Emporio Armani Sportivo Men’s 39mm Chronograph Watch (AR5996)

Rose gold and mother-of-pearl on a brown leather strap is a warmer combination than the usual steel chronograph, and at 39mm the AR5996 is the smallest of the Sportivo chronographs. It ends up somewhere between a sports watch and a dress watch, which is a more useful place to be than either extreme. \n Case and Wrist Presence \n Round, 39mm, finished in rose gold tone throughout including the crown and both pushers. Thirty-nine millimetres is the size that suits the widest range of wrists: big enough to read at a glance, small enough to sit under a shirt cuff without fighting it. The rose tone is soft rather than coppery and picks up whatever warm light is around it. \n Dial and Legibility \n The dial is mother-of-pearl, so the surface shifts as you move — sometimes near-white, sometimes shot through with faint colour. It is a natural material and no two are identical, which is part of the appeal. Applied rose gold batons mark the hours, two registers sit left and right, a third at six, and a date window sits on the right-hand side. A tachymeter scale runs around the outer flange in fine print. Against the pearl surface that fine print is best read indoors; strong sunlight bounces off the dial and washes it out. \n Movement and Functions \n Quartz, so accuracy is a given and the only routine job is a battery. The pushers run the chronograph in the usual way: upper to start and stop, lower to reset. The tachymeter converts an elapsed time over a known distance into average speed. The date sits in its window and is set from the crown. \n Strap, Clasp and Fit \n The strap is brown leather with visible stitching down both edges and it is the part that will change most. Leather takes on the shape of your wrist within a fortnight and darkens where it sits against skin, so a strap that looks stiff and uniform now will look lived-in and slightly uneven within a season — that is normal and generally an improvement. Keep it dry and it will last years; soak it repeatedly and it will stiffen and crack at the fold. \n Who This Watch Suits \n Someone who wants a chronograph that is not silver and not black. It works with brown shoes and a belt, reads as dressed-up on a slimmer wrist, and the mother-of-pearl gives it a quality that photographs badly and looks excellent in person. \n Care and Maintenance \n No water rating is printed on the dial, and the leather strap would not enjoy it either, so keep it away from swimming and showers. Wipe the case with a soft dry cloth. If the strap gets wet, dry it away from direct heat and let it take its own time. \n Technical Specifications \n Case diameter 39mm Case shape Round Case tone Rose gold Dial Mother-of-pearl, applied stick markers Functions Chronograph, date, tachymeter Movement Quartz Strap Brown leather Reference AR5996 \n Buying With Confidence \n Covered by a 24-month international manufacturer warranty on the movement, excluding battery and normal wear. It ships new and unworn in its original box with the manufacturer’s paperwork, nationwide with tracking, and the Consumer Protection Act right of return applies to an unworn watch in its original packaging. Tilt it towards a window and the dial goes from white to faint pink — that is the mother-of-pearl, not the plating.