Watch Mathey-Tissot D411AV — enchanted looking into the dragon's eye

Wrist Watch

How do you prefer to choose new clothes: walking through a huge mall or online, sitting in your favorite armchair at home? Personally, I do not like to go shopping for a long time, choose, try on. Online is more convenient for me. But there is a risk of making a mistake with the color, size and quality of the goods. Sometimes photographs distort the perception of an object in reality.

So I had when choosing this watch. Looking at the page with Mathey-Tissot novelties, I immediately noticed the D411AV model — their malachite color and conciseness were pleasing to the eye. But it seemed that the watch case was too big for a female model and that the hands were disproportionately small for him. The dry description "diameter 32 mm" and the ruler in the hands suggested to the mind that everything was in order, but the eye could hardly believe.

So when the watch was delivered and I opened the box, I was kind of surprised. In reality, they turned out to be much smaller than they seemed in the photo. The line confirmed everything.

It is possible that the catalog simply depicted a pair - a men's watch Mathey-Tissot H411AV.

The women's model sits well on my narrow wrist (girth 14 cm). The strap is elegant (2 mm thick, 20 mm wide), but solid leather, so it is a little hard: it needs to be spread apart so that it sits comfortably on the hand.

The clasp of the strap, a classic buckle, is very conventional. If you erase the name Mathey-Tissot from it, you get a faceless steel buckle from one Chinese marketplace. This does not spoil my overall (generally pleasant) impression of the watch, but it looks a bit boring - especially compared to the watch itself.

By the way, judging by the smell, the watch cushion in the packing box is also made of genuine leather.

Green is the new black

When I first saw the Mathey-Tissot D411AV on the site, I was literally drawn to their color. There are also black, white, navy blue and brown models in this collection. But this deep green looks best: it is both understated and festive. My wardrobe is dominated by casual-style clothing in basic colors. And such a rich shade brings freshness to office everyday life.

The green color for me, as an “amateur watchmaker”, evokes associations with Christmas decor and the popular floral ornament in the form of leaves of the monstera plant. But my husband, who has a much higher watch in watches, at the sight of this model immediately said: “Oh, mini-Hulk.” Then he explained that he meant the famous green Rolex Submariner. And in general, almost every legendary brand has such a green watch. Here, for example, Rolex Oyster Perpetual 41, TAG Heuer Carrera and Glashütte Original Sixties Green:

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In fact, this color has been in fashion for a long time. “The human eye literally sees more green than any other color,” said Leatrice Eisman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, which selected emerald as the color of the year in 2013.

In the color spectrum, green is between a cold, calm blue and a bright, active yellow. It is believed that green symbolizes harmony, relaxes the nervous system and, looking at it, a person begins to breathe more slowly. I don’t know how true this is, but when I first took this watch in my hands, I meditated for some time, watching the play of light on the dial with a sunburst finish. It's like looking into the eye of a dragon.

Separately, it should be said about the phosphor. From my experience: under an electric lamp it charges weakly. But if you leave it on the windowsill during the day, then from direct sunlight the effect is noticeable after 5 minutes. It shines bright green, although these are just thin lines of lume on the hands and tiny droplets on the marks.

Steel and sapphire

Knowledgeable people say that the appearance of the watch is a secondary matter. Much more important is the durability of the case and the accuracy of the movement. And Mathey-Tissot D411AV is all right with this - I boldly put a solid 4. The case is made of polished stainless steel. I do not argue, it will be great to collect scratches, but it can be polished and the watch will last a long time. The sapphire glass is durable, will not break from an awkward wave of the hand and will definitely not be scratched. The shape is flat, does not thicken the body.

The shape of the case is concise - rather simple outlines, without complications. There are no sharp lines, the edges are smoothed. Clear lines can be seen only in the elements on the dial: hour markers in the form of a trihedral prism with pointed tips, a rectangular frame on the date aperture.

However, their severity is balanced by the rounded font of the three-dimensional numerals of the hour mark “12” (there are no other numbers on the dial) and graceful petal-shaped hands that support plant associations in the design. The second hand bears the MT logo, which at a glance can be mistaken for a Mercedes badge or a Pacific sign.

I looked meticulously with a magnifying glass: the arrows are absolutely flat, made without flaws. And all overhead elements are glued evenly, which is excellent for a watch of this price category.

The logo is engraved on the crown with small laser engraving. And on the back cover too - almost half the case. And in small print the name of the company, the model number and the utilitarian information in a circle that this is a steel Swiss waterproof watch. By the way, the moisture resistance is 50WR - you can fearlessly wash your hands, walk in the rain, even if it floods under your sleeve while holding an umbrella, but you should not take a shower or dive.

The calendar

In the age of dependence on gadgets, it is very convenient to see the calendar on an analog watch (with a smart watch, for example, there is a high risk of reaching for a smartphone and checking incoming messages). The date digit is not very large, but it is easy to read. The aperture is framed by a silver overlaid rectangle - everything is as simple and functional as possible, without frills, but neat.

For the first time, I paid attention to the recommendations highlighted in bold in the instructions: “It is strictly forbidden to make an accelerated date adjustment in the period from 21:00 to 4:00. This may break the calendar." This is because the change in the readings of the number does not occur instantly, but gradually. Therefore, if your clock does not live in today, then it is better to translate the date before this interval. But how to understand by the 12-hour dial, it shows 9:00 or 21:00, so as not to break the mechanism?

Life hack: pull the crown so that it clicks twice - this will be the third position.

Now set the clockwork time to 7-8 hours. Then, in the second position of the crown (fast date change), set to “yesterday”: if today is the 15th, put the 14th. Then return to the third position again and turn the hands until today's date is up, and then set the exact time. By the way, this model has a function to stop the second hand when setting the time, that is, the time can be set as accurately as possible.

The filling is simple but reliable

This three-hand switch works on a Swiss-made Ronda 585 h6 quartz movement. I have read reviews of the Ronda and in general they are said to be simple but reliable and durable. Specifically, this Ronda model complies with the Swiss NIHS 91-10 shock resistance standard: the movement must withstand a fall of a watch on a wooden floor from a height of 1 meter, and at the same time not stop, break or go astray for more than 2 seconds per day. These specifications do not apply to case glass.

It must be understood that this clockwork is not an ideal of accuracy: the maximum error, as they promise, is no more than -10/+20 seconds per month. I thought: “Anyway, every couple of months you need to sum up the date. During this time, more than a minute will not run away. However, on the Mathey-Tissot H411AV, the second hand only hits exactly between the marks. The minute hand falls short of the 12 mark by a hair's breadth when the second hand points to 12:00.

According to the instructions for the watch, the battery life is 2 years, although the description of the movement says about 38 months of battery life. In general, the declared “swiss made” quality is fully justified by the watch. However, delving into the origin of the brand is a separate interest.

Brand Pedigree

The watch box says that Mathey-Tissot was founded in 1886. It seemed strange to me that the Swiss with more than a century of history are not being sold for a six-figure price. deepened.
The company's website says that its history began with a workshop in a mountain village, where Edmond Mate-Tiso created watches so technically beautiful and complex that they received many prizes and awards. In 1914, his watch set the record for precision in fractions of a second at the Kew Royal Observatory competition.

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Wealthy nobles, jewelers, well-known watch houses and the military departments of England and the USA ordered watches from the master. Due to the growing demand, a large factory was built at the end of the 19th century, the peak of production in which fell on the Second World War.

And in the second half of the 20th century there was a "quartz revolution". The new technology made watches cheaper to manufacture and popular with buyers. The market for complex and expensive mechanics was seriously shaken - Swiss companies went bankrupt one after another. The Mathey-Tissot brand has changed 18 owners.

The current owner, Geneva Watch Corp, bought the Mathey-Tissot brand in 2006 and revived the historic spirit and tradition of Swiss manufacturing. So far, the modern Mathey-Tissot produces its own calibers only in limited editions, for exhibitions, taking the development of the former manufactory as a basis. In the production of serial watches, Swiss movements of other manufacturers are used and they are assembled by hand in the Swiss city of Chiasso.

Respect for what

  • You can wear it with anything: with jeans, with a little black dress, with office clothes. The case is thin and does not interfere even under the cuff of the shirt.
  • The style is classic, not binding. It's not dull black and white.
  • The quality is solid, in general, it justifies the swiss made inscription on the dial, which inspires respect for the brand.
  • They do not require winding and are quite accurate for their price.
  • Beautiful design nuances: logo on the second hand and crown, lume on thin petal hands, beautiful pointed trihedral markers, and the deep emerald color itself.

If I have something to criticize this model for, it is for an uninteresting buckle and an inaccurate hit of the second hand.

To whom would I recommend this model?

The manufacturer himself calls this model "urban". Without claiming to be an expert, I would recommend to young women from 20 to 40 years old.

Purposeful, who have many tasks during the day and who cares about timing without being distracted by instant messengers.

Who appreciates work-life balance and strives to devote time not only to work tasks, but also to meetings with friends, dates and just cultural leisure: these watches can be put on in the morning for work, and in the evening they can go to rest.

Who appreciates things for functionality and reliability, and not for the label.

And those who like to plant trees and shrubs in the office and apartment to surround themselves with wildlife.