There are few brands which have bracelets this massive and thick. As I said, taking into consideration how large SISU watches are, they wear quite well. SISU has indicated to me that in the future they will produce smaller watches. I don’t know how those will do, but I do know that their goal from the start was to produce really huge timepieces for men of a huge stature. In their minds, these were people such as American football and basketball athletes. I let a friend wear a SISU watch for a while. He is the type of guy who is active but not a man of large stature. I also offered to let him wear it as a joke expecting a reaction of “I am not going to wear that.” That would teach him to bother me about borrowing watches all the time. So he wears the watch for a while and all of a sudden he starts to like it. Even love it. The pound of steel on his wrist seemed to only be a temporary annoyance. True enough, when you wear a heavy watch you tend to no longer feel the weight. At least that is the case with many people. You are pretty much going to love getting a little workout all the time when you move your arm – or be seriously irritated by it. I guess SISU really did succeed in making a watch for athletes…

So what about design? Ignore the fact that the piece is so large, is it a nice looking watch? Yes actually. SISU makes watches that are both modern and simple. There aren’t wild details all over the place that confuse you or go nowhere. The case is detailed enough without being too complicated, and the same goes for the bracelet. The interesting angling of the links proves attractive. I will say however that if you don’t have a wrist that is… eight inches in circumference or larger I may recommend the Guardian over the Bravado. This is important because of how the bracelet is designed. The Guardian has a bracelet that is more flexible and will wrap around your wrist better. The Bravado’s bracelet is a bit on the stiffer side, and needs a larger wrist to sit properly. Just something to consider. Then again, the rubber strap ought to fit well on most any wrist.

The SISU Guardian and Bravado each have distinct dial designs. Both are intentionally masculine and modern in a fashionable sort of way. Neither are at all traditional. The Bravado is probably the more eccentric of the two with large numerals designed to disappear into the bezel. The numerals have a brushed finish and the hands are lume coated which is nice. Large hands are legible on the automatic version. There is a quartz version of the Bravado with skeletonized hands as well. There is a little cut-out on the dial to see a hint of the movement, and the date – whose placement reveals just how small the movement is. Indeed, SISU doesn’t hide the fact that the case dwarfs the Swiss ETA 2824 automatic movement inside of it. The movement can be seen through the sapphire crystal display window in the back.

One of the most expensive parts of each SISU watch is the large sapphire crystal. It goes without saying that SISU wanted to make sure its watches were of a high quality, so it needed to order custom large crystals which make up a surprisingly high value of the watch. You’ll find that most super-sized timepieces on the market are more for the fashion market, with lower quality cases and movement. That is just not the case with SISU.  You feel like you get a solid watch for the money, and nothing here will deter a serious watch guy.

SISU produces a few versions of the Bravado, in both automatic and quartz models. The review models are the steel Bravado A1 with a black dial, and the PVD black steel Bravado A5. Each is also available in a good looking rubber strap. That is a lot of options, and if you are interested in a watch in this size range, SISU is a brand worth looking at. It may just win over even the most stalwart of “conservatively sized” watch lovers. SISU Bravado watches start at $795 with quartz movements and top out at $1,495 with an automatic movement on the bracelet. Wear one on each wrist all the time and just imagine how many extra calories you’ll burn throughout the year. sisumovement.com

Want to read more about our opinion on how big your watch should be? We answered this question here in “Ask Us Anything” »

Necessary Data
>Brand: SISU
>Model: Bravado
>Price: $1,495
>Size: 55mm
>Would reviewer personally wear it: No, but yes if my wrists were large enough.
>Friend we’d recommend it to first: Big guy wanting a big watch with big wrist presence.
>Worst characteristic of watch: Bracelet does not wrap around smaller wrists; would prefer brushed versus polished treatments on dial.
>Best characteristic of watch: Cool design that isn’t too edgy for adults or next year.