James McCabe London Automatic

First Impression

The James McCabe London Automatic does meet the definition of being a minimalistic watch. The case and dial colour is stunning in the rose gold and the dark brown leather also looks well together.

The Dial

There is not much going on with the dial as you would expect. The dial is simple and look very classy. There are only two numerals, roman numerals, at 12 o’clock and 6 o’clock, the James McCabe’s logo located underneath the 12 o’clock, a date window and also a some text located near the 6 o’clock position.

The background has been brushed linearly from the centre. We have seen this type of background before on the DUKUDUwatch we reviewed last year and it does look good. You get a reflection from the light depending on where you stand and it is kind of fun to play around with the reflection.

Now let’s talk about the index. You have long batons, in rose gold, at each 5 minutes interval and also smaller black batons in between. The rose gold batons are a little too long. We would rather see the rose gold batons to be a little on the wider side rather than length. It would also help to fill the enormous amount of space available on the dial.

The date window, located in its normal position, is legible and big enough. Because of the long baton on the index, the date window is slightly pushed towards the middle. But that is not much of an issue.

Both the hour and minute hands are sharp and thin. The hands have a Dauphine design but thinner. They both have been given a slightly chrome finish, so they contrast against the dial. In terms of legibility, it is good but not great as it will take some time to get used to the thin hands. The second-hand is also thin and has a baton design.

Casing

The casing of the watch is made from Ionic Plating – Rose Gold Stainless Steel Case and it has been given a shiny finish. It does look great as the watch shimmers in the light but it terms of finger print, the casing is a magnet.

The case diameter of the watch is 43mm and it is quite large. The watch will take a large space on your wrist and if you have a small wrist, it will take over. The thickness of the watch is around 12mm but it sits well on the wrist.

The lugs of the watch are very noticeable and they do stand out. Some of you may like this feature but we are not a fan of the large lugs. They do however blend in with the large dial.

The glass is made from hardened Mineral glass and it is just flat. There is a fair bit of reflection from the light on the glass and if you want to take pictures with the watch, you will need to work hard to find the right angle. Otherwise, the glass is good.

The back casing is open and it is actually the most interesting part of the watch. You have this stunning custom rotor with “The London” engraved and the design is simply gorgeous. We would have loved to see the design on the rotor on the dial rather than hidden.

The crown on the James McCabe London Automatic is of a good size. It does will with the 43mm casing. It is easy to pull and make any adjustment to the crown. It has also been signed, which we always look for in watches.

Movement

James McCabe played safe here. They used a Miyota movement. It is a reliable movement and the hands flow flawlessly. The time accuracy on the watch is around -20/+30 seconds per day. It is not the worse time accuracy but it is good enough from the Miyota.

In terms of rotation of the crown to get the movement going, you’ll probably need a good 60 full rotation. Overall, the movement is solid and you cannot go wrong with the ever reliable Miyota movement.

Strap

James McCabe London Automatic has a good strap. It is made from genuine leather and it is very comfortable. The strap molds well around the wrist and the design on the strap imitates the one of an alligator leather strap.

The strap does not breaking into which is always a bonus but the only downfall is the feeling of a plastic touch at the touch.

The design at the back of the strap is also very elegant and reflects the design on from the rotor. We’d love to see that design at the top of the strap rather than hidden, again.

We also have quick release pins on the strap and this is always welcome. We love quick release pins and we would love to see a black leather strap on the Rose Gold casing.

Buy, Shortlist or Avoid

Before we come to our conclusion, let’s find out about the price. The RRP is £255/ $389/ €288. It is a bit pricey for a watch that is very simple. We are not a great fan of the James McCabe London Automatic, mainly because it does not suit the James McCabe brand and design.

We’d say that this watch needs to be shortlisted. It is not that bad of a  watch which you need to avoid, but it is not the best minimalistic watch in the market. The Rose Gold casing is really stunning and the strap is well made but the overal watch lack a bit of oomph!

Do visit https://mccabewatches.com/ to see more of James McCabe watches and do use NEWLABELS for 20% off on any James McCabe Watches.

We hope you’ve enjoyed reading our review of the James McCabe London Automatic and we’d love to know what you think about it? Do let us know in the comment below.