December 20th, 2024

The Visconti Abyssus! Some of OG Panerai guys that stayed behind in Italy when Panerai moved manufacturing out of Italy to Switzerland, those who stayed behind are responsible for this watch, and other Italian brands that were born out of that time era! I was bummed that Panerai became a Swiss brand but I am so happy that they moved because we got so many amazing brands and watches as a result of that move.

Here are some specs:
LIMITED EDITION OF 29

MONOBLOC STAINLESS STEEL WITH VINTAGE GUN METAL FINISH PVD

MOVEMENT – AUTOMATIC Soprad

ROTATING WITH BRONZE SAWTOOTH DESIGN…BEZEL LOCK AT 4:00

CROWN – STEEL SCREW DOWN BAYONET STYLE

CRYSTAL – SAPPHIRE CRYSTAL

LUGS – 24MM

WATER RESISTANCE – 3000M

DIMENSIONS – 49MM WIDE X 46MM TALL X 18MM THICK NOT INCLUDING CROWN OR LUGS

December 27th, 2024

I mentioned this the other day, but how many watches do you know of that have their logo on the lug bars?!? Italian watch making goes that extra mile and this watch is an excellent example of this. There are so many details to study on this watch. Obviously the oversized crown is a highlight detail. The bezel lock is also a detail that I really like. I also appreciate the location of the helium release valve at the 6H position.

I love when a company has dedication to their vision and executes it with absolute precision. The function of those details is just as important, well the function is actually more important. To operate the bezel, the button needs to be pushed to the unlock position. When the unidirectional bezel reaches the desired position, the bezel can be locked by pressing the lock button. The crown operates in a unique way as well. To unlock the crown, apply pressure downward and rotate the crown. The crown will spring into the open position. Once the crown is unlocked, then you can access the usual operations like setting the date and time or manually wind the watch.

The dark PVD finish adds to the menacing look of this Italian masterpiece. The blue dial works so incredibly well. It has a nice 8-bit throwback feel. Takes me back to my childhood days. I love the unconventional dial. The hands are beautiful and so unique which finish off the dial off brilliantly. I am liking how this watch adds a different flavor to my collection. I love unique and creative watches so damn much!

December 30th, 2024

I am just admiring the details on this one, from the unconventional dial, to the millions of functional details on the case itself. The finish on this case is incredible as well. Like damn good! Look at the second to last shot, to the left of the Abyssus name plate, you can see just how good this finish is. I am a huge fan of Visconti’s dive watches. They also did a pilot watch that I absolutely love.

The oversized crown is obviously a detail that drew me into this watch and then it’s like “holy shit! Look at this detail!!! And that detail and this one!!!!” There are watches that I love and appreciate, then there are watches that blow me away! There have been 4 or 5 watches that have done that to me over the almost 3 decades as a watch nerd. When this happens, I can be officially done collecting watches. The more I narrow down what works for me, it’s easier for me to be content with fewer and fewer watches in my collection. There are definitely core watches in my collection that are keepers. The SeL Omnidiver, the Chronoswiss Timemaster, the R&I Teseo Tesei……..and this watch might be the 4th. More time and studying will have to be conducted over the course of 2025 to make that determination, but it’s definitely off to an amazing start.

I have a watch coming this week too that will be put to that study as well. One of my goals for 2025 is to study and research the watches in my collection. I’ve been shifting things around so much that I have to make sure I stop to smell the autumn leaves. I have another watch that is supposed to be done in January. I will also continue to move things around a little bit so I can extend my studies. One of my goals is to find a watch from a certain German brand that I can hopefully bond with.

January 6th, 2025

When Panerai became a Swiss brand, instead of moving to Switzerland, the OG’s from Panerai who stayed behind in Italy became an “Italian tree” so to speak, branching out to new ventures. Two branches, Bettarini and Nincheri intertwined to form Ennebi. Dino Zei and others branched out to Anonimo. When Anonimo went bankrupt, some of those guys went to develop watches for Visconti and Drass. It’s a very fascinating tree whose roots were imbedded deep in Italian soil, with branches that stretched out far but bore such amazing & delicious fruit. This Abyssus being one of those delicious beauties.

This monoblock case wows me everytime I take this watch out to wear, to admire or to photograph. It’s a work of Italian art. I also love this dial but what also amazes me is how clear the crystal is that when I look at the dial, it’s like there is no crystal! It’s so cool when a watch has a crystal like this and going into the water is even more awesome.

From the unique & impressive handset, to the camo dial, it all works together so incredibly well. Yes, that’s amazing but what really amazes me is how damn well this unconventional dial looks incredible. I owned a more conventional dial Abyssus and I really liked that watch. When I saw pics of the camo versions I wasn’t sure what to think about them. Having one in my collection now, I can’t believe how well the dial works. Its unconventional nature is what makes it so beautiful. I’d love to add another Abyssus in my collection. @visconti_italy makes two pilot watches that I would love to own too.

January 13th, 2025

This watch is such a work of Italian art. Many people relate Visconti to their pens but for me it’s their watches. Watches that are full of functional details. Those Italian masters from the pre vendome era, they did a beautiful job on this Abysuss.

The monobloc case is something that I started to appreciate with some of the OG Anonimo watches. So basically what a monobloc case is that in order to access the movement, you have to open the watch up from the dial side because monobloc cases don’t have access from a caseback like a traditional watch case. One of the major advantages of a monobloc case is that there’s less areas of potential failure during deep dives.

Another detail I like about this watch are the removable lugs. For those who like to dismantle their watches and do a thorough cleaning, it’s awesome to have the ability to do a lot maintenance on your own without sending it in to have it done. I don’t clean my watches but I do like to do a lot of the maintenance on my own, just like I enjoy doing the maintenance on my Jeep. This watch has a very commanding wrist presence, there is no denying that whatsoever. I love how this one wears.

January 20th, 2025

This Italian masterpiece is as magnificent as the Mediterranean Sea. Every detail meticulously crafted with a flow like the sea itself and with a blue dial that matches the water perfectly! The crown functions with precise fluidity that makes you wish every crown was so beautifully designed & executed. Even the bezel with its unique locking mechanism is crafted precise right down to the smallest of detail.

Then the badassery starts to materialize. The menacing PVD coating of the case. The bronze sawtooth with its grimacing teeth peeking out from underneath the bezel, daring you to unlock the bezel to give it a satisfying rotation! This isn’t just a watch, this is an experience! An experience that I am so incredibly grateful for every single time I pick this watch up.

I had a Visconti Abyssus that I had to let go. I missed it terribly. It took me 6 years to get one back. I wasn’t crazy of this dial but I couldn’t find any other Abyssus with the traditional dial. When I got this watch in person, I was blown away with this dial which shocked me. One, I am not a blue dial fan and two I was skeptical about the camo design. So when I instantly fell in love with this dial, I was more than shocked. Even after almost 3 decades as a watch lover, I still get surprised. Preferences aren’t written in stone. Don’t be stringent, you might surprise yourself as well!

February 24th, 2025

This dial and this case are a perfect match of unique badassery. I definitely appreciate the 3000m of water resistance. It’s funny how I have become water resistance spoiled. 3000m is a lot but after owning several watches that are 6,000m+, 3,000m doesn’t wow me like it used to. The deepest I owned was my 12000m Kaventsmann. People will comment “it’s not like you can go that deep, so what’s the point?” Well allow me to answer those people while they reach into their vagina to pull their balls down. It’s not about going that deep regardless of it being/not being humanly possible, it’s about the engineering it takes to make a watch that can handle that sort of pressure.

I love the monobloc case on this watch. It just adds a whole other level of coolness to this watch and is another detail that speaks to Visconti’s dedication to developing a serious dive watch. If that wasn’t enough, the level of function of each detail such as the crown, bezel, bezel lock, each functional detail operates flawlessly and with absolute precision! Everything I have mentioned thus far are examples of why this watch is on my top 50 list and why this watch is creeping into top 10 territory.

Another reason why this watch made my list is because that the pre vendome Panerai guys are responsible for this watch. This watch shares a lot of DNA with another watch/brand that is in my top 50 list and is also a watch from those same pre-vendome Panerai masters. I don’t care about brand history, I care about the people responsible for the watches. The hype brands use brand history as smoke and mirrors bullshit to distract and for that money grab. For example look how Omega milks the shit out of one watch going to the moon. You know damn well the glutinous boomer wearing his speedy believes the actual watch on his sausage wrist actually is the same watch that went to the moon!

March 3rd, 2025

I definitely appreciate the 45mm case that doesn’t include the crown. The watch wears extremely well and the large crown doesn’t affect the comfort whatsoever. I get asked that a lot from people about the watches I wear. Would you walk around with broken glass in your shoe? I’m guessing no. So my answer is why the fuck would I wear something that was uncomfortable?!?

I have watches in various sizes and size is something that has become irrelevant. That being said, I am not a fan of ultra thin watches, in fact I hate thin watches. Thankfully this watch comes in at 17.5mm thick. Obviously this Italian masterpiece has some incredible wrist presence.

Another cool detail about the Visconti line of 3000m Abyssus dive watches is that Visconti worked with the CNS, Italy’s National Diver Centre which is a diving contractor company providing worldwide services such as air / mixed gas diving services, saturation diving services, inspection and work class ROV services, pipeline trenching and hydrostatic pipeline testing. Adds a legit badassery to this watch!

March, 10th, 2025

The 2H position for the crown is also unconventionally cool. This watch is all about the unconventionally cool and the helium escape valve at the 6H position is another great example of this.

I am just going to point out all the unconventionally cool details that are found all over this badass diver. There’s a deep appreciation for the unconventional that is found deep within my watch loving heart and the bezel lock mechanism at the 4H position is much appreciated. It’s unique, adds to the profile of the watch and most importantly it functions perfectly. All of the functional details operate flawlessly. Yes the aesthetics are what drives me to a watch initially but it’s the quality & function that allows me to keep a watch.

I love how this watch wears and how it looks on the wrist. The curved lugs allow this watch to wear on my wrist with absolutely zero over hang. I wear watches up to 60mm so I obviously don’t mind wrist overhang. There’s one detail on this watch that makes my horological heart sing and that detail is this clear crystal. This crystal is so incredibly clear. You know how a crystal becomes like a magnifying glass when underwater? Well that’s how this crystal and dial manages to look on dry land when you view it from an angle. When you look at this crystal straight on, it’s so clear that it doesn’t look like there’s a crystal there. So incredible!