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Review: Alcadus Watches - Opus v2, Aviation Inspired Tool Watch

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Review: Alcadus Watches - Opus v2, Aviation Inspired Tool Watch

Post by TheJohnP »

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BACKGROUND:

Back in 2019, Alcadus launched their first Kickstarter campaign for the Opus 39. It was not successful. And at that point, Alcadus pretty much fell off my radar. But they didn't let not reaching their funding goal stop them and they self released the watch. They released another model on Kickstarter, but that campaign was canceled. Thankfully their third campaign is going like gangbusters with almost 300% over goal. And that campaign features the Dromo dive watch and the Opus v2 aviation inspired tool watch.

When I saw the new campaign and the Opus v2, I reached out to Alcadus about reviewing it for the site. Well Alcadus kindly agreed and they generously sent me both the Opus v2 and Dromo, as they're traveling in a pair to coincide with the dual Kickstarter campaign.

You can read the Dromo review here - https://www.manontime.com/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=3125

INTRODUCTION:

Alcadus is based out of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. They were founded with a simple vision: design carefully crafted watches that are unique, elegant and understated. They've recently launched their latest two new models - the Opus v2 and Dromo on Kickstarter.

I was sent a prototype of the Opus v2 in Gray matte finish to review with two additional leather straps.
To get a full sense of the watch, I wore it for about 1/2 a week and swapped it out onto some of my own straps to test out versatility.

PRODUCT OVERVIEW:

The Opus v2 is the updated version of the OPUS 39. Additional 4 new colorways. Premium Miyota 9019 automatic movement. Improvements on the crown, dial and watch case. Same beloved box sapphire crystal and X1 Grade Swiss Super-LumiNova® luminescent.

SPECIFICS:

Alcadus Opus v2 Gray Matte Finish on Bracelet

Link to Kickstarter campaign:

- Cost: currently around $320 on Kickstarter, full retail will be $449
- Movement: Miyota 9019
- Diameter: 39mm
- Lug to lug: 46mm
- Lug width: 20mm
- Thickness: 13mm
- Case: 316L Stainless Steel
- Crown: 6mm, screw-down crown with lume
- Dial: Matte gray dial, with blue hours and minutes hands. White color painted second hand with orange on the tip of hand. Color-matched date window..
- Lume: Swiss Super-LumiNova® on dial, hands and crown
- Crystal: Box sapphire with 5 layers of clear AR coating
- Bracelet: 316L stainless steel flat link bracelet. Tapers from 20mm to 16mm.
- Strap: Italian leather in nubuck or grained. 3mm thick.
- Weight: 130g
- Water Resistance: 100m

Changes that are planned for production watches from the prototypes:
- Drilled lug holes
- Watch crystal will be improved to reduce distortion (less curvature on the edges)
- The bracelet clasp will be changed to a solid milled clasp with push release buttons and perlage finished (It will be the same clasp as the previous Opus 39).

FIRST IMPRESSIONS:

The Opus v2 and Dromo arrived in a long presentation box. The watches were wrapped in bubble wrap and there were two additional leather straps that are currently an add on in the Kickstarter campaign for around $29 each.

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The first thing that caught my eye was the boxed sapphire crystal and the distortion that it caused along the chapter ring. The crystal and matte finish of the dial, makes the watch look bigger than the 39mm would suggest. And because of the color matched date wheel, it tends to disappear. Which for me is a big plus.

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FURTHER IMPRESSIONS:

The Opus v2 does share a lot with the Dromo, but there are differences, obvious and otherwise. Of course there's no rotating bezel. Additionally, the Opus v2 has painted indices, a date window, and a highly polished bezel which adds a pop to the rest of the brushed case.

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The crystal on the Opus v2 isn't as pronounced as the boxed sapphire on the Dromo, however it does provide a fair amount of distortion along the edges. I grew to like it quite a bit while wearing it, so it's a shame they are planning to minimize the effect.

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Now I know the crown on the Opus v2 is the exact same one as on the Dromo. However, it didn't seem as visually tapered as on the Dromo. Odd. Either way, the crown is heavily lumed and screws down to add the overall water resistance. No issues screwing/unscrewing when adjusting the time or date.

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The lugs bending down, along with the short lug to lug, help the Opus v2 wear well on the wrist. And even though similarly same weight as the Dromo, didn't feel top heavy while trying it on various straps.

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The hands are blue painted steel with a white painted second hand with an orange tip. The blue doesn't really shine through and appear dark to black. I do feel they are all of proper length. And the semi-sword style does play into the pilot watch aesthetic. One thing I was impressed to discover was how their custom seconds hand aligned with their chevron "A" logo at the 12.

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The dial has a matte finish and the particular shade of gray makes it appear rather drab. I like gray, but this either needed to be a slightly different tone or an entirely different color for more contrast with the white indices. And like the Dromo, minimal text on the dial, which is a welcome change of pace. And the lack of text likely also factors into the dial looking bigger than it actually is.

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The caseback features an engraving of plane in a compass. Which let's be honest is the only clue that this watch is pilot inspired. If you didn't turn it over, I think most people would be hard pressed to guess the inspiration for this particular model.

Also assuming this is the same caseback as their previous model, as it has Opus 39 engraved on it.

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The bracelet is an oyster style flat link. The links act as facets and capture the light as it wraps around the wrist. A positive for many, is the bracelet uses female endlinks. A negative for me is the bracelet uses screws. I don't know when it became a sign of "quality" for a bracelet to have screws, but that appears to be the consensus. Even though friction pins are a better system, by being more cost effective, and less prone to failure. /rant.

Since this is a prototype with a placeholder pressed clasp, I'm not going to comment or judge the watch on that aspect.

Unlike the Dromo. I think the Opus v2 looks really good on this particular bracelet. It fits into the GADA style of the watch and the flat links plays well with the brushed and polished surfaces of the case.

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Additionally, Alcadus provided a couple of the leather straps they produce to try out as well. 3mm thick Italian leather in either a brown grain or brown nubuck. Each strap featured quick release springbars, so made it easy to swap between the two. I am personally a big fan of the nubuck as very supple from the get go with no need to break in.

My only knock on the straps is the Alcadus engraving is really large on the buckle. Think they need to reduce that by 30-40% or just use an "A" on the buckle. Too much with the current size of their wordmark.

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Lume was very impressive impressive. They are using two kinds of lume one on the indices and another on the hands and crown. The lume was super bright and lasted a good while. I think folks who are big into lume will be satisfied, especially as this was only a prototype.

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Since I had both the Opus v2 and Dromo for about a week, I didn't feel it made sense to test accuracy. Especially with the Opus v2 having a Miyota 9019. Solid movement, especially for the price.

VERSATILITY TEST

Since Alcadus provided additional straps, I felt comfortable trying the Opus v2 out on a number of different straps. One was a green Italian leather strap by Vario that looked similar to the one provided by Alcadus. A burgundy frog leather by WatchGecko that I tend to pair with everything. A Vario Harris Tweed. A Mushi tan waxed canvas. Some random single pass NATO. And of course, the Forstner. The gray dial of the Opus v2 paired well with everything I tried. And with the monotone dial, this watch could use as much color as possible. Perfect watch if you have a collection of colorful straps.

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SUMMARY:

I enjoyed my time with the Opus v2 as the size was great for me. And I like the overall style. I wouldn't call it a pilot watch by any means, or tool watch, mostly because that phrase irks me. But I'd go with a sport watch. Yes...let's go with that. Sport watch. The Opus v2 is a great sport watch. Fantastic water resistance, great lume, and the boxed sapphire helps with visibility.

If you're into GADA watches, take a look at the Opus v2. It has great specs, a variety of colorways, and Alcadus is providing a lot "bang for the buck."
If you can join in on the lower Kickstarter prices, you're getting a deal. But I still think the eventual retail price of $449 is a fair price.

PRO:
- Not a dive watch.
- Overall size was great for me and wore well.
- The distortion effect from the boxed sapphire was something I found I liked quite a bit.
- Not a big fan of lume, but even I was impressed.
- Liked how the second hand and indice at 12 came together. Very well thought out.
- Color matched date wheel at six, almost disappeared. A plus.
- This particular colorway pairs well with any strap color you put it on.
- Fan of the Miyota 9 series and tend to prefer that to most other options in the price bracket, even the Swiss calibers.


CON:
- Optically wears larger than it is.
- I like gray, but for some reason not this gray.
- And instead of a matte finish, perhaps a sunburst dial.
- If you're going to have a color matched date wheel that disappears, just don't include a date. Use the Miyota 9039 instead.
- Would've liked the blue hands to shine more in direct light. I know you're not going to get thermally blued hands at the price point, but something brighter would be appreciated.
- Otherwise, hard to find too many things to complain about, as many issues will be addressed from the prototype to production stage.

WOULD I BUY THIS?

Yes

I likely would buy this. But not this particular colorway.

But I do thank Alcadus for letting me borrow one for a bit.

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Re: Review: Alcadus Watches - Opus v2, Aviation Inspired Tool Watch

Post by watchpalooza »

Thank you for sharing your impressions...fantastic and insightful review. Love that crystal, but agree fully about the stealth date wheel. What do you think about the polished bezel vs a more matte finish?
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Re: Review: Alcadus Watches - Opus v2, Aviation Inspired Tool Watch

Post by TheJohnP »

Since the dial is matte, if the bezel was brushed like the lugs and sides of case, it would end up looking rather dumpy. Especially when you see the light bouncing off the flat links, you need something to match that reflection.

Also that polished bezel helps transition to that big box sapphire. Ties the room together, so to speak.
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Re: Review: Alcadus Watches - Opus v2, Aviation Inspired Tool Watch

Post by watchpalooza »

The glossy variants, the matte but full lume (especially if lume is as strong) and the sunburst blue all look really compelling. Will see how things go with @whoagorgeous’s CWard over the weekend. May have to pick one of these up if someone else takes the bait.
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