Mansfield Time, a young kickstarter company, makes a very eye-catching, large men’s watch named Automatica One, 43 mm in diameter with stainless steel case, which combines several themes. It has diving-watch water resistance, 200 metres, but its looks are those of a pilot’s watch. There is a lot of IWC, with the stubby sword-type hands, the vertical date window that shows three dates instead of just one, and the extra subdial at 9 o’clock. The latter provides a second time zone on a 24-hour scale. There is a touch of Panerai in the sandwich dial. Writing about this combination, a bit diver’s, a bit pilot’s, a bit GMT, it sounds like something of a compromise, but when you see it, it is an eye-catching, very individual timepiece. Designed in Honolulu, made in China.
Vertical date window
The date window is an interesting touch. It’s nicely designed, with the curved edges concentric with the case and bezel. It could be that seeing three numbers together helps you discern the date if your eyes aren’t what they used to be. I think that when we are using our eyes we unconsciously look for patterns and so I suspect that having the three numbers helps rapidly perceive the date.
Luminescent hands and scale
The sandwich dial represents a more complex approach to luminescence, but it is restricted to just the hour and minute markers at the edge of the dial, in addition to the hour and minute hands. The luminescent coating used, BGW9, looks white during the day and glows blue-green in low light conditions.
Self-winding Miyota movement
The Automatica One is powered by the Japanese-made calibre 8217, a self-winding movement with 21 jewels, running at 3 Hertz (21,600 vibrations per hour). The large screw-down crown can be used for adjusting the time and for winding the watch if you haven’t worn it for a while. It can be viewed through the sapphire caseback, with what looks like a gold-plated oscillating weight with Côtes de Genève decoration.
Mansfield Automatica One price
The Automatica One is available with black or white dial, with a natural leather strap, or a stainless steel bracelet. It costs US$355. An attractive price for an attractive watch. The company Mansfield Time was founded in Hawaii in about 2014, by Peter Gooding and Anthony Nguyen. Read more on their website.
