We have reviewed of AVI-8 watches before and some of the watches really stood out in terms of quality and also looks. The best AVI-8 watch we had so far was the AVI-8 1920s Centenary watch. If you have not read the review and watched the unboxing, we definitely encourage you to do so. Today we have another AVI-8 watch and this is the AVI-8 Hawker Harrier II AV 4055. So will their latest launch triumphed over our in-house favourite, the 1920s Centenary?

Hawker Harrier II AV 4055

The watch we are going to review today is the AV 4055-03. So before we review the watch in detail, let’s find out more about the features of the watch.

Case: 45mm x 12mm in Stainless Steel

Lens: Mineral glass with a slight domed

Dial: Coloured layered dial with applied Index

Strap: Genuine leather strap with black lining with 22mm in width.

Movement: Quartz – Date / Day. VX43 – Japanese Miyota

Water Resistance: 5ATM

Hawker Harrier II AV 4055 Unboxing

First Impression of the Hawker Harrier II AV 4055

When we first opened the box, the watch did not attract our eyes straight away. It blended in with the green colour interior of the box and the only feature that stood out was the silver fixed bezel and the quite large crown. That being said, when we started looking at the watch closer, the dial slowly grabs your attention.

Case

The size of the casing is 45mm and that is the largest dial we’ve ever had. It is definitely quite large and does take a lot of space of the wrist. The 12mm thickness does help to make the watch stand out a bit more of the wrist, but we’d have to say that a thicker width would suit the dial even more.

The 316L stainless steel casing goes well with the watch and the silver colour is a must for this watch. As most features on the watch is in a green colour, the silver bezel, crown and lug makes sure not everything is lost.

The lugs are also quite large on the watch and very visible. It is definitely an interesting size for the watch and it gives it a bolder and rougher look to the watch, reflecting the Hawker Harrier aircraft.

The crown has been given a teeth cut design and has the RAF roundel. However, the only downfall on the crown is that there is a lack of colour. We’d love to the a colour RAF roundel.

The back casing with AVI-8 watches is always something artistic and very appealing. We first say this with the AVI-8 Flyboy Lafayette and the Hawker Harrier II AV 4055 did not disappoint. A picture of a Hawker Harrier aircraft has been engraved and it immaculate and something really astonishing!

The lens used is crystal clear and the slight domed on the lens is not noticeable. We do see why the domed has been used, just to give the casing a better shape, a more attractive shape, rather than just being flat.

Dial

The one feature which will attract your eyes straight away is the diagonal day register display. If you are a fan of AVI-8 watches, you’d probably recognise that the day register display is quite similar to the one on the AV 4056 models. We do like this feature on the Hawker Harrier II AV 4055 as it makes the dial stand out and create a buzz around it. Another feature on the day register display are two screws which holds it down. In most watches the screws will be covered but by leaving it open gives the watch a more distinct look and remind you that you are wearing a watch designed after the Hawker Siddeley Harrier aircraft. Because of the day register feature, the date window has been placed near the 9 o’clock. It is definitely legible but will get sometime to get use to its new position.

Moving on, the dial is separated in three circular index. You have an outer ring is a white coloured layered dial for the use to measure minutes. The middle ring is more rigid looking, larger and in a darker colour. The inner ring has a few circles and gives off a more well finished and calm look. The different combination of the rings, go well together but to keep of edgy and rough look, the inner ring needs to be more rough.

To represent the hours, you have this large and bold bar. It is luminous and are well-defined with the rest of the dial. You also have a large 0 and 6 o’clock numeral and smaller minutes numerals in 5 minutes intervals. The larger numerals go well with the rest of the dial and casing of the watch.

The hour and minute hand are sword-shaped and well designed. They both have a lighter grey colour, so they are not lost in the dial and are both luminous with Superluminova. The second-hand has a baton style with a yellow tip. The yellow tip adds a bit more colour to the dial and contrast well with the green dial.

Movement

Inside the watch you have a solid and very reliable Quartz Japanese Miyota VX43. As expected the movement is flawless and the time accuracy is spot on. However we would love to see an automatic version of this watch. The automatic movement will also add a bit more weight to the watch, which for us, it needs.

Strap

The strap is genuine leather and has a little stitching near the lug. It is slightly hard and needs to be broken into. It is tough and has a look of durability to it. Unfortunately it does not have quick release pins, as it is for most AVI-8 watches.

Buy, Shortlist or Avoid

So what is our recommendation for the Hawker Harrier II AV 4055? We will say shortlist the watch. It is a great watch and good-looking however it is just missing a quite more characteristic and colour to the watch. It is a simpler version of the   AVI-8 AV-4056 and we’d rather save a little bit more money and purchase the AV-4056 collection. The price of the is £155 and if you sign up for the launch, you will receive a discount. Do sign up here: https://avi-8.co.uk/pages/av-4055-story-page

This was our review of the Hawker Harrier II AV 4055 and we’d love to hear your thoughts on the watch. What would you do, Buy, Shortlist or Avoid? Do let us know in the comment below.

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