such, you must first remove it from the box ...
And the box makes a very favorable impression. Rather, there are two boxes, both branded. Inside the outer, white color, there is an instruction manual with a description of the history of the brand and a Continental warranty card (international warranty for 2 years), and a second box in a noble wood-like color. Here in it, as expected, on a pillow - a watch.
Perfectly round case, universal 41 mm, bicolor bezel (quite thin) with rose gold PVD coating. With the same coating - fluted crown and part of the links of the five-row bracelet. The latter is similar in layout to the Rolex Jubilee. By texture - not to say that it somehow especially caressed the hand, but it does not cause discomfort. In terms of weight, the watch feels quite normal on the hand, which was also confirmed by weighing on electronic scales: 145 g. It is easy to adjust the length of the bracelet to fit your wrist, that is, shorten it by several links. On the first four links of both halves of the bracelet, on the inside, there are arrows showing in which direction the pins should be pressed out. However, this is an amateur ... It is best to trust all the same to professionals who have simple, but, nevertheless, special tools.
Gaze
The same bicolor on the silver dial with gold accents: stroke marks, Arabic "12", edging of the date window at the 3 o'clock position, delta-shaped hour and minute hands, thin seconds (all are central). The hands seem to be luminescent, but we'll check that later... The 60-minute scale is applied to the inside of the bezel (it is, of course, 60-second).
The inscriptions on the dial are almost exhaustive: as mentioned above, this is a corporate logo, Swiss Made and Sapphire markings, and even Automatic - our sample is mechanical. All these markings are made on overhead nameplates - it looks stylish. Why "almost exhaustive"? Yes, because there is, as we said, a suspicion about the luminescence of the hands, and it is typical for watches with more or less decent water resistance. There is nothing about the latter on the dial. Well, maybe the designers decided not to overload the dial, not to divert attention from its surface as such. It is two-level, the central part is occupied by an elegant guilloche Clous de Paris - “Parisian nails”. Perhaps this is the main thing that gives the model individuality, makes her face recognizable.
As for water protection, we learn about it by turning the watch back to ourselves: 100 meters are indicated, you can safely swim and even dive, but not too deep and not too long - the model is still not a diving one. Yes, there are watches in the Continental Gents family that are very similar to diving (and even Rolex-compliant), but our sample is a typical “suit” (a watch suitable for a strict business dress code).
Returning to the back cover, we note that the glass, also sapphire, is decorated with the same stylized image of the globe. And under the glass - the mechanism.
What's inside and how it works
Inside there is an automatic mechanism that can be called the standard of reliability: ETA 2824-2, which first entered the market 40 years ago and has not lost its relevance to this day. In what only three clocks with a date it is not installed, from models of the "high segment" to absolutely affordable! 25 jewels, 28800 vibrations per hour, Incabloc shock protection, Glucydur balance, Nivarox coil. Claimed power reserve of 38 hours - check. Accuracy is not necessarily chronometric; so, when adjusting Standard, the maximum daily error is ± 30 sec. Let's look at a specific example.
For these impromptu tests, with the clock completely at rest, it will take: a) exactly a day after setting the exact time signal, and b) some more (to be determined) until it stops completely. In passing, we note: the head is comfortable, rotates gently, 18 revolutions are enough for a full manual winding, then the resistance increases noticeably - and it is not necessary through force! Extended by one click - we correct the date, by two clicks - we set the arrows, and the “stop second” is triggered.
And until the right time has passed, we find a dark place and inspect the arrows for luminescence. So it is - they glow, quite distinctly.
Results
… A day has passed. The clock went ahead by 7-8 seconds. (I can't tell for sure without special equipment). The requirements for a chronometer according to the COSC standards (-4 / +6) are a little short, but still the result should be considered very good: after all, when adjusting the ETA 2824-2 according to the Top class - just one gradation below the chronometric one - the daily rate error must fit into ±15 sec. And we have +7, it pleases. Although, most likely, the mechanism is adjusted according to the Elabore class - in three positions, the nominal accuracy is just ± 7 seconds per day, the maximum allowable is ± 20. In general, with the accuracy of the course, everything is fine.
… Arrows stopped. Their position shows that since the moment of full winding, the mechanism has worked (with extremely minor intervention of the self-winding mechanism) for almost 42 hours. This is with the declared 38! Well, that's great.
Final result
We reviewed solid Swiss watches, without pretensions to "super luxury", but quite worthy both in terms of quality (both from the technical side and in terms of design - by the way, implemented with impeccable accuracy, without any negligence), and price, which is in the region of 600-700 euros. And so - and in terms of price / quality ratio. According to its genre, the model is a classic "suit" - a three-handler, which stands out from a number of its "brothers" with its elegant performance, which makes it appropriate to go out.
The review assumes that, for the sake of objectivity, deficiencies will also be identified. Well, let's find fault: swimming and diving in this watch would be an outright eccentricity, and therefore the 100-meter water resistance of the case seems redundant here. But if it already exists, it would be nice to make the crown screwed. However, these are rather minor details - no one forces you to swim in Continental Gents, it is voluntary ...
