Out Of Order Watches Review | These Watches Come Pre-Damaged? (OOO Casanova Watch Review)
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This watch is out of order.
Well it is…and it isn’t.
I’m going to be honest with you, this Out Of Order Casanova watch has been sitting in my drawer idle for the last 18 months. There are a few reasons for that, which we’ll get into in this article.
Firstly though, there’s one thing you’ll notice about this piece straight away. I wouldn’t blame you for thinking this was some sort of aged vintage, heavily used model. It certainly looks like that at first glance.
Nevertheless, this watch is from a brand who specialise in exactly that. As their name suggests Out Of Order are an Italian company who produce watches with heavily distressed aesthetics; to the extent that their slogan is ‘damaged in Italy’. These watches are intended to have somewhat of a Vintage look and feel, whilst containing new, fresh components. There is a community out there who love these watches and I can see the appeal.
Most of their popular models are diver-style watches, including this Casanova model that I’ll be reviewing today.
Specifications
Case Diameter: 44mm
Case Depth: 11.8mm
Case Material: Stainless-steel
Glass: Mineral crystal
Movement: Miyota 2115 Quartz
Water resistance: 10ATM
Strap: Vegetable tanned leather (unspecified grade)
Other: Superluminova
Watch Name: OOO Casanova
I actually received this watch around 2 years ago from a complimentary Watch Gang subscription for my other channel; that black tier normally costs £99 per watch, which I’ll mention later.
Out Of Order Watch Strap
This watch came fitted with a brown vegetable tanned leather strap. This one has a notably rough finish, designed to fit the aesthetic of the watch. From the images online, this looks like Suede, but in reality, is definitely not as smooth to the touch and is far more coarse and uneven. While I can see the intention behind this decision, I don’t like the execution. It looks so destroyed; I almost want to throw it in the bin. Considering the retail price of this watch, I also think the quality is lacking. It may be ‘vegetable tanned’ and from Italy, but I think it feels cheap and almost plastic-like; which is quite disappointing. Maybe this will appeal more to you, but not for me. As a result, I prefer the watch on this simple Nato strap instead, I think it matches the colour palette of the watch better and doesn’t look like it’s rotting on-wrist. As a result, if you’re considering buying one of these, I’d definitely go for one of the stainless steel band options instead.
Case
One thing I really like is the case. I think Out Of Order have really nailed the distressed look of this component. The stainless-steel has been galvanised to give the case an industrial, multi-tone finish, which I think adds a lot of character to the piece and looks a lot different to the typical high-shine finish of most dive watches. Despite the worn look, the steel used does feel good quality and very solid overall.
The crown is screw down, grippy and easy to operate. Unfortunately, despite this, the watch only has an advertised 10ATM water resistance, which is why I described this Casanova as a dive-style watch, as opposed to a true diver.
Overall, excluding the crown, this is quite a large case at exactly 44mm in diameter and almost 11mm in depth. This is definitely better suited to those of you with larger wrists and it dwarfs mine, which are only 6 ¼ inches around. This Casanova does only come in this single size, so make sure you bear that in mind. It also features a medium sized ‘made in Italy’ inscription on the left flank of the case. This isn’t very deep, and doesn’t bother me too much, but I’d probably rather not have that there in the first place.
Clearly the design of the watch has taken some inspiration from the Rolex Submariner. While the latter certainly doesn’t have the same level of distressing when purchased new, there is still a clear resemblance.
Bezel
The 120 click bezel is similar in design to the classic Submariner. This one almost has a green hue to it and I like the slight brushing of the edges. It clicks nicely when turning and has a good level of grip, but it’s a little loose for my taste, there is also a bit of noticeable back-play with this one.
Glass
The glass covering the dial is mineral crystal. When you consider the price they’re asking for one of these, I think that is disappointing. I’ve showcased watches on this channel that are easily available for around £50, that have sapphire glass. While mineral glass isn’t inherently bad, I think it’s clearly an area they have cut costs. This one features a cyclops, which is aligned well with the date window beneath; I’ve found this isn’t particularly reflective, which aids visualisation in bright light.
Dial
The dial is really familiar in design. I think the applied logo and indices really help to give it some depth and interest. Those hour markers are superluminova by the way, resulting in bright performance in dark conditions. The hands are basically the same as what you get in many Rolex homages too, so overall, the design isn’t what I would call ‘original’. Nevertheless, I quite like the proportions and in combination with the chapter ring, I think it’s tastefully done.
Out Of Order casanova Movement
Powering the OOO Casanova is the Japanese Miyota 2115 Quartz movement. While this isn’t necessarily a bad movement, it is a cheap one. You can buy these individually online for easily under £9; it’s said you can get them for around £3 per piece when bought en masse. This isn’t a mechanical movement, or even a mecha-quartz, which is frustrating for me. There are a range of competing dive watches with more preferable movements available in this price range.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Really, that last point is where my issues lie with this watch. I’m going to put aside my size preferences here and try and judge the rest of the watch fairly. At around £300, aside from the unusual distressed look, what is there really, that would make me want to buy this watch over its competition?
There are strong offerings from the likes of Seiko, Orient, Phoibos and Citizen offering mechanical movements and better water resistance. Heck, even the sub-£100 Invicta Pro Diver arguably offers better quality, more versatile sizing and a mechanical movement for a fraction of the cost. This watch would be far down my list if I was in the market for something similar.
Overall, if you can get one of these for under £100, I think it’s not a bad value proposition, but as with many watch brands, the regular retail price is just extortionate. You’d be crazy to spend £300 on one of these.
