Customer Reviews

Roberto Bianci Men's 1879GUN_BLK "Professional Commando" Watch

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I love the look of my new Bianci watch. I had not heard of the brand but after doing some research decided to go for it. The packaging was luxurious. However, the watch did not work when I opened it. I took it to some local jewelers who did not have the right tools for opening the back to change the battery. I finally went to JB Hudson who not only replaced the battery but gave me an evaluation. The watchmaker stated the movement is very good. He had to fix one of the hands as it was out of place. He also said the main connection pin for the band is weak and fell out twice while he was taking out some links. He kinked the main pin so the ban would not detach. Overall he thought it was a very good watch. I love the look, but it should be stated that the actual watch does not look exactly the same as the picture that was posted on amazon. What I liked about the picture was that the bezel was so thin and the crystal went almost to the edge of the case. The watch I received has a marked bezel but it does look great so I did not return it. The picture also shows a red arc on the top half of the face. There is no red arc. Again the watch looks and feels great so I am not going to return it. It was also a great price!

The Roberto Bianci Professional Commando is a great watch. It's precise, well made, can stand up to most abuse, and importantly -- it looks good. It's also not over-the-top super ultra tactical. It comes in a nice pillowed jewelry box, with a 3 year warranty card from Bianci, and possibly the worst instructions I've ever seen. Seriously, the instructions read like they were written in Engrish, and they come on flimsy copy paper that still has the "cut here" markings on it.

First things first -- this is a BIG watch. It has nice weight and heft to it. If you're looking for something slender and lightweight, get a Skagen because this isn't it. But that bulk and weight feels remarkably satisfying, and belies the solid construction of the piece. The links are a solid metal that were not difficult to remove for sizing at any jeweler (I had it done at a random watch store in Ethiopia, and they did it no trouble). The clasp also can be adjusted to three positions (again, with some tools available at any watch store or finer jeweler) that allow for some fine tuning between removing/adding links. The clasp itself also comes with a push-button safety to prevent it from opening from pressure alone.

The bezel moves solidly; the crown is a screw-down type and detents easily. The two timer buttons are responsive and have a satisfying (but not audible) click to them.

My only gripe is that they don't make it entirely clear that this is a Quartz, i.e. battery-powered watch -- it's not self-winding. This is not labeled anywhere on the watch itself, or the instructions, or the packaging. Or, for that matter, Bianci's website as of late Sept. 2011. The only way you'd know is ironically from this Amazon page. My watch came with a dead battery, a minor quirk but one I shouldn't expect from a $200 watch bought brand new.

Overall, I think it's a solid watch, priced well at $200 and probably even worth it at $300 -- but too much over that and you're better off splurging on a Chase Durer Special Forces 1000XL if you can find one on sale.