Meet the future of the entry level Swiss watch market. Vasto. A Chinese brand headquartered in Switzerland taking its name from an Italian seaside resort in the Abruzzo region.

Vasto was established in 1992 and produces a wide range of watches in the most popular styles including round, cushion and tonneau case shapes. There are classic Vasto’s, sporty Vasto’s and business Vasto’s aplenty as well as his and hers Vasto’s, which remain extremely popular in South East Asia.

But Vasto do not only produce watches, they have eyes on becoming a luxury lifestyle brand with a range of lighters, pens, men’s leather belts, tie clips, cufflinks and sunglasses. But as for brand recognition, there is still some way to go. Ariel Adams’ site A Blog to Read features over 140 brands, but of many lesser known brands, Vasto is not amongst them.

However, Chinese planning is always extremely long term. One of the latest watches to reach the market is the Secolo Automatic.

With the cushion-shaped case in 316L stainless steel, surmounted by a pink gold bezel, the dial features a vertical guilloche centre with eight diamond hour markers and Roman numerals. The dial features eight diamond hour markers and day and date windows. The Secolo Automatic is powered by an ETA 2846 movement with a 42 hour power reserve.

It’s a classic every day time piece which will never go out of fashion because it’s never going to be the height of fashion.

Specifications

Movement: Automatic, ETA 2846, 28,800 vib/h, 42-hour power reserve
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, day and date
Case: 316L stainless steel
Bezel and crown in 18K 5N pink gold or 316L steel
Sapphire crystal, front and back
Water-resistance: to 50m
Dial: Ivory colour
8 diamond hourmarkers
Day and date windows at 6 o’clock
Bracelet/Strap: Ivory colour
8 diamond hourmarkers