Venturo Field III
If you have been following Gruppo Gamma, you will know they launched a second brand a few years ago, Venturo. This Venturo Field III is the third field watch they have produced, and all have been very different. You can find all the Venturo reviews here on Watch Report, but this field watch takes the case from the Venturo Skin Diver and makes it into a clean field-style watch and also a GMT version as well. So what exactly are you getting here? A great looking 40mm cushion style case, all in brushed stainless steel, with either a grey (as reviewed) or a black dial no date 3-hand field watch, No date, and an NH38 movement, starting at a price of $360.
Specifications:
- 40MM Stainless Steel Case
- 48.5mm Lug to Lug
- 22mm Lug Width
- 14mm Thick
- 166 Grams in Weight (On bracelet)
- Box Domed Sapphire Crystal
- 200m Water Resistant
- Screw Down Crown
- Seiko NH38 Movement
- Choice of Bracelet, Canvas or Both
Pricing: Strap-$360, Bracelet- $380, Both-$410
https://gruppogammawatches.com/collections/venturo-field-watch-iii
So yes, there has now been 3 field watches from Venturo, and all have been very different. The first model was a 40mm round case, with syringe hands, and just a very classic-looking watch. The second was unique and took its design from a vintage Rolex from the 40s, with a squarish style case, and quite a departure from what the brand(s) normally produce. Now we have the Venturo Field III, which is just a field watch version of the Skin Diver. The dial is different here, printed vs the sandwich of the diver, and of course no dive bezel, but pretty much everything else is the same, the case, crown, case back, and bracelet, all the same. Some may say this is lazy, but come on, how many Tudor or Rolex watches released every year change one little thing and call it a new watch, they are billion-dollar brands. Venturo was able to take an existing model and produce a different style, and I think they have done a good job with it as well.
A 40mm case, just about 14mm thick, which is 1mm thicker than the previous Skin Diver due to the Seiko NH38 movement instead of the Miyota 9039. Still, I don’t find this to be a very thick-looking piece, nor does it wear as such, even with that box-domed sapphire crystal. The cushion-style case gives this watch a larger appearance as does the 22mm lugs and a somewhat long lug to lug, for a 40mm case. So what does that mean? If you are someone looking for a svelte piece, this isn’t it. This really wears more like a 42mm due to the overall dimensions, and you can see that on my 7 1/2 inch (19.05cm) wrist. The large screw-down crown is easy to grab, even when worn, and the drilled lugs are still here to help with strap changes. The bezel is brushed stainless steel, which does look great but does pick up scratches easily, something that could have been prevented with a hardened coating.
Even though I have the standard field watch here, I do want to mention the GMT version quickly. The same case, bracelet, crown, etc, but with a fixed 24-hour bezel, and of course the GMT hand. No grey dial version sadly, only black and you can get it with a choice of date or no date, and the same bracelet or canvas strap options. Pricing starts at $380.
Venturo Field III GMT
The GMT absolutely does look great, especially with the red accents, but I instantly fell in love with the grey dial, simply because it’s grey. I talk about this in the video, and it is not like grey dials do not exist or Venturo is the first to do it, but many get it wrong in my opinion. They are either too textured, or too dark, and end up not really being grey. This matte grey dial, combined with the white printed markers and lume, just looks great, and it is nice to see a dial that says it is grey and actually is. The dial is clean and uncluttered and to run the risk of repeating myself too often, if you take the overall look and style of this watch, it reminds me of the Sinn 856. Not a bad watch to be compared to, and one that is very versatile.
The Venturo Field III (and the GMT) can be ordered with either a stainless bracelet, a canvas strap, or both. The cheapest option is the canvas strap, a khaki-colored strap that is 130mm x 80mm, and I have talked a lot about these straps from Gruppo in the past, they are canvas front and back, and very flexible and really nice examples of a canvas strap. My only issue here is you do not get a choice of colors, and I don’t feel this yellow (it’s definitely more yellow than khaki), doesn’t really work with the grey dial, and I don’t think it looks that great with the GMT variants either.
The bracelet is truly the way to go in my opinion, as this is one of those bracelets that can just fold up on itself, it’s extremely comfortable, and though it may not look that exciting, it is solid, well-finished, and has a simple but functional clasp with a 4 micro-adjustments. The unsized bracelet is pretty large as well, and Gruppo Gamma states it should fit up to a 9-inch wrist.
And of course, as expected, the Venturo Field III has excellent lume. BGW9 is used here, and just look at it, perfectly filled in and very bright, and I can not remember a watch from Gruppo/Venturo where the lume disappoints.
The Venturo Field III may use a case and bracelet from a previous model, but the new dials and bezels do change up the look quite a bit and what you get is a simple and clean field-style watch and one that is very affordable. The GMT version seems to be getting all the press, another reason I think I chose the standard grey dial to review is that as much as I love the look of the GMT, I am a sucker for a no-nonsense watch such as this, and yes, it may be simple but it is far from boring. The bezel would be better if protected with a coating and I would love to see a choice of canvas strap colors, but other than that, another great offering from the budget side of Gruppo Gamma.
See all the models here at the Gruppo Gamma website HERE.
