Pagani Design PD-1782 Chronograph

I’m super excited for this edition of Cheap Heat. I’ve always been a big bang-for-your-buck kind of guy, so when I started my watch collecting journey, I quickly became aware of budget watches from China. This was long before the days of San Martin, Proxima, and Cronos - the industry was still trying to establish itself as a legitimate contender. Anyways, this review is not about that story, but to jump from A to B, Pagani Design is one of the earliest brands that I can recall establishing themselves in the mainstream collecting space in the $50-$100. Since they have been around for so long, you would think I would have tried them out for some reason or another (last year I ordered their Ranger homage and the box arrived empty), but at long last, one is finally on my wrist. 

First, the price - at the time of ordering I paid $52.38 for the leather strap version. It was a pleasant surprise when I opened the package and it was on a metal bracelet! This fully makes up for the phantom Pagani Design from my earlier experience.

On to the spec sheet: Pagani Design has named this watch the PD-1782. It is 39mm in diameter, 46mm lug to lug, and 20mm lug width. The domed sapphire crystal gives it a height of 13.5mm. It is powered by the Seiko VK63 mecchaquartz movement. The caseback claims a water resistance of 100m, and there is a screw down crown. The watch is available in a white, black, blue, teal, and yellow. The subdials from left to right are the 60 minute timing dial, the running seconds, and a 24 hour subdial. The chapter ring includes tachymeter markings, and in my example everything aligns perfectly. 

I opted for the yellow dial, and I have to say it is actually very pretty. I lied in an earlier review where I said that I’m not a Pantone nerd - I would say the dial is a metallic tangerine yellow, lighter in some settings but darker than others. The running seconds sundial matches the rest of the dial, with the other two black subdials giving it a “Panda” chronograph feel. The indices and black hands are given the slightest whisper of lume, but the white strips of lume on the hands aid in legibility against the black subdials. The black chapter ring pulls everything together, creating an alternating black/yellow bumblebee motif.

One flaw is that the main chronograph hand has an orange tip that matches the subdials - it is very difficult to read in some lighting. I believe this is only a flaw for the yellow dial and possibly the white, as the orange tip should pop out against the other colors. There also does not appear to be any antireflective coating on the crystal, leading to glare at some angles. I think both complaints are forgivable at the price point.

I have no complaints about the case - the design fits and there are no obvious flaws. The case is completely brushed with a polished bezel and chronograph pushers. The pushers operate with a nice snap and everything resets as it should. It is a simple case with no chamfering of the edges giving it a bit of blockiness. It wears smaller than its listed dimensions, with the vintage cushion style case curving downwards around the wrist and the domed sapphire crystal gently meeting the lines of the bezel. 

You may notice that I haven’t mentioned the bracelet - after taking it off to quickly snap my initial new watch alert photo on a NATO strap, I cannot for the life of me get it back on. I just had back surgery and can only sit upright for a few minutes comfortably, and the juice wasn’t worth the squeeze. I will update this when I can wrestle with the case a little better, but for now we’ll give it a pass - I ordered it on the leather strap after all. 

As far as I am aware, this is an original design and not an homage - I would describe the design as being competent and cleanly executed. This is a very nice retro feeling chronograph and I think it's a win for Cheap Heat. If the Skmei 1999 sets the bar for $5 digital watches, I think this Pagani Design PD-1782 sets the bar for $50 chronographs.