I don’t want to alarm everyone, but there has been a Panda invasion. Well, kind of, at least in the micro brand watch world. Armida has recently released their take on a classic, the Rolex Daytona Paul Newman edition, or as Armidas are calling it, the A10 chronograph. The A10 comes in a choice of two dial colors – black with white subdials, or white with black subdials and there is also two bezel options, either black or stainless steel.
This A10 model marks a couple of firsts for Armida: First chronograph, first quartz movement, and the most affordable Armida to date at $299 USD; inclusive of worldwide shipping.
Armida has developed quite a good reputation in only a few short years, which left me pondering how this $300 quartz will stack up to previous Armida models. Below is a video presentation with my initial thoughts.
After wearing for a solid week, I will say right up front, I think Armida has done another excellent job at bringing a classic style at an affordable price point. I am not going to debate the homage issue here, but if homage watches, especially well made affordable ones, are something that you do not mind, please keep reading.
Here are the full specifications for the ARMIDA A10:
ARMIDA A10 200m Miyota 6S50
– 316l stainless steel case
– White dial / steel bezel
– C3 lumed markers and hands
– 42 mm case diameter
– Lug to lug 51mm
– Lug distance 22mm
– Height 14mm
– Flat sapphire crystal
– 22mm bracelet and rubber strap
– Waterproof to 200m/660feet
– Signed crown 7mm
– Weight: 168 grams on bracelet
One of the reasons I chose the white dial with the stainless bezel is because it has a very clean look to it. The black subdial, black numbers on white for the big date, and the black scale on the bezel all seem to flow well together. As I said in the video, I feel the A10, (and I can only speak to this version) really looks a lot better in person than it did in the stock photos from the website. This is my first “panda” dial and I really like the contrast and outer minute track with red hash marks giving it just the slightest pop of color.
Patrick O'Malley
I have been looking for an affordable, quality rally chrono that I can ware with a rally style strap, but I’m concerned over the size of the A10.
I was wondering how the watch wares. Most vintage rally style chronographs are pretty slim however, the A10 seems a bit tall and bulky, much like a dive watch. I have a 7.0 wrist and some 42mm case watches just don’t look right.
Cheers
Don
Please take a look at the whole review, their are 3 pages, and I show wrist shots, and I show it on the wrist in the video as well. I have a 7 1/2 inch wrist, Honestly I think this will be fine on your 7 inch wrist, It is not a massive or over sized watch by any means.
Jeff Foland
My greatest beef with inexpensive watches…is that they just LOOK cheap. Too much cheesy plating, hands don’t fit the face, wiggly crowns, loose bezels, bad lume, goofy clutter on the face, etc.
For the price, I think Armida has a winner, here. Sure, a few personal nitpicks…but the presentation is in the 500-1000 dollar range. I’ve seen many more expensive watches that don’t look this good. Nice, clean lines, and very functional!! Well done.