The Watch Conundrum
Ah, welcome to the notorious, infamous Vincero Watch Review Article.
Entry level, affordable, expensive, luxurious and ludicrous. Welcome to the watch world.
Since not everyone can afford a Rolex, most of us will end up wanting to save money on our timepiece and choose something from the entry level offerings such as a Daniel Wellington.
What if you want something else though? These days, everyone that breathes can craft and sell something through the power of Social Media. Purchasing one of these watches can be intimidating and often a shot in the dark, especially if there are not many reviews online.
Vincero is a small company that wants a share of the pie. It has Antonio Centeno of Real Men Real Style behind it and that certainly convinced me to buy a watch from them. Do I regret it? Keep reading to find out.
This my own, unbiased Vincero Watch Review: Kairos Series in Rose/White Gold.
Vincero – A Tale Of Three Friends
Tim, Sean and Aaron were three friends that wanted to make a difference. With no experience into manufacturing, they ventured into the unknown and somehow created Vincero in 2014 after a long 4 years of harsh lessons. Vincero is Latin for “I will win” and is derived from the famous quote “Veni Vidi Vici”. You can read the whole story right here.
The goal was simple. Do the Paul Evans and sell only online, hand-made watches of affordable quality and outstanding value. They even go as far as to say that they have reinvented the classic dress watch.
A pretty bold claim honestly don’t you think? With over 7500 customer reviews and the RMRS powerhouse supporting them, could it be wrong?
What would a Vincero Watch Review be though without a watch to review?
Spoiler Alert: It’s garbage don’t buy it!
The Kairos Series
There is no question if a stylish man needs a watch. It is one of the most underrated and overlooked accessories as I wrote in another article a while ago. The question is which style you want. Dress, Casual, Diver or all around watch.
As with many things in men’s style: Less = More Formal and watches are no exception. Vincero offers battery and automatic watches for each category. The Bellweather, the Chrono S and of course today’s showpiece, the Kairos Series.
It comes in a variety of colours and different kinds of straps but it captured exactly what I was looking for – at least on paper – and that was simplicity and elegance.
A simple, good looking dress watch fit for every occasion. Too bad it’s garbage.
Specifications
My home town is right next to Sparta and you know what they used to say there in Ancient Greece?
“Το λακωνίζειν εστί φιλοσοφείν”
Chilon of Sparta
That translates roughly into less is more or in this case that an image can speak a thousand words.
Ordering And Shipment – 5/10 (For Europe)
The online experience on Vincero’s website is fast and smooth. I even used the RMRS code to save some money. The next day I received a nice personalized email that my order is being processed. Free shipment can only make it better right?
Fourteen days later I tracked down my parcel that was stuck in customs. In Sweden you have to pay an import fee for US products and then your item can be processed before you receive it. This can take up to two weeks. Was it worth the wait? Not really.
Unboxing – 5/10
The watch came in a black box bearing a big Vincero logo on the top cover. Underneath the cover you will find some small leaflets and a discount code for your next purchase. The watch sits there folded on the bottom and I must admit that on first glance it looks alright.
A minimalist box that is easy to open and a good first impression earns the Vincero an honest 5/10. Nothing spectacular, but gets the job done.
Design – 5/10
One cannot deny that the Kairos looks fine, especially in Rose/White gold with a brown strap. Both the Vincero logotype and the watch version blend nicely without taking too much space and are accompanied by an equally minimalist date counter that displays days. There are no numbers for the hours and minutes/seconds are numbered every 5. The three standard dials display hours, minutes and seconds and…that’s it.
The casing is 42mm wide and 10mm thick, while the crown is neatly placed at 3 o’clock. On the back you will notice Vincero’s trademark motos: “Live your legacy” and “Veni Vidi Vici”. The Italian marble in the middle is a very nice touch but completely unnecessary.
Wearing it made me feel good initially and the brown strap matched my shoes and belt perfectly. There are many designs and colour combinations to choose from but I would think about the rest of your wardrobe first.
Update #1: A friend of mine who happens to be a watch expert, added that the date is really close to the center hands and the position of the subdials uncover movements too small for the case. You can check Philippe’s great IG page here.
Quality – 2/10
The casing is made from stainless steel and sports Sapphire coated scratch resistant glass. After approximately 6 months of heavy every day use, there has not been a single scratch on the casing. That is a job well done there. And that’s exactly where the positives end. Brace yourselves.
Vincero has chosen the Miyota Quartz movement which according to some other reviewers has proven to be extremely reliable. Now, while the movement might be good, on my watch I could instantly see a problem. When the seconds dial moves it is not accurately pointing out the seconds. To make it clear, instead of going from 0 seconds to 1 second, the dial will go from 0.1 seconds to 1.1 seconds and so forth. I don’t know for you, but I am a perfectionist and I might have some OCD to boot and this pisses me off.
The strap has been another part that disappointed me. The leather is extremely stiff and has bent quite a bit in the areas that go through the buckle creating a bit of an ugly S shape. Not only that but there are visible marks where the leather has come off. Ms. Misiu noticed that as well.
To make matters worse…remember that the watch came from the US? Well, this has likely cause a problem with the internal mechanism and the dates. My Kairos is a 5-7 hours behind so instead of changing the date when it should, it stays on the previous one and that can be very confusing and frustrating.
As for the Italian Marble and the engravings, they are nice but they offer no other benefit.
Update 17-12-2018: I have lowered the score from 4/10 to 3/10 because the watch keeps losing time and in some cases hours. Avoid at all costs!
Update 05-05-2021: What a pile of junk. Score dropped to 2/10 only because the casing remains in good condition.
Vincero Kairos Final Verdict – 2/10
My experience is limited to the Kairos but let us do a quick summary of pros and cons.
Pros:
- Decent minimalist look
- Casing is good though a bit on the thick side
- Not expensive at 139$ with many discount codes flying around the web
- Quartz movement
- Easy to use crown
- I guess it tells you the time?
Cons:
- Disappointing leather strap that bends and holes have enlarged
- Late delivery due to customs (for outside the US)
- Seconds dial not pointing correctly
- Every couple of days I have to correct the date
- Losing minutes and hours often
- Strap has began to show signs of wear
- Strap is also extremely rigid and low quality leather
So…Buy Or Pass?
I dislike dishonest people. Especially those who will try to sell you something and over-hype it like it is a life-changing revolutionary product. I understand that they need to sell and get their commission but these are people that the general population sees as influencers. This is what they do! They influence you. You trust their judgement and buy something they recommend.
Does that mean that the Vincero Watches are terrible?
No, what it means is that while they are ok quality for their price, they are not like other reviews describe them. Check out a few of the online reviews. They all talk about how great and luxurious they are. Look how much RMRS promotes these watches. Antonio will tell you that their quality is great and you will receive a lot of compliments.
Let me tell you, I have not received a single compliment in 6 months of use. Honestly, the Vincero Kairos is the weakest part of my wardrobe and overall style right now. I also had to deal with customs, a terrible leather strap, wrong dates and a dial that triggers my OCD when I think about it.
“It is bold“, they say.
Where exactly did you see the boldness? It is as simple as it gets. True, the casing is quite elegant and classic and they have some nice colour offerings but that’s it.
What is the verdict you ask? I would not buy this watch. I am not telling you to buy a DW but I am advising you to try a more established brand that know what they are doing. You can’t go wrong with an Omega or a Seiko and there is something for every budget. Once more, what infuriates me is the claims, the statements and the incredible lengths some people go to in order to sell you an item you don’t need.
Update 17-12-2018: Avoid this watch by all costs. You can do much better, it is the worst buy I have made in years.
Video Review (2021)
Oh boy, here’s the 3 year Vincero Watch Video Review on this abomination. Watch it until the end!
And Something Personal…
I don’t care if a product has 20.000 positive reviews. If I test it myself and would not buy it then I will not recommend it to you.
Will the Vincero Kairos inspire you to live your legacy? Did they really reinvent the dress watch?
The answer is NO my friends. You get a decent watch but you can do much better. Misiu Academy is not just fashion articles, guides and reviews. It is also lifestyle, attitude, experience and all of us getting on the road to success. To be the best version of ourselves. Express yourselves through real style and unlock your true potential.
This brings us to the end of the Vincero Watch Review. Thank god.
Do you have any experience with Vincero Watches? Or maybe you want to share your thoughts about mass promotions from influencers and YouTubers. I want to hear from you down in the comments. A subscribe to our email list would be greatly appreciated too!
Thank you for reading,
Kostas Mandilaris,
Misiu Academy
Very detailed and honest review. But I would like to tell you something about the issue of seconds hand; most of the quartz movement and low end watchs have this issue, only Grand Seiko quartz and few top end Citizen watchs have conquered this issue.
Thanks a lot for the information! I will update the post since I did not know about it. Regardless, it speaks about the quality that better and more established brands have.
The watch you reviewed is symbolic of all their brands. The band is not crocodile, it’s embossed to look like crocodile. The movement is the lower end Miyota and is manufactured in China, not Japan. What I don’t like is they claim these are hand made like a Rolex or a Patek. If hand made why is it Ali Baba sells the exact same watch without the logo for about $35 in droves?
As I’ve stated on other sites, this is a nice first watch. But once one gets more into real value watches, these will never see the light of day and end up where they came from, the garbage.
It’s sad that many young guys are spending their hard earned money on crap thinking their hero’s wear these when the fact is, they are getting a paycheck to promote them. And in real life would not be caught dead in public with one.
Hi Gary!
Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a long, detailed comment. I agree with you in all points.
I am not sure if I mentioned about the strap, but yes the style is crocodile printed.
Unfortunately, while starting this journey I was also caught in the wave and it looked very suspicious. This is exactly why I do not recommend anyone to spend their hard earned money in something like this.
And you are right, initially I wore it because I have it and I wanted to test it, but soon i realized I am actually embarrassed to wear it in public so I stopped.
Once more, thank you for writing all this!
Best,
Kostas
Dank voor de uitgebreide review van dit horloge, had hem dus bijna gekocht.
Maar nu heb ik een vraag over een ander horloge, een Heartbeat herenhorloge van Alpha
Sierra (RG104). Ook met saffierglas en een automaat, ik kan hem kopen voor €110,00 en mijn vraag is aan U dan ook:
Is dit een goed horloge en is het dat bedrag waard. Ik zag hetzelfde horloge bij BOL.com voor de prijs van €699,00 dus je zou denken dat het een koopje is. Is dat het ook?
Graag uw reactie op mijn vraag, of nog mooier een review over dit horloge.
Mvg, F. Berg
Hallo meneer Berg,
my apologies but I do not speak Dutch. Glad to see you find my review helpful. Unfortunately I am not a big watch fan and cannot get the Sierra, but I can recommend for a good budget watch the Orient Bambino. Be careful if you see heavily discounted items and only buy from reputable stores!
Mvg,
Kostas
I am interested in purchasing this watch
Do you mean the Vincero? It’s a terrible watch, please don’t buy it!