What a great way to start the New Year by reviewing an AVI-8 watch. We are going to be reviewing AVI-8’s first launch of the year 2019, the AVI-8 Hawker Harrier II Matador Edition. The last time we review a Hawker Harrier II was back in July and it was the AV 4055. That was a great looking watch but we think that the Harrier II Matador Edition is better.

AVI-8 Hawker Harrier II Matador Edition

Why call the watch the ‘Matador’?

The Hawker Harrier II Matador Edition is an homage to the Hawker Harrier “Jump Jet” found service across several air and naval air forces during the latter half of the 20th Century, which flew for the Spanish Navy.

The first Matador was  by the Armada Española (Spanish Navy) in 1976 and were integrated into the 8th Squadron operating out of the Rota, Naval Base near Cadiz.

To make sure that the Hawker Harrier II Matador Edition reflects the Matador jet, the dial has been dynamically designed with  complex jigsaw of gears and wheels precisely layered on top of each other.

Features

Case: 316L Stainless steel case with Black Iconic Plating

Case back: Stainless Steel Case Back

Lens: Slightly dome Mineral Lens

Case Diameter (MM): 45.0 mm

Dial: Coloured Layered Dial

Case Thickness (MM): 15.0mm

Indexes: Applied Indexes with Luminous

Hands: Trapezoid facetted finish Luminous Hands

Strap: Hand-stitched Genuine Leather Strap

Strap Width (MM): 22.0mm

Crown: Normal with Aluminium Ring Décor

2H Pusher: Coloured Aluminium Pusher

Bezel: Slanted Serrated Fixed Case Bezel

Movement: 6S50 – Miyota

First Impression

Stunning! This watch is simply stunning. We have never seen a ‘Matador’ jet before but we are pretty sure the Hawker Harrier II Matador Edition reflects it perfectly.

Your eyes are straightaway attracted to the dial. It is complex, it is bold and it is just amazing. There are 3 model to this watch and we can surely say we got the best model, the AV 4065-02.

Dial

The first feature which will attract you on the dial are the different sub-dials. First you have a minute sub-dial. The design is is opened and you can see the different layers underneath it. The colour of the minute sub dial is also different to the rest of the dial, it matches the rose gold colour of the outer ring of the index.

You then have the 1/20 Second Chronograph sub-dial. It is similar to the sub-dial used on the AVI-8 1980 Centenary watch. It is half covered but also bold. The colour contrast with the black and white makes sure it is not lost in the dial.

The small second sub dial located near the 6 o’clock is small and in a way is lost. It does not have the colour contrast as the rest but the hand on the sub dial make sure it is noticeable.

The date window is at an unusual position and underneath the 12 o’clock. It is huge and is surrounded with two square boxes. The date window operates similarly to the AVI-8 1980 Centenary watch and the dates which are not in use, are visible.

There is not much going on with the index of the watch. Rectangular luminous bars have been used to mark the hours and it has a tachymeter register on the outer index. The bezel of the watch is also in rose gold and is very visible.

The hands are quite thin and with so much going on with the dial, they are lost. However the ends have been marked with a white colour so you can track them. A bolder and thicker hands would suit this watch and would follow the theme.

Overall, the dial is stunning. All the colours work together and make the watch really attractive and the different layers gives the watch a bold and edgy look. There are a lot of things going on with the dial however are they useful? Not all the features will be used on a normal day but they all work together to create a visually stunning piece of art.

Casing

The casing is large, 45mm, but that is expected for this type of watch. The thickness of the watch is quite large. It is 15mm and it is thick. The fact that is does not use an automatic movement, we question why is it that thick? Maybe it is the complex level of layers used on the dial.

The Hawker Harrier II Matador Edition does sit well on the wrist and as you’d expect it will take much space on your wrist. The thickness is not an issue when moving and is comfortable on the wrist.

The lug of the watch is around 22mm and they face downward which pushes the dial upfront. We love the design of the pusher and the crown. They all have a ring decor around them and gives them an edgy look. They are also made from aluminium with a some rose gold to keep with the theme of the watch.

The back casing, as with most AVI-8 quartz watches, has been beautifully crafted with a turbine like design.

Overall the design of the casing is great. It keeps with the theme of the watch and also the colour. The only issue is the thickness of casing, which we think is a little too thick.

Movement

The movement inside is a Japanese Miyota 6S50. As it is a quartz movement, the time accuracy is spot on. The quartz goes well with the watch as it has to support the different sub dials. However we’d love to see an automatic version of the Hawker Harrier II Matador Edition. We are wondering how thick the watch would be if it had an automatic movement?

Strap

The strap is made from genuine leather and has some interesting stitching features on it. The strap is in a light brown colour, which really goes well with the whole watch. It is quite thick and hard. It will take some time to loosen the strap but it is comfortable around the wrist.

If you have a small wrist, the watch should fit you. It has enough holes and fitted our wrist easily, which is 17cm in circumference.

Buy, Shortlist or Avoid?

Buy! If you love a watch with a complex dial, then you’d love the Hawker Harrier II Matador Edition. The price is also very affordable and it starts from $310. The AV 4065-22 price is $320/ £250/ €280. There is an early bird price special and you can register your interest using the link, http://bit.ly/AV-4065_Matador_Edition 

However if you sign up using the link below, you will be able to get the watch for a discounted price. If you’ve missed the sale, you can use our code NEWLABELS20 for 20% off.

We hope you’ve enjoyed our first review in 2019 and love the Hawker Harrier II Matador Edition. Do let us know what you think in the comment below.

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