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In designing a watch that takes its cues from the Spitfire, AVI-8 has looked at both the obvious and subtle details of its design and fabrication, purposefully injecting them into this timepiece. This tidy, elegant fighter was a national hero and a pillar of the Royal Air Force. Its cutting edge design and superior specification gave it a fighting edge in the air against enemy aircraft during World War 2. Throughout the chapters of the air effort, pilots of the RAF skillfully moved the ever-impressive Spitfire from one battle to another.
Firing up a lumeshot on the Spitfire Type 300 is a real joy! Glowing double digits all around the dial is something pleasantly different. Final thoughts: The more I spent time with this watch, the more I appreciated all its details. To get a good sense of the watch’s strengths and weaknesses, I decided to only wear this piece for a week, and I didn’t get tired of it. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a watch with the word Spitfire in the name, but it’s the first time we’ve seen one with a dial inspired largely by the knots gauge of the namesake plane. AVI-8 didn’t miss a mark on this design and even made the minute hand look like the needle of the gauges. The slim fixed bezel makes the 42mm diameter almost all dial, adding to the legibility and field of view. AVI-8’s dials are always a great opportunity for the brand to get incredibly specific with references to the planes that are the inspiration for their timepieces. Naturally, the dial has an instrument like appearance, using gauges and readouts from vintage Spitfires as inspiration for the design. The hands have been designed with legibility in mind (fitting for any watch that has anything at all to do with aviation) and key dial elements are covered in yellow lume (or white, depending on the dial variant chosen), providing an appropriate vintage aesthetic for a watch of this type. If you’re searching for a gift for a young enthusiast or to introduce someone to this hobby, I think you should consider the Smith Automatic.The 07 and 09 have a sandwich look to them at a wrist’s length away, but there isn’t a plate underneath, and it isn’t lumed. It’s more of a debossed or stamped effect. There is text on the knots gauge in the Spitfire plane with a similar appearance. The metal screws are also found on the gauge. More details at AV-8 online store. Technical details Model: AVI-8 Spitfire Type 300 Automatic Edition, Reference AV-4073 The crown side of the case features a carved design that represents the silhouette of the Spitfire wingspan. Looking at the watch from this angle, the crown is meant to be the propeller of the plane and the two lines are the wings. The Spitfire ships on a stainless steel bracelet with Oyster style links. All of the earlier AVI-8 watches were on straps, so it’s really nice to see them developing decent bracelets. The endlinks slide right up against the case to create seamless consistency, nothing janky here. When buying this model from AVI-8 you’ll get a leather strap for an entirely different look, however, this may not be the case when purchasing from other retailers.
The crystal is sapphire, with an anti-reflective coating. I’d want this type of watch at this type of price to feature this, so it’s great to see they haven’t cut corners. The anti-reflective coating is very effective at reducing reflections, helping to make this arguably the most legible wristwatch I’ve reviewed on this blog, even in direct sunlight. Toss the Spitfire on a mil-strap, and you’ve got a completely different vibe. It gives the watch more of a military look. It’ll also work well with leather (admittedly, I don’t have any 22mm leather straps on hand) for a more classic aviation vibe. The green and yellow dial lend themselves to looking sharp with a variety of different colors, but my preference would lean towards a nice gray or khaki, or a perforated deep brown leather strap. Conclusion AVI-8 is presenting its Spitfire range of timepieces, with the first model titled the Spitfire Type 300 Automatic Edition – paying tribute to the prototype Supermarine developed in 1934. Inspired by the lines, form and design of the famed World War 2 era fighter, AVI-8 delivers a unique take on a stylish timepiece that draws from one of the most famous aircraft to have ever flown. Upon close examination, the dial has a lot going on, but it’s a breeze to read on the wrist. As with any proper pilot watch, legibility is key.
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It’s hard to remember the last time AVI-8 put out a piece with a flat dial. They are really big on textures and multiple levels. The markers on the spitfire are raised, and to add more depth, the half dial in the center has a sandwich style appearance for the 07 and 09 markers – more on this later. The screw heads at 6:00 and 3:00 are also applied and raised out of the dial with a subdued finish that reflects at certain angles. The bracelet finish is also satin brushed and looks like any undesirable desk diving swirlies would be easy to clean up. The best way is to use a polishing machine with a satin wheel, but you could always hit it up with a Scotch-Brite pad if needed! feet water resistance is screen printed at the top of the dial in an appealing vintage layout. Note that the crown is push-pull style, so don’t put too much weight on the rating. The Type 300 employs a custom modified Japanese made, 21 Jewel movement based on the robustly reliable Miyota 8 series. The rotor is shaped after the silhouette of the Spitfire as an ever spinning reminder of the plane that has inspired the watch.
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