I'll admit - this was an impulse purchase back in early 2019 after wearing a non-chronograph Da Vinci and finding it really elegant. Having never owned a tonneau-cased watch, I thought it'd wear a lot smaller given its 51mm lug-to-lug measurement. I was wrong. And because I was in my mid-size watch phase (think Reverso Grande GMT, vintage 565-movement Seamasters, Santos Galbee XL), I found the Da Vinci too big for my 6-inch wrist, so it sat seldomly used for a good few years.

Fast forward to spring 2026: I decided to take this and only this on a month-long overseas trip. I actually enjoyed how handy the flyback chronograph function was, timing things such as driving break intervals, elapsed flight times, and the like.

I got a few compliments on it, too. The Da Vinci has enough presence without being overly recognizable - the case simple from the front yet complex from the sides. This was perfect for me.

I only had burgundy gator straps throughout the trip and fortunately didn't go on hikes or any other outdoorsy activity. The flyback function would have made the watch a fun, if not comical, outdoorsy, anti-smartwatch watch though.

So I had a few, more casual straps made: dark brown saffiano x tone stitch, honey Horween x dark blue stitch for a more rugged vibe, and blue washed gator x red stitch to pair with the red dial accents. All three are shown in the photos above. The term "avant garde casual" kept coming to mind when I envisioned that last one, but I'll be honest: I don't know what the heck that term means.

Well, here I am with a bunch of straps looking for my next adventure. While comical, the Da Vinci should be a better fit than the Reverso Grande GMT that I hiked with through Utah and Arizona earlier this year was (bonus photo attached). Only time (heh) will tell.

PS the straps were made by Paolo18 Straps (IG: 

paolo18handmadestraps), if interested

[IWC] Da Vinci Laureus flyback: Rediscovery