Am I in love with the echo/neutra 1956 3H? I don’t know if I love it, but I have warm feelings for it, and a big reason for those “feels” has to do with the warm grey dial. The 1956 3H has been around since 2021, originally dubbed the Cortina, and there have been slight changes over the last four years. However, the newest version features a warm grey dial color, and spoiler alert—it’s spectacular. Well, the dial color is spectacular at least, but the rest of the watch is pretty good as well, and the overall look does remind me of the Bell & Ross V2-92 series, a watch I have always lusted after. The 1956 brings a lot of value too, considering it starts at just $790 and only goes up to $830 (link bracelet upgrade), and it packs a lot into the 40mm case with a double domed sapphire, 100m of water resistance with a screw down crown, and an SW200-1 movement.
Yes, there is a likeness to the B&R V2-92, not just in my opinion, but others as well who commented when I posted this on social media, but it’s more inspired by and not a copy by any means. It’s more vintage style than anything else, hence the 1956 model name, yet it’s done with all modern materials. The brushed case is thin but not overly thin, and has a nice profile and curve to it, with a polished chamfered line on top. The fixed bezel edge is polished as well for contrast. The big takeaway on the case for me is not only does it have 100m of water resistance, but also a screw down crown, something often missing from field-style sport watches such as this. The crown itself is a little plain or generic, but it is functional, and even though this is an SW200-1, echo/neutra did a date delete, so no, there’s no phantom crown position.
When it comes to the dial, the echo/neutra 1956 3H hits it out of the park with this warm grey color. It is what got my attention immediately when I saw pictures of it on social media, and even though this model in other dial colors has been around before, I never paid much attention until this dial was unveiled. Think of taupe meets grey. It’s an interesting shade, and with the all black hands (except for the lume) and the all black numerals and indices, it’s just a striking look. Yes, it’s a little text-heavy, which is something a lot of microbrands do unfortunately, and with the 1956 logo in place of the 6, I find the dial to be a little cluttered. Aesthetically, it could be cleaned up a bit; functionality is good because the hands stand out against the dial, so no issues telling time at a glance. Above the dial is an ultra-domed sapphire crystal, which of course adds to the vintage appeal of this watch. The second hand is tipped in red and white, for the only pop of color on this dial.
Its all about that dial color though, and as with any dial, especially ones with a crystal like this, it can change hue depending on the lighting and in darker environments the echo/neutra can look a little moe taupe/beige but in direct light or sunlight, you see that gray color come out, and its such a great shade and takes this particular model to another level. Echo also has a khaki colored model, which I like the look of as well, but they went with vintage colored lume on the hands and bezel, and as such, lacks contrast. This combo here is perfect in my opinion.
The fixed bezel is a little bit of an oddity, though. It looks good, has the black ceramic insert, but in place of a lume pip, it’s a mountain illustration, and while it adds some character to it, I do find it a little gimmicky. Many have assumed this was a dive-style watch, like a skin diver, until they saw it wasn’t a rotating bezel. In its current configuration, with that mountain illustration, I am glad they didn’t have a rotating bezel. I thought about, for this style of watch, how I would improve on this bezel, and since the dial markings have no lume, a numbered bezel would have made more sense, and it could have doubled as a dual time watch as well, adding to the functionality.
The case back has that vintage appeal as well; it’s not exactly a pie pan case back, but it’s close, and I love the deep stamping of the 1956 in the center of the case back. While overall it’s a simple case back all things considered, it is finished well with that fine circular brushing and the textured center with the high polish 1956 popping. I know everyone loves to see the movements these days, but I prefer a case back like this, especially when it’s so clean and well finished, such as this. You may notice something else when it’s turned over as well-there are no quick release pins on the strap, and they are absent on the bracelet as well. No drilled lugs either, so you will need a tool (echo/neutra includes one, as well as extra links for the bracelet).
The default strap of the echo/neutra 1956 3H is a black tropic rubber. I had them send the black minimal stitched leather and the solid link bracelet. If you choose either of the leather straps or the mesh bracelet as your second strap, the price stays at $790; if you choose the link bracelet, the price is $830. That $40 upcharge is well worth it, as this is a beautiful bracelet with oval style links (a la Omega), highly polished outer links, solid end links, and a substantial clasp with the 1956 logo. I love the design of this strap, and honestly, I’m ok with the old school extension, even though it’s more of a dive extension and not one that is useful day to day, but I would prefer an all brushed bracelet. The polished links give contrast, but they are going to get so scratched up, and they are a fingerprint magnet as well.
For my 7 1/2 inch (19.05cm) wrist, I prefer to wear it on the bracelet, even with the polished links, as the leather strap, while beautiful with a prominent grain pattern, is stiff and on the short side at 115/75mm. The bracelet out of the box should easily fit an 8-inch (20.32m) wrist, and even more with the included extra links. At 40mm with a short lug to lug of 46mm, I find it to be a great size for this style of watch and don’t feel it’s too small, though, of course, that’s always subjective.
I have been pleasantly surprised by the echo/neutra 1956 3H. At just under $800, I was skeptical it was going to be as nice as it looked on their website, but this watch lived up to the hype. While I would change a few things out such as the bezel and a different crown shape, overall, it’s hard to deny the value of this piece. Yes, it could be considered a B&R alternative, which is what drew me to it beyond that warm grey dial, but it’s so much more than just an homage. Even the quirkiness with that mountain on the bezel, it does gives this piece added character, and of course, that dial color is one I hope to see others use. It’s just a great tone. To the owners of echo/neutra, let’s see a proper dive watch, and make sure at least one version uses the warm grey!
I've been an avid watch lover since the age of 7. Watches are not only my hobby but a passion. My favorite style used to be dive watches, but field or non bezel watches have been growing on me. When I'm not reviewing watches I am either cooking or with family and friends.
