I say that because the Tricolore II feels rock-freekin-solid. Not only because of its immense weight but because its 46mm-wide black PVD-coated stainless steel case is accurately machined and super evenly coated, its 120-click, crystal-covered bezel operates with a reassuring click and centers accurately (yay!), its hands and dial look cleaner than some luxury watches I have seen lately… Oh, and its front sapphire crystal is thicker than your average Piaget – but is just as reflective, unfortunately. It does feel over-engineered and overpowered in every possible way and that’s a good feeling to have when wearing a watch. You do hear a bit of the 2824-2’s trademark rotor wobble through the nuclear bunker case, but that’s normal operation for this caliber.

The silicone strap is eerily silky-smooth on the outside and has what appears to be a tire’s pattern on the inside; I wouldn’t be surprised if this was a subconscious decision on behalf of some Italian designer who was placing an order for a set of new Pirellis in place of his destroyed rear tires while working on this strap. The strap too looks good and feels good – no idea of how long it will last but it feels supple enough not to be the sort of strap that starts breaking at an early stage. Replacing it should be no hardship given the bog-standard 24mm lug width and Italy being many people’s go-to source for quality aftermarket Panerai straps which are 24mm too.

Overall wearability is surprisingly good. The aforementioned softness of the silicone strap certainly has to do with it, and so does the perfectly flat case-back, the short, but angled lugs that do take off the edge of the 46-millimeter-wide case, making for a lug-to-lug distance of 52 millimeters. Speaking of edges, there is absolute lack of sharp edges on anywhere on the case; that’s a big plus and something missing from a lot of watches from major brands, running for 4-5 times this much. I mentioned the hindered legibility on the edge of the dial: that’s because of the slightly but noticeably domed sapphire crystal. As you tilt the watch different parts of the dial’s edge become obscured by the distortion – but you never miss out on reading the time quickly and accurately. Lume is fine, though it does take a very powerful light source to get to full brightness: I used my camera’s flash (big thanks and a shameless plug to Profoto for this A1 unit) to get the hands and bezel to their full potential, while most other watches I have had in for review took less time and less fierce light to glow this bright.

While certainly not cheap at $2,200, the Cavenago Tricolore II 1000M does offer a level of quality and workmanship that you simply do not get in the triple-digit price range. I am sure they know their market well at this point and understand that Italy has been too hooked on watches for far too long to tolerate something that isn’t well-made. And hey, at this price it’s still a lot cheaper than a pre-owned Rolex, the go-to watch in Italy in my experience, but just as genuine Italian. I wish Cavenago well in the same way I wish Abarth well: there just simply isn’t another one of them in terms of character and style. cavenagowatch.com

Necessary Data
>Brand: Cavenago
>Model: Tricolore II 1000M
>Price: $2,200
>Size: 46mm wide
>Would reviewer personally wear it: The moment I moved to Italy.
>Friend we’d recommend it to first: Either an actual or a die-hard-wanna-be Italian.
>Best characteristic of watch: Its uncompromised Italian flair and quirkiness, paired with high-quality execution.
>Worst characteristic of watch: Heavy (not to the detriment of comfort, but it is heavy). On the pricey side.