rcherryuk wrote:Good review, but again, couldn't a smaller fonted datewheel have been used?
Rob
One of the main features of the new Valgranges 161 movement is an enlarged date wheel. As ETA won't supply this movement with any technical modifications (they will decorate it for their clients - at the minute anyway!!), they simply wouldn't alter the date wheel font.
I know what you are all referring to, and it was a consideration for myself when I purchased the watch. The reality is though I can clearly tell what date it is on any given day of the month quite easily. I think the convex sapphire crystal has a part to play here, as at certain angles it has a magnifying effect. I can only think that if the date aperture was enlarged it might just cause an imbalance to the overall look of the watch and ruin the symmetry of the dial. I'm only guessing this though, as I have never seen a design drawing with an enlarged date window.
I used to have a Ulysse Nardin Marine chronometer and the date window on that watch drove me nuts. I just couldn't live with it, this C90 I can live with - happily, and I don't think of the date window as a compromise (Not yet anyway......).