BERTUCCIMen's A-2T Original Classics - Black / Forest Nylon

I have had this watch for close to a year now, and I really like it. Never heard of Bertucci before finding this watch, though I did do my research before deciding to buy this A2-T. My research suggested that this watch offered a great value for the materials and features it offers. That has mostly been true, and I am overall very satisfied with the watch.First, I will discuss the features you get for the money. For around $100 to $130 (prices vary often), you get a quartz movement, titanium case, mineral glass crystal, nylon band, date window, Swiss super lume, 200 meter water resistance and a screw down crown. That is actually not bad for the price. It will be quite difficult to find other watches with a similar set of specs at this price point. Yes, its only a quartz watch and the crystal is not sapphire. However, watches with those features tend to be more expensive, especially if they match the water resistance of the A2-T. Also, in my opinion, this isn't supposed to be a nice dress watch. It's a durable field watch meant to be worn in the field - i.e. while doing work. I would say a quartz movement and glass crystal are better suited for that purpose. Overall, this watch is a good value. However, if you know this watches original price ($75 - $80) it feels like much less of value. Oh well though, that is inflation for you. Compared to other watches now, the value still holds up.Second, lets talk performance. The watch has worked very well. I wear it every time I hike, camp, landscape or do other manual labor. I have had zero issues with it. It is light, durable, accurate and the water resistance is as advertised (I have dunked the watch in large buckets of water when I wash my cars). The time keeping is accurate and the dial is very easy to read. I don't care too much about lume, but it works excellent on this watch - better than other watch I own. The titanium case is prone to scratching, but its very light and not super noticeable. If anything, when you accumulate enough scratches, it gives the case kind of a stone wash finish look which isn't bad. I have been very satisfied with the performance. I wanted a light and durable watch for when I do hard work and that's what I got.Third, I will discuss a few things I didn't like. The biggest issue I had with this watch was actually the stock band. Its overly thick, heavy and, worst of all, not very flexible. I found it to be very uncomfortable for these reasons. While it indeed seems very durable, I just couldn't stand it, so I swapped it out for a cheap 5-ring zulu-style strap. The watch was much more comfortable and adjustable after that. If you plan to do the same, please keep in mind that the lug bars are fixed on this watch, so that means you can only use passthrough straps - two-piece straps are not compatible. Another issue I had was that the case finishing was a bit rough. There are spots around the edges and lug bars where the coating looks blotchy and thick. This isn't a huge deal since I didn't buy this watch for the looks. However, it was still a bit disappointing to see. Last, I'm not a fan of date windows. I don't find them very helpful. I wish the A2-T came without one like the A2-S or DX3. If they had to include one, I would have preferred a day and date window. Couldn't have been much more expensive to do that.Overall, I am very happy with this watch. While its not perfect and the price has gone up quite a bit since it was first offered, its still an excellent watch and great value. It performs as advertised, is very durable and easy to read. I can't ask more from a field watch.

THE WATCH:I have owned this watch (Bertucci A-2T) for about 6 months now and worn it everyday. I have been very happy with it. The face and titanium case are amazingly durable. I have definitely knocked it hard against something metal accidentally a few times and I was sure it would be scratched, but it still looks as good as the day I got it! The offset bezel is great and I like the look of it.THE BAND:Before I got it I was a bit skeptical about the band. It is different, but I don't mind it at all. I use the third to last hole on the band which allows just enough of the band left to double over underneath and slip into the clasp. I don't think the buckle and clasp would work quite as designed for very large wrists requiring the 2nd-to-last or last hole on the band. In that case there would not be enough band left to double over and insert into the double-wide clasp. However, it looks like the clasp could be removed entirely with a bolt cutter or hacksaw if not needed. The black finish on the clasp is showing the silver metal underneath on a tiny spot where it got scratched, but its a casual watch band and nobody ever sees that part of the band, so that doesn't bother me. I love how the band goes through the watch so I don't have to worry about it catching on something, breaking a pin, and falling off. Its great on vacation: I wear it snorkeling, scuba diving, and in the pool. I just rinse it off with freshwater afterwards.One thing I have noticed about the band (which is a material like a backpack strap) is that in dry climates, like WI winters, the band is very stiff and almost scratchy, but in humid climates the band is quite supple and comfortable.BACK-LIGHT?I debated whether to get the next model up that has the back-lit face, but I haven't missed the back light at all. The hands on this one do light up and on the few occasions that I've needed to read it in the dark, I haven't had any problem. The only thing is that the hands are not super bright, so if somebody turns the lights off on you it can be tough to read the watch immediately, before your eyes adjust to the darkness. Upon waking up in the middle of the night and seeing the watch on the nightstand, the hands shine bright and clear. I'm happy without the back light, especially when considering the extra cost and bulk of the additional bezel that activates the back light on the other Bertucci model.OVERALLA great watch, worth the money, and appears durable enough to pass on to future generations.BTW: I saw one review saying that the watch was ticking between the second marks, but mine ticks crisply on the hash marks.UPDATE 10-24-2014I recently had to replace the battery for the second time, so I thought this would be a good time for an update. I am currently still using the original band on the 2nd to last hole for a looser fit. It works fine in that position, the band just doesn't double over back through the clasp. The band is definitely unique - I busted a Las Vegas street magician when he tried and failed to steal it off my wrist. He said, "what kind of watch is that?" LOLBy now it is showing some light scratches around the bezel, but I expected that on an everyday field watch. I have other titanium watches that don't hold up as well. The glass face is still pristine. This is still my favorite watch!THE BATTERYThe first time the battery died I took it to 2 or 3 watch retailers that were not able to open the case. I ended up taking it to a local high-end watch repair shop that took 2 days to do it and charged me $22. BTW, the case is not anything unusual, I think its a fairly standard screw-back waterproof case. It just takes somebody with some experience and the right tool for the job. A teenage clerk behind the retail counter apparently has neither.This time, I decided I would change the battery myself, so I purchased this watch wrench: Wild-us Professional JAXA Type XL Watch Case Back Opener Wrench for Large Waterproof Watches. It worked great and I changed it myself in about 5 minutes with a $3 V371 battery. The wrench will work on other watches too, so it should be a good investment.

First off, awesome watch. Definitely would buy it again and plan on still buying the e1-s ballista. Packaging is what you'd expect; box, watch mount, and all paperwork and instructions.Pros: American made, easy to read, very sensitive to light and glow, full titanium body, durable feeling strap, feels like it's not shy to take a beating.Cons: odd design feature to adjust date. Pull out the crown all the way to adjust time in either direction, pop it in 1 click to adjust date and it adjusts in the opposite direction and is the ONLY part of this piece that feels like it should be designed better. The time adjustment is a little loose as well, spin crown about a quarter turn before the minute hand picks up the slack and moves. Same in both directions, just slack that you wouldn't expect in a watch. The second hand seems to be 100% accurate with the faceplate up to about the 35 second mark, then goes in between the second marks. 9/10 I believe only someone with exceptional attention to detail would ever notice this, especially in the mass manufacturing of these watches.Overall: still with those cons, it wouldn't shy me away from buying another (still want that e1s ballista). My guess is mine may just be a slight defect, with the reviews I've watched on YouTube no one has addressed these issues.