Le Mans 1952 Chronograph Automatic Review

Do we have treat for you! Today we are going to review the Le Mans 1952 Chronograph Automatic watch from Vintro Watches. We recently had the opportunity to interview the founder of the brand and if you have missed it, you can read it here. They gave some really helpful advice if you are starting a new watch brand and also shared their experience in starting Vintro Watches. There are 3 models of the automatic chronograph and we will be reviewing the Rose Gold model.

Features

CASE

Material : 316L Stainless Steel Rose Gold
Lens: Sapphire Crystal lens, scratch resistant with inside anti-reflective coating
Diameter (mm): 40
Dial: Black Sunray dial, grey housing, gold plating
Case back : Screwed stainless steel case back with sapphire crystal

MOVEMENT

Type : Sea-Gull ST1940
Movement: Automatic movement with column-wheel and 21,600 bph

STRAP

Material : Genuine Leather/ Stainless Steel/ Nato
Buckle : Tang

Other Details

Water Resistance : 10ATM
Crown: Screw on

Unboxing of the Le Mans 1952 Chronograph

First Impression

Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant. We have unboxed many watches but we have to say that the unboxing of the Le Mans 1952 Chronograph has had to be the best. The packaging is immaculate and inside was like a treasure chest. We only expected to get the watch, however we got more that expected. Inside was the watch, a black nato strap, a rose gold stainless steel strap and also a tan leather strap. Digging even deeper, we found out there was a leather wallet also. So overall, we had 5 items in the box.

Everything was well presented and it blew our expectation. When you open the box, the watch is the focal point and you cannot miss it. The rose gold and the black colour accent is truly stunning. So far, our expectation has been exceeded and we hope it is the same when we carry on reviewing the watch.

Dial

Let’s start this review with the dial. There are 4 different colour combination going on; red, black, white and rose gold. The different colour scheme of the Le Mans 1952 Chronograph work to perfection and looks wise, it is a truly stunning looking watch.

On the outer index you the have the red chronograph meter. It is simple and the numbers are legible. We then move to the main minute index. The index is in white with numerals in intervals of 5 minutes. It is not too overpowering and the style of the batons are different to represent the different intervals in between. There are only 2 numbers on the hour dial, 6 and 12 o’clock. With so much going on with the dial, the 2 numerals fit perfectly. There are also rose gold batons to represent different numerals. Finally, we have the tachymeter in red at the centre of the dial. It is simple and effective. The tachymeter also overlaps the two sub dials.

The two sub dials are fitted on the 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock position. They are large enough and legibility is great. One sub dial is for the minute counter and the other is for the second. Both sub dials have red hands and this is matched with the second hand. The minute and hour hands are both in rose gold and follow a Dauphine style design.

Overall, the dial looks busy and is busy with the different dials and indexes, however, everything is clear and legible. There is no issue with reading the time and to read the different sub dials.

Case

The case on the Le Mans 1952 Chronograph 40mm by 15mm. From lug to lug it is 48mm. The watch, in diameter, is not was large as we expected but suit the wrist well. The watch sits on the wrist with the curved lugs and it presses the dial of the watch on the wrist. In terms of comfort, the watch is great. The curved lugs helps with the comfort and the case does not get in the way of moving the wrist.

The crowns have been well thought of. The crowns for the start and stop of the chronograph are in a rectangular shape. We like this. We have seen this shape used mostly on high end watches and this shape flows well with the design of the watch. The crown is screw in and there are slight patterns with the Vintro Watches logo on it.

The back casing is an open exhibition and it matches the beauty of the front of the dial. A custom rotor has been used to allow to showcase the jewels on the back and the colour of the jewels are stunning. The back casing is also slightly elevated and this helps to make the watch sits well on the wrist.

The lens is made from sapphire crystal lens with scratch resistant and inside anti-reflective coating. There are no issues when it comes to seeing the dial however, the lens does pick up some glares at different angles. The lens is also slightly domed to allow the focus to be solely on the dial.

Movement

Let’s talk about the heart beat of the Le Mans 1952 Chronograph. Inside the watch there is a Sea-Gull ST1940 with 33 jewels and 21,600 bph. It also has a power reserve of around 48 hours subject to how much you rotate the crown.

The movement itself is very reliable. The ST1940 is a newer version of the ever so reliable Venus 175, a respected Swiss movement. We can expect a +/- 10 to 35 seconds per day and this is subject to usuage.

Overall the movement is reliable and a great choice for this watch. The movement also helps to support the sub dial and also the chronograph very well.

Strap

The watch came with four straps. Two leather straps, a rose gold stainless steel bracelet and a black nato strap. You have a choice of whichever strap you wish to pair with the watch.

The leather strap are soft and fits around the wrist well. There are enough holes to fit smaller wrist, so need to worry if you have a small wrist. The strap does not need to be broken into, which is a great, and it is comfortable around the wrist. The strap have quick release pins so it is easily changeable.

To use the rose gold bracelet, you are given spring bar tool and it is very easy to swap the leather strap for the bracelet. The links are easily removable and again fits around the wrist well.

We are not a big fan of nato strap and we do not think a nato strap goes well with this watch. The black nato strap does suit the watch however as the nato strap is not as thick, the casing looks a bit out of place.

Buy, Shortlist or Avoid?

First let’s discuss the price of the Le Mans 1952 Chronograph. The RRP is €599/ $675/ £545. It is quite a high price point but we would say to buy the Vintro Le Mans 1952 Chronograph. The main reason is because everything used in making this watch and also the straps are of high quality and the watch is also a limited edition with only 500 pieces available.

Another reason to buy this watch is because of Vintro Watches social engagement. They are a supporter of STELP, a civil aid charity organisation. Vintro watches donates 5 Euros from every purchase and the charity has done some great work for example; supporting Filipino orphans who lived on landfills and are now helped locally.

One remark on the watch which Vintro watches may consider in the future is a date window. This is the only flaw. There is enough space near the 6 o’clock position for a small date window and it would just be an awesome feature.

If you would like to know more about the Vintro Watches Le Mans 1952 Chronograph, do visit

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