The 2008 Glycine Incursore Power Reserve DLC (ref. 3880) is an ultimate military gadget: it is as simple, as it is highly legible, and it is as scratch-resistant as it is reliable.
It could almost be an ultimate accessory if not for its price: charging whole four Grands (okay, it’s a “recommended” price, but still don’t expect to find a watch below the $3200 mark) for a watch that sports nothing more impressive than a mass-market automatic caliber is a bit extreme to me. After all, for the money, you can find a good used Omega in mint condition equipped with a more exclusive movement.
Glycine has revealed its new addition to the Incursore line of watches named after WW2-time Italian combat divers (in Italian, the word “incursore” means “commando,” a military unit specially trained to wreak havoc behind enemy lines.) This nice military-style timepiece comes equipped with a high-legible dial that features a matte black background and large Arabic numerals and hour markers filled with a light grey luminescent substance.
The diamond-shaped hour and minute hands are also luminous. Although the hands give the device the superb legibility of a military plane’s instrument panel, they also make the timepiece look less like a diver and more like a vintage pilot’s watch. Whether it is good or bad, only you can decide.
The new watch also features a big date indicator located at 3 o’clock and an interesting-looking indicator of remaining energy in the timekeeper’s mainspring barrel. Painted in the colors of the Italian national flag -green, red, and a little white- the indicator is as intuitive as it is easy to read. While some may consider it dull, I would say that it perfectly matches the way the pair of Arabic and the nine rectangular hour markers on the black dial.
The watch will probably limit your choice of attire to a more casual dress: the Incursore features an impressive 46 mm stainless steel case that features a scratch-resistant DLC (Diamond-like carbon) coating with a military-inspired satin finish.
Having a list price of just shy of $4000 US dollars, the watch has its dial protected from dust and particles with a sapphire glass that offers a not-so-common anti-reflective treatment and also features a powerful magnifying lens over the calendar window.
Although the new Italian watch is not terribly cheap, it is equipped with a mass-produced ETA A07.161 automatic movement. Built on 24 jewels, the movement offers a more or less standard power reserve of 46 hours, which means that you will anyway have to wind its mainspring every other day.
Yes, the mechanism is relatively simple, made by the best machinery in the business, and is, therefore, bullet-proof reliable, but is also cheap, so you basically pay for the name on the dial, which is less known to the general public than, say, Omega or Breitling. So, if your plan is to impress someone, you should possibly look somewhere else (IWC, for example, has a number of gorgeous, similarly styled pilots that, while being more expensive, also have more value and are better at retaining it).
The good news is that the movement seems to be of top-grade execution: the bridges are circular-grained, while the quarter plate is decorated with finely executed Geneva stripes.
Besides the quality Cotes de Geneve decoration, the oscillating weight of the winding rotor is not only branded but is also stamped with numerous E-shaped Glycine crowns. A nice touch, that.
See also: IWC Pilot Double Chronograph Edition TOP GUN
WWR Verdict
Originality 4.5/5
Build Quality: 5/5
Usability: 5/5
Overall Legibility: 4.5/5
Nighttime Legibility: 4.5/5
Value for Money: 3/5
Overall Rating: 4/5
Photos: Glycine
Glycine Incursore Power Reserve DLC specification
Price range: $4000 (MSRP)
Movement: Caliber ETA A07.161, automatic, Swiss Made
Functions & Complications: Hours, minutes, seconds, date, power reserve indication
Power reserve: 46 hours
Case: Stainless steel with black DLC coating
Size: 46.00 mm
Case height: 15.00 mm
Dial: Black with Superluminova hands and marks
Water resistance: 10ATM / 100 meters
Strap: Black calf leather
Crystal: Sapphire crystal, scratch-proof, anti-reflective