Emporio Armani Women's Watch: Silver Steel With a Crystal-Covered Dial

Most crystal watches keep the sparkle to a ring around the edge. This one puts it across the whole face. The AR1925 is a small, all-silver quartz watch where the dial is the main event and everything around it stays quiet. The clip below turns it through a full rotation, so you can see how the dial and the bracelet behave from every side.

First look

The video shows the watch on a black display stand, front on, then rotated away until you are looking at the back of the bracelet, then round again. Front on, the dial looks almost white. A few degrees off-axis it breaks up into thousands of separate points of light, and that shift is the reason to watch the clip rather than judge from one still photo. The silver case and bracelet match the dial, so the whole watch reads as one cool, bright tone.

The dial

The centre of the dial is covered in tiny crystals, packed tightly enough to look like frosted metal until the light moves. Around that field, slim Roman numerals mark the main hours, and the Emporio Armani eagle sits near the top. There is no date window and no sub-dials, which leaves the crystals uncluttered.

Only two hands move across it, one for hours and one for minutes, and they are thin enough not to hide the crystals underneath. Protecting the face is a mineral glass cover, the usual choice at this price. It handles everyday wear reasonably well, but it is not sapphire, so keep it away from hard edges and abrasive surfaces.

Case and bracelet

The case is round, polished silver-tone stainless steel at 32mm, which is on the small side even for a women's watch. On the wrist that means a neat, close fit that sits under a cuff without catching.

The bracelet is the part most people overlook in photos. It is made of thin steel links with a mix of polished and brushed surfaces, and in the clip the links move smoothly and catch light in short, separate flashes. It reads as a fine, jewellery-style bracelet rather than a heavy metal strap.

Who it suits

This is for someone who wants a delicate, dressy watch with obvious sparkle but no colour. Silver goes with white gold and platinum jewellery, and the plain dial means it works with a work outfit as easily as an evening one. A 32mm case is a good match for smaller wrists, and a poor match if you want a watch that makes a statement from across the room.

Two things to weigh up. It is a fashion watch with a quartz movement, so it keeps time without winding but is not built for sport. And a dial this finely detailed will show fingerprints and dust, so a soft cloth is useful. Check the current listing for water resistance and for stock before you decide.

Key details

• Brand: Emporio Armani
• Model: AR1925
• Case: polished stainless steel, silver-tone, 32mm
• Dial: crystal-covered centre with Roman numerals and the Armani eagle
• Display: two hands, hours and minutes, no date
• Glass: mineral crystal
• Movement: quartz
• Bracelet: thin stainless steel link bracelet, silver-tone