# No Italian Count: PierCarlo d'Alessio



## Always"watching" (Sep 21, 2013)

In the world of those watch brands that seemingly have no traceable origins, or company behind their production, one with a particularly fancy name has to be, PierCarlo d'Alessio. Apparently, there are products other than watches bearing the name, but watches seem to be the most frequently encountered. The name conjures up an image of some Italian aristocrat - perhaps a sword swishing aristocratic hero from 19th century romantic fiction, and indeed, the watches are usually branded not only with the name but also a suitably elaborate coat of arms. Unfortunately for us, the watches branded PierCarlo d'Alessio come from further East than Continental Europe - far further in fact - as they appear to be Chinese in origin.

Most of the branded PierCarlo d'Alessio watches are quartz and they include simple timepieces as well as chronographs. There is at least one mechanical model still just about available, and the model still shown online has a Chinese automatic movement and features a two register calendar plus a day/night indicator.

It would be convenient if we could label all the PierCarlo d'Alessio watches as being cheap Chinese rubbish but that would be a trifle unfair. The chronograph I myself purchased for just over a fiver, almost new, is admittedly not the greatest watch I have ever seen, but then it was retailed by Readers' Digest as a sort of promotional item, and was not intended to be an expensive item. My confidence in the watch did take a knock though when the stem of the crown pulled out of the watch, but then the watch is pre-owned so I don't know how the previous owner treated it. The format of the movement in my chronograph is of a type associated with the Japanese, and it has the usual three registers (seconds, minutes and 24 hours) plus date window at 4 o'clock. The crystal is mineral glass, the stated WR is 30 metres, and the strap is leather. In fact, the strap is one of the nicer elements of the watch, with attractive stitching and a quality feel. Unfortunately, the case really lets the side down because it is made of a type of plated metal that looks and somehow feels cheap.

This is my own model by PierCarlo d'Alessio with 40mm case, not including crown (pic from thumbs.worthpoint.com):










Although my own chronograph isn't up to all that much much, and is evidently made very much down to a price, two PierCarlod'Alessio chronographs are still available that are somewhat better. One of them is a substantial watch with the same basic specifications as my own but with a more interesting dial and bezel, as well as a higher spec Japanese quartz chronograph movement by SIIO. This watch also has a rotating bezel and domed mineral glass crystal although, given that the bezel has the brand name stamped into it, I can't imagine why one would want it to rotate. A white dial version of this watch was also made.

Chunky PierCarlo d'Alessio chronograph mentioned above with Japanese SIIO movement measuring down to a tenth of a second (pic from images.bidorbuy.co.za):










Pic from cesuridomana.ro):










The second quartz chronograph of note is my favourite by far, and is square with a stainless steel case. The movement is probably Japanese, and is clearly the same as in my own PierCarlo d'Alessio chronograph, with a chronograph measuring down to 1 second and having a 24 hour register. The case size is 35mm, which for me would be ideal, though others might find that a bit small. The strap is black leather.

Rather nice stainless steel cased quartz chronograph by PierCarlo d'Alessio with one-second three register chronograph and date feature - the movement probably Japanese and similar to that in my own chronograph (pics from ebayimages.rswhost.com):




























Finally, we go back to the mechanical model, with its calendar dial and pseudo moonphase indicator. I presume that the movement is a cheap generic Chinese example, and it may prove to be more a hand-wind model than truly automatic. it is quite thick in profile and has a stainless steel buckle and leather strap. There is some evidence that this watch has a stainless steel case, but I cannot be absolutely sure. What I can say is that I have found this watch still available new or NOS online for about a tenner and I must admit that I was tempted to get one. However, because I cannot be sure of the specs with regard to the case, and with the added costs of delivery, I have resisted.

Automatic PierCarlo d'Alessio watch mentioned in the text (pics from cesuridomana.ro):




























I have no idea as yet who is responsible for the PierCarlo d'Alessio brand and I am not actually certain that the brand is still operational. The watches still available are usually pre-owned and do seem to date from some time ago as models, and it may be that the period around 2005-2010 was the high point of PierCarlo d'Alessio watches. If anyone knows better, I would be interested to know more.

I am not going to recommend PierCarlo d'Alessio watches to members of the Watch Forum as either collectibles or wearers. These watches are clearly in the "no name" category and were probably grossly overpriced by some retailers when they were launched. Essentially, they now enter my Chinese Cheapy category but with the caveat that not all the PierCarlo d'Alessio watches are cheap and nasty. For me though, a huge problem is the invisibility of who made or produced these watches, with no company showing some responsibility for the product, and I would never be able buy a new PierCarlo d'Alessio watch for a decent sum of money feeling any sort of confidence that this had been a genuinely worthwhile purchase. It would have to be a collector's punt on a cheap watch, pre-owned or NOS, largely to see just how it had been put together. And that is, in my view, rather a sad reflection...

PierCarlo d'Alessio quartz watch with 34mm case and more simple branding on the dial (pic from images.okr.ro);


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## Always"watching" (Sep 21, 2013)

Just finished editing this topic for your delectation, so added this quick post to place it in "just finished" Forum mode. Hope you enjoyed it.


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## Ptgrav (Jun 4, 2017)

Thanks. That was really interesting. Sometimes its nice to have details on the low end watches rather than just the Patek Philippe's of the world.


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