Emporio Armani Giovanni Men’s 44mm Watch (AR11210)

The Giovanni strips a dress watch back to its two moving hands and a date. Black dial, bright steel case, black leather. Nothing on it is there for decoration except the eagle and the wordmark, and both are set high enough that the centre of the dial stays empty. Case and Wrist Presence 44mm is wide for a dress watch, and the design leans into that rather than hiding it. The bezel is thin and steeply polished, so almost the whole diameter is given over to dial, and the black surface makes the case read a size smaller than the number suggests. The lugs curve down sharply, which pulls the strap around the wrist instead of letting the case sit up on a shelf of leather. Under a shirt cuff it will need a slightly loose sleeve. Dial and Legibility There are two levels to the dial: a flat outer ring carrying the minute track and the markers, and a slightly sunken centre disc where the hands pivot. The step between them is subtle in a photograph and obvious on the wrist. Polished silver batons take most of the hours, with Roman numerals at nine and six that give the dial an anchor without turning it into a numeral watch. The hands are long, faceted and tapered, and the minute hand reaches the track properly, so reading the minutes is exact rather than approximate. Movement and Functions Quartz, with a sweeping-looking but stepping seconds hand and a date window at six. The window is small and framed in silver, cut into the lower Roman numeral so it does not disturb the symmetry. Set the date with the crown pulled to its first position and the time at the second; if you change it between about nine at night and three in the morning you risk catching the date change mechanism, so wind the hands past midday first. Strap and Fit The strap is smooth black leather with a raised padded section under the lugs that tapers towards the buckle. Padding of that kind fills the gap between a wide case and a narrower wrist and stops the watch tipping to one side. Leather that starts this smooth will crease along the fold line within a few weeks, which is what makes a strap comfortable rather than what ruins it. Expect to replace it after a year or two of daily wear. Who This Watch Suits A man who wants one watch that will pass at a funeral, an interview and a dinner without changing anything. Black on black on steel makes no claim about the wearer beyond that he owns a watch. Care and Maintenance Leather and water do not get on. Take the watch off before washing your hands, and if the strap does get wet let it dry away from a heater. Wipe the case with a soft dry cloth; polished steel picks up fingerprints and shows every one of them against a black dial. About the Brand Emporio Armani is the younger, more wearable half of the Armani house, and the watches follow the clothing: restrained shapes, strong monochrome, and detail kept to the minimum that still reads as considered. Technical Specifications Attribute Specification Brand Emporio Armani Reference AR11210 Collection Giovanni Case diameter 44mm Case shape Round Case material Stainless steel Dial Black Markers Roman numerals with applied batons Functions Date Strap Black leather Movement Quartz Warranty 24 months Buying With Confidence Movement cover runs for 24 months under the international manufacturer warranty, with the battery and ordinary wear excluded. Every watch leaves us new and unworn, boxed with the manufacturer’s paperwork, and goes out by tracked courier anywhere in the country. An unworn watch in its original packaging can be returned under the Consumer Protection Act.