One of the many advantages of being a watch enthusiast in 2024 is that we have access to an endless pool of models of all types and at all price points thanks to the burgeoning world of micro and independent horology. Say what you must about these brands—will they be here tomorrow? Uh, it’s made in Asia!—you’ve got to agree that they do bring us many options for various styles of timepieces at all price points. And as someone who has been writing exclusively about this segment of the market for the past three years and some, I can confidently say that 1) brands are getting more creative; 2) quality is constantly on the rise. So yeah, it’s nice to be a watch nerd today.

So it is with great pleasure that I will be telling you about the Alcadus Opus V2, a model I was eager to get in after reviewing the Quantra a little while ago. When writing about the first one, and taking a look at the brand’s entire catalog, I saw that Alcadus does something well: it reimagines popular designs and types of watches, infuses them with its own visual aesthetic, and offers them at a good price. The Opus V2, for example, comes in at $797 USD and for that price you get a well-made watch and a refined pilot-style design. The Opus V2 has a little something of a Sinn or Damasco, however it looks like an Alcadus. 

What follows will hopefully explain what I mean. 

Specifications 

First things first, the Alcadus Opus V2 exists in five colors, each coming with its own charm: Blue, Phantom Gray, Salmon, Teal and Gray which we’re taking a look at today. By all intents and purposes, the Opus V2 is a pilot watch that doubles as an all-adventure timekeeping device. And that is true both from a technical standpoint as well as from a design perspective. Dimensions-wise, the Opus V2 will fit many modern wrists: 39mm in diameter, 45.5mm lug-to-lug, 12.5mm thick, and a 20mm lug width complete with drilled lugs. What further makes the Opus V2 a versatile watch is the fact that it comes with 100 meters of water resistance, a ratcheting diver’s extension, good lume, and a robust and regulated Miyota 9039 caliber (4Hz/42 hours of power reserve.) 

This Alcadus also comes with a subtle toolish profile that is yet discreetly elegant. I know, I’m using a weird combination of adjectives and whatnots here. What I’m trying to convey is that this model, especially in this color variant, comes with a certain uniform charm. For example, the case is fully brushed while the fixed bezel is fully polished. The bracelet is also entirely brushed with the exception of polished chamfers on the clasp. The screw-down crown, which pairs well with the screw-down case-back, is polished; however it comes with deep knurling to guarantee easy operation, as it should be on a tool watch. And as we will see below, the dial is legible so we find ourselves with an elegant tool watch that’s easy to read, robust, and discreet. 

The Alcadus Opus V2 is my kind of watch for sure. 

Nighttime legibility is ensured thanks to a decent application of SuperLuminova C3-X1 on the hands, painted hour markers, as well as the crown. (The latter is a nice aesthetic touch.) Since we talked about the bracelet earlier, you should also know the following: the quick-release end-links are of the female variety which means that the bracelet more easily drapes the natural contour of the wrist; the links are held together with screws; the clasp is indeed equipped with a ratcheting diver’s extension which is, between you and me, easier to use “on-the-fly” than the now ubiquitous built-in micro-adjust mechanisms we find everywhere. But that is just my humble and subjective opinion. 

Design 

Visually, I would describe the Alcadus Opus V2 as being a pilot watch. This is so because of the shape of the hour and minute hands, the unusual and yet charming design of the seconds hand (which looks like an arrow or a stylized plane, at least to me,) the simple dail layout, the fully-graduated minute track (printed on the angled rehaut,) and, perhaps more obviously, the engraving of a plane on the case-back. I know, I could have started with the latter but I would have sounded less like an expert in watch design. Anyway, what I particularly appreciate here is the juxtaposition of the blued hands with the white printed hour markers and their blue surrounds, and how neat both look set against the matte gray dial. 

Visually the dial of the Opus V2 is smooth and gentle on the eyes, akin to reading a book on an e-ink screen instead of a fully- colored LCD one. Although I don’t claim to have seen it all in the past three years, I had yet to come across a gray dial watch with blue accents arranged in this fashion. This makes reading the time easy without endowing the Opus V2 with too strong of a utilitarian vibe. And the same is true when looking at the case profile and bracelet. The case comes with elongated and angled lugs, slab-sided flanks, and a perfectly flat case-back. I would like to use the expression “it doesn’t offend anybody” to mean it's simple and effective, but that would be translating a French expression which I’m not sure resonates well here. 

Moreover, the design of the bracelet matches that of the case and dial. It is what I believe people refer to as a “flat-link” bracelet akin to those found on the Omega Speedmaster and now many microbrands. It has a three-link construction, is fully brushed, and is complemented by a well-proportioned clasp that doubles as being functional. A quick shout-out goes to the slightly onion-shaped crown which too is reminiscent of pilot watches. 

The Heart of the Matter

At the heart of the matter is the fact that Alcadus, a brand based in Singapore, is assembling a comprehensive catalog of solid, discreet, and elegant watches that you probably have never heard of. (The latter fact makes my job even more so enjoyable.) While it would be fair to say that the Opus V2 comes with a design that immediately made me think of a Sinn 556—a model which I adore—and I do appreciate the fact that the brand offered its own take on it. What many owners of micro and independent brands do, as they have often indicated to me during our interviews, is that they like to propose their own version of a popular type of watch. Whether it be a diver, pilot, or a GMT. 

Doing so is totally fine and of course welcomed by yours truly. It would be silly to expect each brand to create new concepts for each collection they release. And even though the latter would be the ideal case, it is not a realistic expectation to have. Do you get upset because all cars come with four wheels and a steering wheel? Or because many fashion brands came up with their own version of the painter’s jacket? No, of course not. But for some obscure reason, watch brands are looked down upon when they revisit a known design, change the specs, and up the price. If the watch is well-made, who gives a damn? 

Conclusion 

Sometimes I find it hard to justify writing yet about another tool watch. We have plenty of them. However, we live in a world where having many options for things is a norm and where the internet and COVID prompted many watch enthusiasts to create their own watch brands and to propose their own versions of iconic types of watches. So if you like pilot watches and modern design, then the Alcadus Opus V2 is for you. And will also be for you if you are into well-made and versatile timekeeping devices which fly under the radar. Because that’s what we get here. 

I encourage you to check out Alcadus’ website to learn more about the brand and this page to learn more about the Opus V2 in all of its color variants. 

Thanks for reading.