My love for the Olimpico Chronographs is no secret. I would be hard-pressed picking a favourite reference, but maybe the 8846 is the one that would go on top. Maybe the 9075 is more prominent but I find the 8846 really pleasing on the wrist with its thin bezel and fantastic vintage look. After quite some time, I’m happy to have the black dial Olimpico 8846 back in my collection.
Why back? Because it has spent quite some time at the watchmaker. I always had a few issues with it as the hands very corroded and it was missing the lume. Also the case was too polished missing the original satin finish on the side. When then it also stopped running, I had no choice giving me a push to leave it with the watchmaker. What was planned as a quick movement service and some cosmetic restoration, unfortunately turned into a major project and months and years went by.
Someone had been messing with the pushers gluing in the tube in a wrong way completely destroying to make it serviceable. In the end the only rescue option was to find new pushers and repair the metal work on the case. Servicing the beautiful Excelsior Park movement was not a big deal and cleaning the hands and luming them neither. Finally giving the case the correct finish and a new plexi finished the service.
The black dial is certainly beautiful and more special than the silver dial sibling, yet there is one downside. Taking a photo without reflections is next to impossible. I tried my best but I cannot say I’m 100% satisfied with the results.
Some final info on the 8846 Olimpico. It’s design and style fits with a release for the 1968 Olympics in Mexico. There is a lot of false and made-up information flying around, but assuming Ref 8846 is as early as 1964 (Tokyo Olympics) is very unlikely. Interestingly, there is another Reference 8862 (one I’m still missing in my collection) that I would also date to 1968. It was also later not unusual to have 2 different references in the same Olympic year. I think we will never find out if these watches were only released in an Olympic year or maybe even between the games.