I really like Marcello C. watches even though most of their watches are more or less “revisions” of the designs of other brands. I am usually less friendly when a brand doesn’t offer up too much originality, but Marcello C. has a soft place on my heart for a few reasons. First, I like their quality. I have a few of their pieces and can say that despite what you think of the origin of their designs, they do sell nicely made watches which are a good value.

Second, a Marcello C. watch was my very first mechanical acquisition. This was about 8 – 9 years ago. That was a Nettuno 3 watch, and I eventually reviewed it here a while back. Marcello C. is a German based brand but had/has a US operation out of Minnesota. Their US website has been up and down, so I am not totally sure what is going on with them. You can always visit their German site and try to order watches by asking (by e-mailing them).

Anyhow, here is a new watch from Marcello C. called the Hydrox. Yes, it does have (a lot) of IWC Aquatimer influence, as well as a few other popular dive watches, but it really is a nice looking re-hash timepiece. The Hydrox will be in steel and 43mm wide. There will be a polished version and a PVD black version. Marcello C. does dive watches really nicely, so I am expecting good things out of this one. You can learn more about them from Marcello C. here.

Water resistance is 300 meters while the crystal is sapphire and should be AR coated. The hour markers are large and applied, while the dial has a complex looking design to it and looks to be offered in a few colors (at least black with red, blue, or orange). Marcello C. divers have suffered from low levels of lume in the past, but this piece might remedy that with the large amounts of SuperLumiNova on the hands and hour markers.

Design of the bezel is adequate. I doubt Marcello C. will use a sapphire crystal overlay like IWC does, but it should be nice nonetheless (likely an aluminum insert). The bezel design looks to be nicely integrated with the dial – which is nice. The watch face should be really easy to read, and I like the symmetrical placement of the date. Little details such as the date disc being black on the PVD models shows the type of attention that I have always admired Marcello C. watches for having.

While a silicone strap will be included with the Hyrdox, the metal bracelet looks to be appealing. It also reminds me of bracelet designs found on Seiko Ananta watches, Montblack Star Sport models, and a few others. This is due to the raised lugs that should have polished beveled edging.

Inside the Hydrox is an ETA 2824-2 automatic that Marcello C. prefers to work with. The price of the Hyrdox is $1,398, which isn’t too bad. A bit more for the black PVD version at $1,548. I am eager to see this piece in the flesh to determine is Marcello C. should still hold a high place in my heart as it does now. Availability now.