Emporio Armani Men’s 43mm Watch (AR11096)

A warm dial on a cold case. The dial is champagne with a sunray brush that runs out from the centre, so it swings between pale gold and something closer to copper as your wrist turns. The case around it is plain polished steel with no bezel decoration at all, and the strap is dark brown leather pressed with a crocodile grain. Case and Wrist Presence 43mm is a full-sized men’s case. On a wrist of 17cm and up it looks correct; on anything narrower the lugs will start to sit at the edge of the bone. The case is slim for its width and the bezel is a thin polished ring, so the watch spreads rather than stacks — it stays flat under a cuff instead of pushing it open. Dial and Legibility Applied batons mark the hours, longer at twelve, three, six and nine. They are cut metal rather than printed, which is what gives them an edge to catch light against a dial of similar tone. A fine printed minute track runs around the outside. The hands are slim dark batons — an unusual choice against a light dial, and it works: dark on champagne is the clearest contrast pairing on the dial. The date sits in a small aperture at three, framed and unobtrusive. Movement and Functions Quartz, with hours, minutes, a sweeping seconds hand and the date. Nothing needs winding and nothing needs a routine. The date is set by pulling the crown to its first position, and it is worth stepping past the change hour rather than through it when you set it. Strap Clasp and Fit The strap is dark brown leather with an embossed crocodile pattern and a pin buckle. A pin buckle gives you fixed holes and no in-between, so pick the hole where the watch stays put when you drop your arm but you can still slide a fingertip under the strap. Leather softens with a fortnight of wear and takes the curve of the wrist; it also darkens where it sits against skin, which is what gives a strap its character rather than what ruins it. Who This Watch Suits Someone dressing for an office and wanting one watch that does not shout. The champagne dial keeps it out of the plain-white-dial crowd without turning it into a gold watch. Care and Maintenance Leather and water are a poor combination. Take it off before a shower and let the strap dry away from a radiator if it does get wet, because forced heat cracks the fibres. Wipe the case with a soft cloth. When the strap eventually goes, it is a standard lug fitting and replacing it is straightforward. About the Brand Emporio Armani sits under the main Armani label and applies the same eye for proportion to watches — case shapes that stay quiet, dials that carry one idea rather than five. Technical Specifications Attribute Specification Brand Emporio Armani Reference AR11096 Case diameter 43mm Case shape Round Case material Stainless steel Dial Champagne sunray Markers Applied batons Movement Quartz Functions Date Strap Dark brown embossed leather 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.