During Watches and Wonders, I had the chance to get hands-on with Laco’s latest releases, and while there was plenty to look at, one watch immediately stood out like a sore thumb, in the best possible way. The Laco Amazonas 39 RB (Green.)

Bright green details, a chunky case and that gloriously neon green rubber NATO-style strap made it pretty difficult to ignore. It looked like it was going to be a lot of fun and, more importantly, like it could handle a bit of abuse.

So I asked Laco if I could take it on holiday with me.

I had a summer in Sicily planned, which meant sunshine, swimming pools, the sea, mountains, two crazy kids and all the general chaos that comes with trying to have a relaxing family holiday. I wanted a watch that I didn’t need to baby, and the Amazonas 39 looked like exactly the sort of watch I could throw on and get on with life.

I also really enjoy spending a proper amount of time with the watches I review. You can learn a lot from a few days of wearing a watch, but living with one for weeks or months gives you a completely different perspective. You notice the little things: what makes you reach for it, how comfortable it is, what works and what doesn’t, and whether you actually miss it when you take it off.

Fast forward a few months and I ended up spending pretty much the entire summer with the Amazonas 39. It went from the mountains to the Mediterranean, spent plenty of time around the pool and became a surprisingly regular part of my holiday wardrobe. And quite frankly, Sicily couldn’t have been a better backdrop.

Serious Diver, Fun Personality

The funny thing about the Amazonas 39 is that at first glance, it doesn’t necessarily scream serious dive watch. The green is loud, the strap is loud and the whole thing has

a slightly tropical, almost playful feel to it. But underneath all that is a very capable tool watch.

Laco has given the Amazonas 39 the sort of specifications you’d expect from a proper diver, with 300 metres of water resistance, a screw-down crown, sapphire crystal and a unidirectional dive bezel. Inside is the Sellita SW200 automatic movement, a tried-and-tested workhorse that makes perfect sense in a watch designed to be worn rather than admired from a distance.

And I think that contrast is what makes it so appealing. It looks like it’s here to have a good time, but it absolutely means business.

What I also really like is that Laco has managed to do this without losing what makes the brand special. They have a fantastic history as a German watchmaker and are particularly well known for their Flieger watches, so seeing them push a little further outside that familiar territory with something as colourful and unconventional as the Amazonas is genuinely refreshing.

Chunky In the Best Possible Way

There is no pretending that the Amazonas 39 is a slim watch. It has some heft to it, and you notice it on the wrist. But honestly, that’s part of the point.

A watch rated to 300 metres needs a robust construction capable of dealing with significantly greater water pressure than the vast majority of watches will ever encounter. That means things like a substantial case, secure screw-down crown, robust seals and a crystal designed to withstand that pressure. All of these elements contribute to a more substantial watch.

So while the Amazonas 39 certainly isn’t thin, I don’t think it should be in this case. Its proportions make sense for what it is designed to do. I have small wrists, so I’ll admit I wasn’t entirely convinced this watch was going to work for me.

On paper, the Amazonas 39 is chunky. In person, it certainly has some presence. But somehow, it just worked. Actually, it worked really well.

The rubber NATO-style strap is a huge part of that. It’s comfortable, secure and gives the watch a completely different character to what you might expect from a traditional dive watch. It also sits beautifully on a smaller wrist.

This watch was proof of something I’ve said many times: don’t underestimate the importance of the strap. If you have small wrists and have always thought you couldn’t pull off a bigger dive watch, this might be your sign to give one a try. The Amazonas 39 fitted me like a glove, and I never once felt like it was wearing me rather than the other way around.

My Favourite Shade of Ridiculous

The neon green strap was probably the thing I had the most fun with.

I wore the watch with sporty black swimwear, where the green really popped, but I also went completely the other way and wore it with a sparkly green dress for a karaoke contest. Yes, I was basically dressed like a human disco ball.

The verdict? The watch looked fantastic. I loved playing with the rainforest inspiration and all those tropical greens, rather than treating it like a serious piece of equipment that had to be styled in a particular way.

It even made me feel a little bit like a pop star on that karaoke stage, which isn’t something I can say about most dive watches.

A Dial That Means Business

For all the personality going on around the outside, the dial itself is wonderfully restrained. The matte surface is perfect for this watch. It gives it a proper tool-watch feel and, combined with the strong contrast, makes it exceptionally legible.

The unidirectional bezel is another detail that shows just how much thought has gone into making this a proper dive watch. It can only be rotated anti-clockwise, which is an important safety feature for diving. You use it to keep track of elapsed time by lining up the bezel’s zero marker with the minute hand when you begin your dive.

If the bezel is accidentally knocked while you’re underwater, it can only move in one direction, making it appear that you’ve been underwater for longer rather than shorter than you actually have. It’s a simple but important piece of dive-watch design.

I particularly love the way Laco has laid out the scale on the Amazonas. The first 15 minutes are picked out in green, with individual minute markings, while the remainder of the bezel moves to ten-minute increments: 20, 30, 40 and 50, with 60 marked at 12 o’clock.

It’s a small detail, but one I really enjoyed. The first 15 minutes give you much more precise elapsed-time reading, while the larger ten-minute increments keep the rest of the bezel clean and easy to read.

And then there is the lume. Lots of lume.

I particularly loved the way Laco has approached the luminous elements, including the bezel. The green 15-minute scale comes alive in low light, along with the other luminous elements on the watch. It looks fantastic, but more importantly, it is genuinely useful.

Built to Go Anywhere

Another detail I found surprisingly charming is the case it comes in.

The Amazonas 39 arrives in a dust- and waterproof case that looks like it belongs in a James Bond film. It’s the sort of packaging that actually makes sense for the watch rather than something you immediately put in a cupboard.

If the watch is designed to go from the mountains to the sea, why shouldn’t the box be able to come along for the ride too?

Laco also gives you the option to add extras such as anti-reflective coating, which I found rather cool. It’s not necessarily something I’d have thought about adding to a watch, but I like that you can tailor the specification to what matters to you.

And then there’s the caseback. Because of the NATO-style strap, I didn’t really notice it at first, but underneath is a lovely little scorpion engraving that ties back to Laco’s Scorpion collection. It’s such a small detail, but a really charming one, and one of those things I only discovered after spending more time with the watch. I love details like that, they feel like a little secret hiding underneath the strap.

A Lot of Watch for the Money

After spending an entire summer with the Amazonas 39, I think the price is one of its strongest points.

For 990€/$1,145 USD (including VAT,), you’re getting a watch from a genuine German heritage watchmaker, with serious dive-watch credentials, sapphire crystal, a Sellita SW200 automatic movement and excellent legibility. And yet it doesn’t feel overly serious or precious.

For me, that makes the price feel very fair. It’s a watch that you can actually use, and use hard, without constantly worrying about keeping it pristine. That was exactly what I wanted when I asked Laco if I could take it on holiday. And it delivered.

Final Thoughts

After a summer with the Amazonas 39 RB, what I’ll remember most isn’t the 300m water resistance or the Sellita movement. It’s how much I enjoyed wearing it.

It made me smile every time I put it on, whether I was heading into the mountains, jumping in the pool with the kids or putting on a ridiculous sparkly green dress for Karaoke. And perhaps that’s the best compliment I can give it. For a watch that is built to be taken seriously, it never takes itself too seriously.

I originally chose it because it stood out like a sore thumb. After a summer together, I’m rather glad I did.

And I think that’s what makes the Amazonas 39 such an interesting addition to Laco’s collection. Laco is a watchmaker I have a huge amount of respect for, and while their Flieger watches will always be an important part of their identity, I love seeing them explore a different side of themselves.

The Amazonas 39 feels like Laco having a bit of fun, without compromising the serious watchmaking underneath. And for me, that combination is a winner.