Watch Review: LIV P51 the People's Swiss Automatic Watch

Who is the LIV P51 Pilots Titanium Automatic Chronograph for?

• Men who craves for Swiss-made automatic watches craftsmanship but can't/won't pay for the hefty price inflated by branding
• Someone who's looking for a watch they can travel with in style, but won't need to worry about its ruggedness
• Global citizens who needs to keep an eye on a second time zone, the ceramic bezel on the P51 can be set to indicate an additional time at a glance
• Timekeepers who needs a traditional mechanical stopwatch will love the tactic click of the start and reset buttons, not to mention the sweeping second hand

Check Price

One of the most sought-for two words to be inlaid on a watch are the words: 'Swiss Made'. Combining that with the word: 'Automatic' you get the double-whammy that first gets you to peek with interest, simultaneously putting a hand on your wallet instinctively. Okay, I'm exaggerating. But really, when all three of those words are printed on a single watch, it normally either means you're looking at a timepiece that will cost more than your first car, or the watch is from some shady origin.

LIV is a company that wants to contradict this norm that we're used to. Utilizing the crowdfunding platform, it aims to (and have successfully) cut out the middleman as well as the expensive exercise of brand building, promising to provide the genuine quality and design of Swiss watches at a fraction of the expected price.

Trying out the latest limited edition P51 Automatic Chronograph, I had an opportunity to experience this new niche that LIV has carved out of a long-established market.

Swiss Made Automatic

To have these words attached to a timepiece means something, and raises certain expectations. But to buy it around the $1,000 mark, which for major Swiss watch brands, mostly you'll be getting a quartz movement watch. To be an automatic movement watch, you'd think: something's got to give. Right? So I unboxed the P51 with some reservation.

When I finally held the P51 in my hand, it was quite a 'wow' moment. The design is intricate, but not messy. It has that signature Swiss vibe that's expected with the dials, markings, hands presenting a tasteful, organized array.

I have the titanium blue & grey variant, where the blue is a deep navy that can pass as black under certain lighting conditions. This is then highlighted by orange accents in the LIV logo, hands, and the start/stop chronograph button. The overall styling is sporty, but the polished look makes them serious enough to match dark suits.

The P51 is packed with a ETA 7750 movement, the movement used in other watches by Maurice Lacroix, Hamilton, Longine to name a few, most of them significantly costing much more.

In actual use, P51 is a reliable timekeeper in terms of accuracy, furthermore, the automatic winding mechanism together with a 48 hour reserve kept the watch wound so that I did not need to manually wind it over the two weeks I was wearing it daily.

Extremely useful Bezel

There are many things to like about the LIV P51, but by far my favorite feature is actually it's ceramic bezels. Not only are they built with precision and durability in mind, they have my favorite implementation - to have 1-12 hourly markers on them. Though this is probably meant to be used as an hour dial together with the chronograph, it is also extremely useful when tracking two time-zones like a GMT watch. By aligning the second time zone hour on the dial with the hour hand, I'm able to keep track of it with a quick glance.

This will also come in handy when I'm travelling between time-zones. The turning of the bezel is a very quick (and satisfying) way to track the local time wherever I go, while keeping the home time unchanged.

Robust build

At almost 16mm (5/8") in thickness, the robustness of the case was never in doubt while using the P51. Made of a solid piece of titanium, the watch exudes durability and masculinity. The screw-down crown adds to the design language, with great detail that is both intricate and rugged.

But LIV went further than that, by pairing the watch with one of the most heavy duty leather straps I have ever seen. The straps actually tapers up from the clasp to the pin, to what looks like a 4-layered leather construction at its thickest - held together with dual stainless steel rivets.

What also impressed me was the leather that was used on the inner side of the strap, which on many straps that I've used has a soft velvety surface, which are always the first things to get destroyed by sweat because of how absorbent they are. The leather straps on the P51 uses a full grain leather even on the inner side - like what other watch straps would use on the outer side, resulting in a leather that's much more sweat-resistant than usual.

Dressed for the dark

The LIV P51 bezel, dials and hands are treated with BGW9 luminescence - which if not familiar to you, just know that even the phosphorescent pigment is sourced from Switzerland. The result is a spectacular sight even in the dark, with clear and long-lasting illumination.

As I've mentioned in previous reviews, the ability to be read in the dark is essential for a travel watch, which often needs to be read in dark cabins at a glance. This feature is what sealed the P51 an ideal watch to travel with for me.

Final thoughts

'Why is there such a high hurdle for people who wants to enjoy the engineering of Swiss watches?' This is probably the question that watch lovers ponder as they struggle to save up to purchase their first one. But LIV is a watch company that ponders this question on behalf of consumers.

The philosophy of LIV places the value of Swiss watches not in their exclusivity and hype, but rather, in the excellent engineering, craftsmanship, and endless hours poured into a refined design that will be beautiful, useful and long lasting. The P51 is a prime example of LIV's mission as a company, making excellent Swiss made timepieces more attainable to every man than ever before.

You can find out more about the LIV P51 on their website

David is a tech enthusiast/writer who is often on the move and is on a mission to explore ways to make his overhaul flights more enjoyable. This is a contribution to an ongoing IBTimes review series on gadgets for Business Travellers.