Venezianico Arsenale Owner Review : Beautiful, fine and comfortable

Hello everyone, As a watch enthusiast, my Instagram feed is far more populated with watches than models in swimsuits. And naturally, ads for neobrands like Venezianico, Spinnaker, and Baltic target me daily. A little over a year ago, while I was in the middle of thinking about my next purchase, I received an ad for a new model from Venezianico, the Arsenale. The first thing that caught my eye: a very divisive purple Côtes de Genève dial. Original enough to make me want to click. I discovered some great features about this watch. I like the design, the strap, and especially the thinness of the case: 8.95mm. Unfortunately, it requires pre-ordering, and a few drawbacks put me off: - Simple two hands without seconds - No transparent case back - No date - No lume on the hands So I figured I'd stop by the store to try it on when it became available. At the time, I was hesitating between a Baltic MR01 and a Yema Wristmaster Traveller. The Chinese movement and its somewhat cheap appearance put me off the former. And the thickness (or price in the case of the micro-rotor) kept me away from Yema. Almost a year later, when I needed to go to an optician, I found myself next to the O'chrono store, the ocarat website that distributes the Venezianico brand. I'd seen the version with the meteorite dial on my Instagram feed, but the price was holding me back. I still haven't found my new daily... So I went to try it out of curiosity. I try the classic two-hand watch with a blue dial. It's indeed very well finished and the thinness is superb. But the lack of a second hand is holding me back. They don't have the Meteorite in stock but suggest I try the latest version: the Platino with a hammered solid platinum dial. I realize that not only does it have a second hand like the Meteorite, but it also has a transparent case back. It's therefore less thin (+1mm) but remains under 10mm. Listed at €1,450, it's even more expensive than the Meteorite. Too expensive for me. But after looking on the brand's website, the watch is on sale for €1,200. Since I want to buy it in-store, I contact them to see if they'll match the price. They take my contact details and are supposed to get back to me a day or two later to confirm. Unfortunately, two days pass and no response. I decide to go to the store to get a faster response. But when I got there and wanted to show the price on the website, I realized the promotion had expired... I couldn't bring myself to pay an extra €250 or abandon my purchase. I was stung. Fortunately, I took a screenshot of my cart that very morning with the price including the promotion. After a few exchanges with the brand, they agreed to give me the discount. The watch arrived two months ago and I'm very happy with it. Comfortable, beautiful, but not flashy. It spent almost all summer on my wrist. I really like it. As for the negative points, because there are always some: - The finish of the rubber strap leaves something to be desired - Changing the strap is a challenge because the last link is mounted too tightly, and since it's held by a screwed bar, it's very complicated to attach the rubber strap. - Despite the screw-down crown and caseback, the advertised water resistance is only 50m. A shame for a watch that looks very summery with its rubber strap... As for the rest, I'm not disappointed. So my advice to the brand would be to develop a quick-release strap to facilitate changes. A micro-adjustment would be ideal, and perhaps an adaptable leather strap. Also, work on the water resistance to achieve at least 100m so there's no question about it. A bronze version has just been released; I imagine a titanium version will be the next logical step. I can't wait to see the work of this young brand with great potential.