With the case of the watch constructed from carbon, you get a quite unique look and feel to the watch. The carbon casing will certainly supply you with a strong and durable casing, yet the overall look and feel of the case is soft and smooth to touch. You’ll notice the Phantom Carbon is equipped with aluminum lugs screws, but those are just there for the design effect and serve no purposes other than aesthetics, as changing of the straps will still be by the spring bars. One thing I would like to note is that the spring bars are positioned fairly deep on the straps and one could easily cause damage to the casing if not careful.
The crown is push-pull in nature, constructed from aluminum, and rests in the built in crown guard of the casing. I found the crown of the Phantom Carbon to be a bit of a nuisance, as it is not easy to manipulate while on wrist. There is a small notch cutout on the underside of the crown that you must slip your nail up under in order to pull out the crown, thus meaning the watch must be off wrist in order to manipulate the date or time. While this certainly added security that the push/pull crown won’t pop open easily, it does mean that you will need to remove the watch is adjustments are needed. Not a huge ordeal, but for those of us that do like to just grab and go with our auto’s, making those easy adjustments will require you removing the watch to do so.
Moving onto the dial, the PH4900-CB PH01R model sports a carbon fiber dial with the use of applied markers. Usually not a huge fan of multi-colored dials, the red and white color on this particular dial flows nicely and gives the watch that overall “sporty” feel. At the 12 o’clock position you’ll notice a double 0 logo. While not 100% sure what the logo stands for in the ITAnano company (apart from 0 hundred hours), it somewhat reminds me of a tachometer and speedometer, possibly tying in the racing theme with the timepiece. Protecting the dial is K1 mineral glass. I would have much rather seen a sapphire crystal in play here, as the K1 glass is more susceptible to scratching with a higher glare factor.
Powering the “49” is the Japanese Miyota 8215. While the 8215 is a good and reliable movement, I cannot get over the stutter issues involved with the 8215’s and much prefer the 9015 movement. With the use of a carbon case, I believe ITAnano choose to go with the 8215 over the 9015 to keep costs down, so this is a play one will have to evaluate and choose style and comfort over the quality of the movement. Touching on it again, the Phantom Carbon is certainly a comfortable watch on wrist, so it would really come down to a personal preference on your movement of choice.
The PH4900-CB PH01R sent for this review only came with the black leather strap with red and white stitching. On the website for ITAnanao, ITAnanao says they will supply you with both the leather strap and a hypoallergenic silicone strap as well. Only having the leather strap, I cannot speak on the quality of the silicone, but from pictures looks to be of a good quality. The leather strap is quite comfortable and has the nice red and white stitching, complimenting the dial color scheme; giving the watch a nice overall appeal. Buckle is standard, made from the stainless steel and comes with one fixed and one free-floating keeper. I have a 7” wrist and use the second buckle hole punch, so I would comfortably say that the leather strap would accommodate up to an 8” wrist.
Overall, I like the approach ITAnano is taking with their watches. Are there a couple things that could have been upgraded on the PH4900-CB PH01R? Sure, but that’s just my personal opinion. Carbon cases are typically found in price ranges most cant afford, so at $512 USD there will have to be some compromise with the other components of the watch. If carbon casing is your thing, you may want to pick up an ITAnano Phantom Carbon to add to your collection. Check out the full line of Phantom Carbons HERE.
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