BertucciA-11t Americana

Having bought the Bertucci A-2SEL watch through Amazon a week earlier and had some difficulty in reading the dial (thanks to my poor eyesight), I decided that I would take another punt and go for another watch in their range with the easiest to read (in my opinion), white on black dial ... and the A-11T is it. It is only 2mm wider in all directions than the A-2 case shape, but that does make for a much bigger, chunkier feeling watch body. However, being made from titanium (as opposed to stainless steel), it is actually a fair bit lighter than the smaller A-2S(EL). That makes it something of a 'lightweight bruiser' of a watch!Before saying anything more about it, I have to add that (unlike with my previous Bertucci through Amazon), this time things did not go so well. Apart from the 8 day delay before the vendor even dispatched the watch, when it eventually arrived it was clearly not a brand new watch. Whether it was second hand, or just ex-display, I couldn't really tell. Either way, it arrived covered in fingerprints, without any of the protective film on the case back, without the crown-stopper that keeps the battery from draining, with a strap that was kinked and marked from having the watch slid up and down it and with some minor scratches on the casing between the strap bars. Oh yeah ... and the box was crushed. Normally, I would have complained and tried for a refund, but because of the £50 I had paid for import duties, I was afraid that I would lose out financially if I tried to get a replacement. Given that it is supposed to be a 'field watch' (and therefore prone to heavy use), I just decided to keep it and wear it. That said, I will never buy anything through Amazon again that has to be imported and will stick to UK-supplied items only.Back to the watch ...Overall, the build quality is very good, especially considering that this is from a relatively small company and not a massive operation like Citizen or Seiko. The casting on the titanium case is a little rough and 'crinkly' around the area between the strap bars and this is visible because of the low strap position, but I quickly came to accept that as part of its charm. The dial is clean and easy to read. The hands are a fair bit whiter than the digits in daylight, but the luminous paint glows a similar shade of green on each when charged up. On the subject of the lume, it may well be Swiss Superluminova, but it is barely good enough to last 6 hours after a full charge and is why this watch loses a star in my review. A more generous application of lume paste (in more layers) is what this watch really needs to live up to the implied promises made on the Bertucci website and in their dealer's online reviews.The double-thickness leather strap that came with the watch is not something that I wanted especially, but it was so surprisingly soft and supple that I have found myself wearing it on that strap a lot. Luckily, any 22mm NATO or Zulu style strap will fit this watch and so there are endless (cheap) options to choose from.The photos show how the watch looks on a 7.25" wrist. Not too big, not too small! And honestly, it is very, very comfortable to wear. It doesn't snag on sleeves because there is no bezel and no sharp edges. It is so light that you don't even realise it is there and with the right strap (especially a thin, rubber NATO) it is actually quite snug and streamline on the wrist.I am very much impressed with my two Bertucci watches. Even though it costs a lot to import them (compared to what our American cousins have to pay, locally), I think that they are still good value for money. The design, the specifications and the build quality are all on par with similarly priced Japanese watches and yet they have plenty of character of their own.Go Bertucci!