MATWATCHES Picobello Owner Review : Convicing, inspired and readable

If I own this watch today, it's more due to an encounter than a carefully considered quest... I had the privilege of crossing paths with Fabrice Pougez, founder of the MAT Watches brand, and of having a long discussion with him about the DNA of this French brand of technical watches, initially intended for the military - MAT meaning Sea, Air, and Land. Fabrice is a professional who shares his passion and commitment to his brand with his guts. I encourage you to step into his boutique at 18 rue Vignon in Paris to experience this. He explained to me the entire process that led him to offer this Picobello model to mark his brand's 20th anniversary, and gave me a firsthand look at all the technical choices and challenges he faced to create a piece built for adventure. I didn't hesitate long before ordering the most refined model, in titanium and without a date: a watch with a vintage look that appeals to me greatly, a very high perceived quality, and one with which I imagine myself going on an adventure. This Picobello is made of Grade 5 titanium, a titanium alloy containing aluminum and vanadium, additives that give it mechanical properties significantly superior to pure titanium, called Grade 2. This results in a much higher scratch resistance compared to that of Grade 2 Ti, but also that of 316L or 904L stainless steels, which make up most of today's so-called adventure watch cases. It features the attributes of vintage tool watches: a 39.5 mm diameter and a compact thickness, a brushed caseband with beautiful polished chamfers, drilled lugs, a very well-finished notched bezel, and a large crown. The insert is ceramic, too shiny for my taste; I would have preferred it in aluminum, but it's a technical choice that allows the indexes to be coated with six layers of luminescent material. The watch, at night, with its large indexes, also well-covered in Luminova, is exceptionally readable. The three straps included with the watch are of very good quality. A very comfortable watch to wear, robust and precise, with a neo-vintage look that I never tire of.