AVI-8 Hawker Hurricane
AVI-8 is a growing replica watch company that has created a vast lineup of pilot style replica watches at affordable prices in the recent past. Continuing to grow their offerings AVI-8 has released a new model in the Hawker Hurricane series with the AV-4041-01. Past Hawker Hurricane models provided the general appearance and features that many pilot style replica watch lovers sought out. The new 4041-01 adds a really nice wrinkle that I believe most will find quite appealing which I will discuss later in the review. The Hawker Hurricane AV-4041-01 has a full retail price point of around $500 USD, however, the AVI-8 brand is heavily discounted and the model can be found for well under $200 USD if one is thorough with their search. You can read more about AVI-8 and the models the company offers HERE. The AV-4041-01 model comes with the following basic specifications:
- MOVEMENT: Quartz
- CASE: Stainless Steel
- CASE DIAMETER: 42mm
- STRAP: Genuine Leather Strap
- WATER RESISTANCE: 5ATM
- WARRANTY: 2 Years International
The outer box is a rather plain white cardboard box with the company name printed on it, which is what I consider standard for outer shells. The inner case is a nice brown leather style with a snap closure, which is also fairly typical in the industry. The interior of the replica watch case is well padded and will protect the replica watch well during shipping. The case has no functional purpose after the replica watch arrives so just toss it in the bottom of your closet with all the rest of your replica watch cases. Of course, the typical warranty booklet and hangtag also accompany the replica watch. I still wish the company would research the possibility of using some sort of travel roll or zipper style travel case which is more suitable for those of us constantly on the go, however, I would not want to drastically impact price point.
Moving on to the replica watch itself, the case is composed of stainless steel with both brushed and high polished surfaces. I really like the choice of having the polished surfaces on the sides of the case rather than on the tops of the lugs and bezel since the lugs and bezel tend to take a bit more abuse. The lugs are quite angular in appearance and measure over 10mm in length providing a more unique look than pilot style replica watches with rounded lugs. Even though the lugs are angular on the top, the bottom side angles downward, allowing the replica watch to sit nicely on top of the wrist. The case measures 42mm in diameter and right around 48mm including the crown. The lug tip to lug tip measurement is right around 53mm which is slightly larger than most replica watches that I have seen with 42mm cases. The replica watch weighs a mere 100 grams, so taking into account all of the dimensions along with the weight this model should feel quite light and comfortable on the wrist. Of course with the 53mm lug tip to lug tip measurement, those of us with larger wrists should even find the 42mm size quite adequate in size. Since the model is a chronograph, the standard function pushers are located on either side of the large 8mm onion style crown. At 8mm, the crown is extremely easy to grasp and engage. Many budget replica watches tend to have quite a bit of play or wiggle in the crown when engaged but I can report the crown on this particular example is quite firm. One of the coolest features of the model, sticking with the Hawker Hurricane theme, is the colored logo painted on the crown face paying homage to the emblem painted on the actual plane.
This version of the Hawker Hurricane is fitted with a domed mineral crystal with a diameter of almost 38mm which provides are great view of the great dial. Beneath the crystal is one the sharpest looking white dials I have seen on any AVI-8 timepiece. The white dial is designed in a way to provide a three dimensional appearance with a portion cut out at the top and bottom of the dial. The level of detail with the dial design is rather atypical for a replica watch at this price point. All of the dial markers and numerals are applied rather than painted on which is also rather atypical for a replica watch at this price point. The chronograph layout is slightly different than most as the central second hand is the true running second hand rather than the chronograph second hand. The sub-dial at the 6 o’clock position is the chronograph second hand; the sub-dial at the 9 o’clock position is the minute accumulator for the chronograph. The sub-dial at the 12 o’clock position is the wrinkle I alluded to earlier at the beginning of the review. Instead of a typical sub-dial setup AVI-8 opted for a disk style 1/10 of a second hand while also incorporating the Hawker Hurricane theme with the style and design. Does it really matter if a disk or a standard sub-dial hand is used? Probably not, however, the disk 1/10 of a second hand adds a distinctive appearance to the overall appearance of the model. Finishing off my comments about the dial, I want to mention the very legible round date window positioned between the 3 and 4 o’clock positions on the dial, and the model does have a little bit of lume on the hour and minute hands, as well as, the rectangular hour markers. The lume is rather poor and doesn’t have any significant staying power, however, in my opinion lume tends to be more of a gimmick than a true necessity. Overall, the dial is quite appealing providing a significant amount of detail that will be sure to elicit quite a bit of conversation amongst family and friends.
The case back is screwed down to the upper part of the case. The case back has general specification information etched around the perimeter about the replica watch model that is typical of many case backs and also includes an etched Hawker Hurricane at its center. Beneath the case back is a modern Japanese Seiko TMI quartz chronograph movement. The movement has been extremely accurate as one would expect from a quartz replica watch. Due to the movement being modern, the chronograph hands can be recalibrated if needed to realign them. I would enjoy seeing AVI-8 using a Miyota 9100 series automatic in a Hawker Hurricane model in the future, as I believe it would be an incredible timepiece.
Finishing off this version of the Hawker Hurricane is a fantastic tan leather strap. One of the features of every AVI-8 replica watch I have ever seen that tends not to disappoint are the straps provided. Typically, I have found budget priced replica watches have flimsy replica watch straps which tend to make me believe that some replica watch companies consider their straps as an afterthought. The leather strap provided with this model is quite soft and supple and is extremely comfortable on the wrist. Also, as you will notice in the photographs and my video provides, the strap is constructed with quite a number of sizing holes that will allow for a wide array of wrist sizes. The strap is a whopping 5mm thick and measures 22mm at the lug tapering to 20mm at the tail. The strap also has two keepers, one fixed and one floating, which are a necessity with any good leather strap. The strap is finished off with a sturdy signed thumbnail style buckle.
Overall, I strongly believe that the newest addition to the Hawker Hurricane series is quite a value under $200 USD. The model provides quality specifications outside of the mineral crystal, which I found to be the only detail of the replica watch lacking. The disk 1/10-second hand and the painted logo on the face of the crown pay homage to the actual Hawker Hurricane while providing extra levels of detail not often found on budget priced pilot replica watches. I would like to thank each of you for reading and ask that you take a moment to view the brief video presentation included with the review and subscribe to the WatchReport YouTube channel. I look forward to your thoughts and comments as always.
