Davosa Ternos Ceramic - quick review

**whatmeworry** · Sep 19, 2015, 12:40 PM

I bought this on Thursday in an Amazon Lightning Deal that knocked 36% off the RRP and made it impossible to resist. It arrived today and it's fair to say that I'm very happy with it. I tend to go back and forth on homage watches, but can't get away from loving the Submariner and, given that I can't afford one, there have rarely been occasions when I haven't had at least one Sub homage in my collection. The appeal of the Submariner style for me is partly it's classic good looks and partly the 40mm size which suits my small wrist well. From memory I've owned 2 Invicta 8926s, 3 Alpha Subs, an Orient Sub and a Marcello-C Nettuno. The Davosa is nicer than any of those.
The feature list is what you'd expect - 40mm case, solid end link oyster bracelet, unidirectional bezel, sapphire crystal and an ETA 2824 inside. What sets the Davosa apart is the feeling of quality and attention to detail that infuses every part of it.
The ceramic bezel is beautiful and catches the light in a really beguiling way - looked at straight on it's a kind of charcoal grey but from other angles it's the same inky black as the dial. That dial, by the way, is gorgeous: glossy and rich like the one on my Explorer, it draws the eye,especially when contrasted against the bezel. Whereas the ceramic changes colour depending on how the light hits it, the dial is only ever a deep midnight black. The printing is crisp and fairly subtle (although they have got "Swiss" on there twice just in case you forget) and the applied indices are perfectly sized. A 10x loupe reveals that the lume is a little unevenly applied, but to the naked eye it looks lovely. The hands are standard Mercedes ones as you'd expect, but are well proportioned and finished. The cyclops is SUPERB and makes the date pop out at you. Personally I like a date magnifier if it's well done, and this one is very well done, easily the best I've had. I know many dislike them, but on the Ternos I see this as a very visible example of the care that has been taken to deliver a quality piece.
The case and bracelet are solid and well finished. The quality of the machining on everything seems excellent - that gorgeous fat crown is a joy to use and the 120 click bezel is solid with no play at all, but easy to turn. Screwed bracelets always scare me after a dreadful experience resizing a Sinn, but the screws on the Ternos came out and went back in again without a single squeaky bum moment.
So far I don't think there is single thing I don't like about this watch, the only place it has still to prove itself is in the timekeeping department, which I will report back on at a later date.

IMG_2747.JPG by Olly Clarke, on Flickr

IMG_2748.JPG by Olly Clarke, on Flickr

IMG_2743.JPG by Olly Clarke, on Flickr

IMG_2742.JPG by Olly Clarke, on Flickr

IMG_2741.JPG by Olly Clarke, on Flickr

IMG_2740.JPG by Olly Clarke, on Flickr

IMG_2739.JPG by Olly Clarke, on Flickr

IMG_2749.JPG by Olly Clarke, on Flickr