INTRODUCTION

     Most of the people i know who wear wristwatches all the time have one or more favorite brands which they always trust when the time comes either to buy a new watch to add to their collection or as a replacement for an old one. Back in 2002 i was out for a stroll when i passed in front of a watch shop which had almost a 3 digit number of models on display (something that was a bit surprising since most watch shops have like 10-20 samples on display). However out of all these watches my eyes fell on a single bracelet one made by an unknown brand to me called SECTOR but due to its somewhat high price tag (at least for me back then) i skipped on buying it. Obviously back then i wasn't that much into watches (especially bracelet ones since it was the leather/rubber era for me) which pretty much explains my ignorance regarding a well-established watch manufacturer like SECTOR. Fast forward 11 years later and today on our test bench we have one of the latest Sector watches to hit the market the Pilot Master R3273679025 (R stands for Racing).

   Sector No Limits was launched in 1973 and has always been closely associated with continuous personal challenges. Its essence is encompassed in 3 keywords: SECTOR NO LIMITS, INDESTRUCTIBLE, ITALIAN DESIGN. During the eighties and nineties, many athletes successfully completed challenges accompanied by Sector No Limits technical and sport watches, achieving together important and unforgettable performance records, combining pure technology to Italian design. These heroes’ feats entered the public imagination, and Sector No Limits became the expression of technical quality and the sporting performance of daring men who defy themselves. Today, Sector No Limits continues to support indestructible athletes who challenge their own abilities in order to overcome and win their own personal challenges. Sector No Limits, therefore, not only represents a trademark that is closely connected to these sportsmen, but also a true style of living for those who love to put themselves to the test and to live in close contact with nature.

   SECTOR designs and manufactures a wide variety of watches so it was somewhat hard for us to decide on which model to test but since we are still into sports and cars and also because we feel that nowadays most people can't afford to spend a large amount of cash for a watch we decided to go with the mainstream Pilot Master R3273679025. SECTOR currently has launched two different versions of the R3273679025 in the market, the sportier version which we have here with us featuring a stainless steel bracelet and a classier one that comes with a brown leather strap. The Pilot Master R3273679025 is equipped with a precise Swiss Quartz chronograph movement and is water resistant up to 100 meters (330ft). Granted at first glance (from the above picture) some of you may not be impressed with the design of the R3273679025 especially after our recent CASIO review but there's more to a watch than just its looks and the award winning Italian Craftsmanship by the team over at SECTOR is one of those things.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

SECTOR packs the R3273679025 inside a large box with the Sector No Limits logo on it.

Once you open the package you will find the main watch box (one of the largest and best looking ones I’ve seen to date) with the Pilot Master R3273679025 inside, the instructions manual, customer advise paper and the warranty card.

THE PILOT MASTER R3273679025

The R3273679025 is made of brushed and polished stainless steel and features a round case 45mm in diameter and 13.8mm thick with unidirectional tachymeter scale on the bezel.

The case is covered by a scratch resistant mineral crystal and has three sub dials one for the hours (24), another one for seconds (60) and one that can count up to 30 minutes. The date is also displayed in a small window.

As you can see wearing it on my 18cm thick wrist the case seems to be ideal in size.

On the left side we see two buttons used for the chronograph feature and an large screw-down crown.

The company name is written on the right side with large letters.

The stainless steel bracelet is polished but not as much as the one that came with the CASIO watch we reviewed a while back (this is a taste thing).

Both the SECTOR logo and name are placed on the buckle.

The R3273679025 is equipped with a screw-down case back and it is water resistant to 100 meters (330 feet) so you can wear it during water related activities like swimming and diving.

CONCLUSION

   After testing the Pilot Master R3273679025 by SECTOR for almost 3 weeks i have to say that i feel somewhat bad for not purchasing that watch back in 2002 since i'm quite certain that it would still be like new even today 11 years later. I really can't say much for this watch, i mean what could i add that you don't see just by looking at its specifications list and all the pictures posted? Certainly SECTOR makes even better (and far more expensive) models than the Pilot Master R3273679025 but i think that there's a reason that they placed it under their "Racing" line and that's because it's aimed towards young people who like fast sports and of course fast cars. So the watch is pretty much excellent, it's got a very nice case size which is ideal for people such as i who don't have a very thick wrist, it's not heavy and the craftsmanship is very good. At first glance i have to admit that i didn't like the dark grey color of the dial but after a while it's easy to see why SECTOR chose a gray/red color combo instead of a black/red one (a lot easier to read).

   Compared to 2002 i think that SECTOR is following a much more aggressive policy in terms of pricing (always good for consumers) so currently the Pilot Master R3273679025 retails for USD199 inside the USA (Purchase Directly from Amazon.com) and for 160Euros inside the EU (Purchase Directly from Amazon.co.uk). Now i can see that for people on a very tight budget this price tag may look somewhat high especially when there are countless bracelet watches available in the market for less but i think it's very hard to find an equal level of quality at around the same price range. In the end what really matters is whether or not you like the appearance of the Pilot Master R3273679025 and like i said although i didn't really like the dark grey dial at first now due to its quality/size/weight and looks it's become one of my favorite ones and that's why it deserves our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Design
- Chronograph/Stop Watch
- Scratch-Resistant Mineral Glass
- Swiss Quartz Movement
- 10 Bar/100m Water Resistant
- Stainless Steel
- Size/Weight
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- Dark Grey Dial Looks Weird At First (For Some)