I see talk regarding the after-sales service not being the best, but I’m sure that with a brand this popular, for every person who complains there are a hundred silent happy customers.

I previously reviewed the Venice Rose Gold, which was a lovely watch for the money – certainly not as bad as I was expecting, as I let the negative press influence what I thought would flop out of the box in a heap of parts.

This watch is the Ascari, a motorsport themed chronograph. They’ve got the design on point, it’s simple yet striking. But with an RRP of £249, how does it hold up? Let’s check it out.

The specs

• Dimensions: 42mm diameter x 11.9mm height x 49mm lug to lug
• Weight: 134g
• Water resistance rating: 10ATM / 100m
• Movement: stated as Seiko VD54 (wrong) – most likely the Seiko VK63
• Lug width: 20mm
• Warranty: 10 years
• Price: RRP £249, available for £179
• Available from: https://shop.filippoloreti.com/products/ascari-black-steel-link-1?variant=32729661898837

The video review

The case

Coming in at 42mm in diameter, it’s not a small watch as such, but the relatively dumpy lug-to-lug length of 49mm means it wears smaller than that. The case is primarily brushed, with polished bevelled shoulders.

The impressively detailed caseback features Alberto Ascari and his Ferrari, an Italian racing driver and twice Formula One World Champion (52 and 53). An obvious source of the name and racing vibe of the watch.

One choice that has made me curious is that of the bezel insert: interestingly it has 12-hour dual-time zone marking. As this is such a sport-inspired watch, a regular countdown or tachymeter markings would be much more suitable. I’m not sure how many clicks the bezel has, I counted at around 90 which is a strange number. It’s loud, satisfying and easy to use.

Sitting on top of the watch is a flat sapphire coated mineral crystal. It’s beautifully clear and provides a great view of the dial.

The push-pull crown has a cute checkered flag, the style used in racing, embossed on the end, which is neatly done.

The pushers are easy to use, but visually I’m not sure if they’re on the slightly small side.

The dial

The dial is all about this beautiful textured finish, providing a great amount of depth and detail. The amount of detail captures by the texture also changes based on the amount and angle of light, it’s captivating to look at.

The bi-compax dial configuration is a winner in my eyes; with a 60-minute chrono counter on left, and a 24-hour indicator on right. The subdials have a lovely concentric circular pattern, which again provides more texture to the dial.

The Ascari has rather simple pitched and polished pencil hands, with lumed channels near the tip. The lume is distinctively average.

The printwork on the dial is delicate and fine, and is neatly done considering the depth of the texture it is printed on.

The applied hour markers are pitched, polished, with a lumed channel to match the hands. They also have an angled tip and are deep and well made.

The bracelet

When you shake the watch around a bit, the bracelet feels a little flimsy, but under closer inspection, is well made. The flimsiness is probably due to the short links; when used in conjunction with the two micro-adjustment points on the buckle, you can get a great fit.

The polished central link is eye-catching and reflects the light well. The end links are solid and fit nicely between the lugs. It’s also great to see quick release pins on a bracelet, especially on a watch costing this much.

The buckle is understated but rather classy. It’s pretty quaint, featuring a brushed finish with polished bevelled edges. The logo sits on a frosted bar in the centre.

The movement

Stated as Seiko VD54 mechaquartz chronograph – but that has the chrono running seconds hand as subdial at 6. On this watch, chrono running seconds is the big seconds hand – therefore it’s most likely the Seiko VK63.

It has a very good reputation as being a hybrid “mecha-quartz” movement: it’s battery-powered, with the main time function being quartz, and the chronograph function is driven by a mechanical module (also battery powered, so no winding). The beat rate of the chrono is 18k bph (5 ticks per second), and it has 3-year battery life.

Final comments

Currently available for £179 direct from Filippo Loreti, do I think the Ascari is a good buy? One thing’s for sure: it’s extremely well designed – it looks lovely in the hands and on the wrist. However, I don’t necessarily feel as if anything is outstanding about it – but I suppose that comes with the territory in this price range. In terms of specs, it ticks all the right boxes – so in terms of what you’re getting for the price, it’s a pretty good option if you’re after an affordable, classy, motorsport themed chrono.

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A number of people seem to be rather disgruntled about this brand. It’s hard to tell why exactly, but I believe it’s to do with how they oversold their initial record breaking Kickstarter campaign (they raised an insane €4.8 million, selling 18,000 watches) which left many people waiting a very long time to receive their timepiece. An honest mistake; their original goal was a mere €20,000 so I’m pretty sure they weren’t expecting the volume of orders they’d have to fulfil.

I’m more interested in the here and now. Obviously the initial teething issues are all in the past, so how does this watch stack up again the competition of this price range, and is it good value for money?

The specs

• Dimensions: 42mm diameter x 12mm height x 51.5mm lug to lug
• Weight: 108g
• Water resistance rating: 5ATM / 50m
• Movement: Miyota 9100
• Accuracy: +9.9 sec / day
• Lug width: 20mm
• Warranty: 10 years
• Price: £399
• Available from: https://www.filippoloreti.com/shop/watch/venice-rose-gold-blue-automatic

The case

The case is rose gold plated, and fully polished to really create a statement – just be careful because it will pick up hairline scratches. It’s a super shape – a lovely bulbous affair with a smaller case back than top, so it feels smaller on the wrist than the 42mm diameter. The weight of 108g feels good on the wrist; give you the sense of quality.

Sitting on top of the case is a double-domed sapphire crystal. It’s thick (gives a good thud when you tap it), but it really should have better anti-reflective coating. This, in my opinion, is the one and only thing that is a bit of a let down with the watch – the crystal is very reflective.

There’s a button on side, located at 2 to advance the month indicator. Alongside this is the push-pull crown, which has a thick toothed grip which is very easy to use for winding / setting. It has a faux blue jewel placed on the end.

The bezel has a well machined toothed edge, splitting up the bezel from the case main and providing a visual line to divide them.

The caseback is simple: 4 screws hold it in place, with an exhibition window sitting proudly in the centre. There’s a couple of details laser etched above and below the window, it’s a shame they’re not engraved.

The dial

The dial is a luxurious blue, and is quite busy thanks to the multiple subdials. The power reserve at 12 is subtle and classy, and is something you don’t see all the time so it’s a welcome addition. There’s also a day indicator at 9, month at 3, and date window at 4:30. The 24 hour indicator at 6 is disguised as a day / night indicator with a blue base. It has a sunburst effect exuding out from the centre, which imparts a lovely reflection.

It’s multi-layered, which provides a sense of depth. The subdials are at lowest level, with the outer edge surrounding the hour markers at the highest level.

The applied hour markers are thick, signifying good quality. They are polished rose gold to match the case and catch the light really well. They’re also an intriguing shape that you don’t necessarily notice immediately – not just a straight baton; but rather a baton with a curved top.

The hour and minute hands are quite unique in design, being skeletonised syringe shaped. There’s a hollow disc acting as counterweight on the straight second hand, and the other subdial hands are all simple straight points. All the hands are polished rose gold matching the case.

The blue works so well with the rose gold; really classy, stylish and elegant.

The strap

The strap is made of full-grain blue Italian leather, and it’s very good quality. It’s thick, supple, and well fabricated. The strap also comes fitted with quick release pins, a positive on any watch.

The strap features lighter blue stitching which complements the main darker blue running throughout the watch very well, and keeps things interesting.

You strap the watch on using a polished rose gold butterfly clasp. It’s the same kind of clasp you see quite a lot, so whilst it’s not amazing it’s perfectly suitable and well made. The Filippo Loreti logo is engraved on the top bar.

The movement

The movement used in the Venice is the Miyota 9100 series. It runs at a high beat of 28.8k bph, rocks 26 jewels and has a 40 hour power reserve, which is visualised by the indicator at 12.

In addition to the power reserve at 12, the day indicator is at 9, month at 3, and a day / night indicator at 6 (which is a glorified 24 hour subdial). There’s also the date window at 4:30, which has a white wheel and is sat quite deep.

I’m always happy to see custom rotors, and the Filippo Loreti offering is pretty good. A gold plated rotor with their logo engraved on the top, alongside some other specs too.

Final comments

There’s no doubt about it, Filippo Loreti know what they’re doing when it comes to marketing. As it would be for anyone stating this: it’s a bit of a bold claim when they say the Venice is the same quality as a +£1000 timepiece (that would be a matter of opinion), but I definitely can say that it’s an extremely splendid watch for the money.

The colour scheme of blue and rose gold is a gorgeous tried and tested concoction; glamorous and luxurious. It’s a timepiece that catches the eye, and I’ve received comments every time I’ve worn it. The build quality is flawless, the design classy.

I think you have to look past the hype they stir up, and also the difficult start they endured. But once you do, and look at the here and now, and the watch Filippo Loreti are selling at £399: it’s genuinely a lovely watch for the money.

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