Here are my initial impressions of the watch:
While the dial doesn't have the attention grabbing flare of the gorgeous blood red dial of #2 or the allure of the beautifully hypnotic
Côtes de Genève dial treatment of #1, this dial pulls you in with all its little details. When I first saw the reveal photos, I wasn't sure if I liked the asphalt finish, but I now feel its a real highlight, very unique and one of the best things about the dial. In most photos the dial looks like concrete, but in person under brighter lighting, there's a silvery metallic appearance to it, kind of like silver ore.
Another thing that might not come across in photos is the sub-dial detail. The inner squares are actually further indented from the blue outline squares, giving it a stepped 3D like affect. I also like the look of the sub-dial outlines, which reminds me of the white faced Rolex Daytona's sub-dials, albeit squares instead of circles.
The strap completes and integrates the overall look. To me, the strap is very racy looking and another real highlight. I have no issues with the quality of the leather. It has a smooth fine grain finish and feels nice to the touch.
@Hubert described the strap on #2 as asperous, which I'm not really seeing or feeling on my strap. It is stiffer compared to the standard Monaco's calf strap, but I think that has more to do with the inner strap material rather than the leather.
The only nit I have is the font used for "Monaco" on the dial. I wish they had used the vintage font as on 1 & 2. Instead, it uses the modern font. I guess that makes sense, since the modern re-edition Monaco was reintroduced in the '90s. But I also wish the font lettering was thicker. The thin letters are not as visible as I'd like because the of the uneven asphalt surface treatment of the dial. The vintage font is used on the caseback, so I'm happy with that. Another thing to point out is the only lume on the watch is on the hands. There's no lume on the dots, something I'm not used to, but not really a nit.
Overall I'm super happy with the watch! I can't stop looking at it. I also have a renewed appreciation for 1 & 2 and can't wait to see 4 & 5. Although my piggy bank is now empty, so this will be my one and only Monaco 50.
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