Overview – Helicon Master 62 Dive Watch

The Master 62 range is inspired by a 1962 prototype Diver’s Watch found in the archives of a long-lost Swiss Watchmaker (Helicon don’t say which brand, and nothing obvious springs to mind for me here, sorry readers). Pitched by Helicon as a dive watch built for modern adventures the range comprises five unique variants, all priced at £560. Visually the main selling point of the Master 62 range is the unique dials, both in terms of colour and finish. Up for review here is the Blue Hour dial, but you can choose from Lichen Green, Iridium (a kind of burnt orange), Claret, or for those less attracted to colour, Granite. Whichever option you choose, each is special in its own right. What’s more, each variant is truly limited to just 50 pieces, never to be repeated. You can even let Helicon know which serial number you’d like and if it’s still available, it’s yours!

The Case and Wearing Experience

The 316L stainless steel case of the Master 62 has a compact diameter of 38.5mm, and a lug-to-lug measurement of 48mm. The overall thickness is proportionally a little chunky at 13.9mm, but it’s nothing out of the ordinary for a 200m dive watch. The website photos show the watches with male end-links, but I’m pleased that Helicon has now switched to female end-links, so whilst the watch has more wrist presence than your average 38.5mm watch, it still wears very comfortably and should work well on a wide variety of wrist sizes.

The thick mid-case is slab-sided and there is only the slightest of downturns at the lugs. However, thanks to the shallow caseback the watch still sits very close to the wrist which is a good thing. So, whilst it’s not a wrist hugger, it’s certainly a wrist-nestler!

A brushed finish is used for much of the case and three-link oyster-style bracelet, but the case-sides and edges of the bracelet links are high polished. Whilst the case and bracelet are simple in terms of geometry with no additional chamfers, crown guards or unusual finishes, they are very well executed and reminiscent of the original Tudor Black Bay, both in terms of look, feel and heft. Incidentally, the 38.5mm Master 62 sized for my 7 ¼ inch wrist weighs in at 161g, as opposed to 164g for the 41mm Tudor Black Bay (ETA version).

The 20mm bracelet tapers down to 18mm and is adjusted using push pins. The diver’s style clasp features a single action fold-over with three holes of micro-adjustment, and a twin-trigger push-button release with additional security fold-over. Unfortunately, there’s room for improvement with the bracelet clasp and it’s a bit of a let-down compared to the rest of the watch. The milled inner section is fine, but the outer sections are poor. The diver’s extension (and connection point between the bracelet and the clasp) is made of thin ‘unfinished’ metal, the outer security fold-over had a slight ‘lift’ and tolerances on the main pressed-metal fold-over could be tightened up to reduce the gap between it and the bracelet. For me it’s always a disappointment when clasps are overlooked, as it’s probably the part of the watch that you physically interact most with on a daily basis. I also think it’d be nice if Helicon offered other strap options, even if it came with an added cost.

The 120-click unidirectional barrel-shaped rotating diver’s bezel overhangs the case slightly and is polished to its top and bottom chamfers. The bezel lines up perfectly and has a very positive, solid action. The uniform coin edge of the bezel also makes it easy to grip. The bezel insert is made of blue scratch-resistant ceramic which took Helicon a year to perfect. The bezel has a clean, purposeful design with no numerals, only C3 super-LumiNova filled hash-marks and a 12’oclock triangle denoting increments of elapsed time. This no-nonsense look suits the tool watch aesthetic well. Protecting the dial is a scratch-resistant domed sapphire with anti-reflective coating on the inside. A polished stainless steel divider sits between the ceramic bezel insert and the sapphire crystal, which, together with the wide outer polished bevel of the bezel, brings a subtle touch of refinement.

The polished screw-down crown is signed with the Helicon ‘H’, and the stainless steel screw-down caseback features a polished Helicon logo and nicely executed 3d depiction of a pearl diver set against a sand-blasted background. The case has a countersunk recess for the stem of the crown and a cut-out that allows for an easier finger pull. Water resistance is an impressive 200m. Each caseback is also individually numbered in the format ‘xx/50’. On my review watch, the crown didn’t engage very positively, and I found that I had to attempt screw-down more than once. I might just have been unlucky with my watch and of course, being a review watch, it may well have passed through several hands before it reached me, but I wouldn’t be doing my job properly if I didn’t point it out.

The Dial and Hands

The dial on the Helicon Master 62 Blue Hour is pretty special and each dial is created by hand, the fade or ‘ombre’ effect is unique to each watch, making every single watch truly individual.

Any experienced photographer or artist will be familiar with the term ‘blue hour’, a very special time of the morning just before sunrise, or evening just after sunset. Occurring in fine weather, the blue hour is a spectacular feast for the eyes, which casts a beautiful light as the deep blue sky fades to the warm orange glow of the waxing or waning sun. Helicon has rather magically captured this moment in the dial of the Master 62 Blue Hour by masterfully hand-finishing every dial to create a wonderful polychromatic fade from the blue upper half of the dial to the orange bottom half of the dial. This gives the dial a beautiful three-dimensional shimmer and brings life to the watch face. In the flesh, the dial is certainly a bit of a Chameleon. In strong light the contrast between the two colours is vivid, but in low light the transition looks softer and more subdued. It makes for a great summer watch!

I’m a watch collector with an extensive collection, so I’m at the point where I’m always on the lookout for something a bit unique. The Blue Hour therefore certainly gets my seal of approval, and if anything, it grew on me the more time I spent with it. However, there’s no denying that it’ll probably be a bit of a marmite choice. You may be loving the creativity at play here, or you may be thinking ‘couldn’t they decide what colour to do the dial?!’. Luckily, the other dial colours are still unique but not so outlandish, so you should be able to find the right option to express yourself.

Working from the outside of the dial inwards, a printed minute track in white sits inside of the straight-sided, brushed stainless steel rehaut. Most of the hour markers are square and printed in white, to which Swiss C3 Super-LumiNova is applied. However, unique, polished Art Deco-style applied indices are used for the 6, 9 and 12 o’clock markers and filled with C3.

Simple baton-shaped polished hour and minute hands also have central strips of lume, and a stick seconds hand features a rectangular lume pip.  Whilst the hands are simple and flat, they appear to be perfectly executed, with no rough edges, even under a 5x magnification loupe. Impressive!

A custom-made roulette wheel date window sits at 3 o’clock and alternates between black on white and red on white.This is a nice touch that will undoubtedly please some watch enthusiasts, but I would have loved to have seen an alternating white-on-blue and white-on-orange roulette so that it’s more bespoke to the watch. However, I’m guessing this might not have been possible due to the cost implications of applying the same principle across five dial colours, all made in low numbers. Finally, the top bevel of the date window frame is orange which contrasts against the blue half of the dial, and the bottom bevel is blue to contrast against the orange half – it’s a quirky little ‘easter egg’ that only really revealed itself as I spent more time with the watch.

The Movement

The Master 62 series uses a standard Seiko NH35 automatic movement, which features hacking and hand-winding. With a 41-hour power reserve a beat rate of 21,600bhp (4Hz) and an accuracy rating of -20-/+40s per day, this isn’t a particularly high specification movement by modern standards. However, it’s reliable and robust, so whilst it would have been nice to see something a little more premium, in many ways it’s perfectly suited to a tool watch such as this. Helicon also designed its own milled IPS plated brass movement holder for increased anti-magnetic qualities and shock protection.

Final Thoughts

Priced at £560, the Master 62 has a lot to commend it. The overall build quality and level of finishing seems to be very good, with the case, bracelet and dial all living up to close scrutiny. The bezel action also deserves a special mention, as do unusual touches such as the roulette wheel date window and the unique applied indices.  

In terms of negatives, I’d like to see the threading on the crown improved significantly, as it doesn’t inspire confidence when using it. Secondly, the fit and finish on the bracelet clasp doesn’t match the level of refinement offered elsewhere on the watch. I also think Helicon missed a trick by not making the bracelet quick-release, which seems to almost be expected now from microbrands at this price. The only other negative is a personal one, in that I’d love to see the overall height reduced by a millimetre or two, as proportionally I find it’s a little tall in relation to the diameter. That said, it’s not unreasonable for a 200m dive watch.

On balance this is a well-specified, solid and tough watch which has everything you could need in a dive watch that stylistically occupies the middle ground somewhere between full-on tool diver and refined daily wear diver. The combo of ceramic bezel, sapphire crystal, good legibility, strong lume and 200m water resistance is more than enough for all but the most extreme divers. But let’s not forget the star of the show, the unique dials, something seldom seen at this price! I applaud Helicon for trying something different here, particularly with the Blue Hour version. It’s not only fun, but takes some of the visual romanticism associated with a moon-phase (symbolic passing of time told through nature), and applies it in a unique way that, to my knowledge, hasn’t been done before at this price. Looking at the dial will evoke memories of looking out of a plane window or sitting on the beach watching the horizon until long after the madding crowds have left. And with each variant limited to just 50, these truly are limited, so you’ll certainly feel special sporting this wrist candy at your next Redbar meetup!

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Héron first appeared on the scene in 2021 with its Gladiateur, but the Montreal-based company’s second watch, the Marinor, is quite the leap forward and offers an appealing mix of vintage charm and modern-day capabilities.

Taking inspiration from dive watches of the past, most notably the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, Héron dubs the Marinor ‘a tribute to seafaring and 1950s diving watches’. It’s a well-timed release that will have some buyers scratching their heads as to why they’ve just spent nearly as much money on a plastic Swatch with fabric strap (Swatch/Blancpain collaboration for those who have been living under a bush for the past few months!).

Three colourways are available from the core collection, priced at $620 USD – Seastorm Black, Atlantic Blue (a dark, dusky blue) and my favourite, the vibrant Caribbean Blue with matching sapphire bezel (Close to teal in colour). My review model was the Maelstrom from the Anchor Collection which was an exclusive colour as part of Heron’s Kickstarter campaign. Sadly, this colour is no longer available, so apologies to those who like the look of it from my photos. Unfortunately, my review watch was delayed at customs, so I couldn’t publish my review before the campaign ended. 

The Case and Wearing Experience

The Marinor’s case dimensions are sure to be crowd-pleasing. With a diameter of 39mm, lug-to-lug measurement of 47mm and overall height of 12.9mm, it’s an easy watch for most people to wear.

The case is made from 316L stainless steel, standard issue for watches now, right? Yes, but Héron has given the entire case and bracelet a hardening treatment, which is a huge selling point. This provides a hardness rating of 1200hv (Vickers), six times that of stainless steel. What this means is that your Marinor will stay looking pristine for longer, and that this is one of the most ‘Instagramable’ watches out there, so go ahead and grab those ‘on the rocks/at the beach’ pics all you like, without fear of scratches.

I was initially sceptical about just how scratch resistant the watch would be, but I was encouraged by Héron to use the length of ‘standard’ stainless steel bracelet included in my review package as a benchmark against which to test the Marinor’s scratch resistance. They insisted that I give it my best shot and attack the watch case and bracelet with everything I had. Now that’s confidence in your product! Being the reserved English gentleman that I am, I was reluctant and decided to photograph the watch first, just in case. But once I’d got my quota of pics, I did indeed put it to the test, using paperclips at first, progressing to the end of a skewer and finally a knife. I was disappointed at first as I could see marks to the metal. However, after a quick rub of the surface the watch appeared to heal itself, surviving unscathed, so much kudos to Héron here!

In terms of design, the mid-case is very slim and has a lovely profile with lugs that curve gently down, something that undoubtedly adds to the comfort factor. The 6mm screw-down crown features a ship’s wheel and sits at the 3 o’clock position, flanked by full-sized crown guards. Crown operation is good, with a confident screw-down action and no ghost date position.

The case features a blend of different finishes which adds to the refinement and level of detail. The mid-case is horizontally brushed to the sides, with circular brushing to the tops of the lugs. Polished bevels grace the edges of the lugs and widen towards the bracelet end.

The 120-click rotating bezel is polished, has a rounded coin edge for grip and a gorgeous, domed sapphire insert. Bezel markings are kept simple, with Arabic numerals for the 15, 30, 45-minute markers and hash marks for every five minutes between. It’s a good move to keep markings simple here as legibility on a domed sapphire is never going to be quite as strong as on a flat bezel insert.

Rising above the bezel is a scratch resistant, box sapphire crystal with clear anti-reflective coating to the underside, a detail that adds to the vintage vibe and is an indication of the attention to detail and quality materials used. Bezel action is excellent; smooth, accurate, and refined. I’d go so far as to say that the bezel action is probably the best I’ve experienced on a microbrand watch.

The screw-down stainless steel caseback depicts an archetypal ship captain. It’s a complex engraved and embossed design that combines brushed, bead-blasted and polished elements. The caseback is also nice and slim and barely protrudes from the mid-case, so the watch sits flush to the wrist. 

Case finishing on my review watch is flawless, save for ‘dink’ to one of the lugs. I’m assured isn’t a manufacturing fault, so I can only assume the watch must have had an unfortunate accident either with a previous reviewer or at some point on its arduous journey around the world to get to me). Comfort on the wrist is exceptional for a dive watch with 300m of water resistance. It perhaps not surprising that it feels considerably slimmer than 12.9mm, as the case without the sapphire is just 11.3mm, and even less if you take off the domed sapphire bezel.

The Bracelet

The three-link bracelet of the Marinor tapers from 20mm to 16mm and is of a flat link design. When viewed from the side, each individual link is u-shaped, with a flat top. When viewed from the top this gives a highly engineered look with tight tolerances and hardly any daylight visible between the lugs. This design means that the bracelet is completely fluid in one direction thanks to the u-shaped underside, but you can’t ‘stack’ the links back on themselves like on some bracelets.

Short female end links and articulated second links means that the lug-to-lug measurement is a true indication of span across the wrist, and each of the screwed links is relatively small too. These combined factors mean that the watch hugs the wrist well.

The bracelet is quick-release for easy strap changes and has a milled twin-trigger deployant clasp which features polished bevelling and an engraved stylised Heron.  The push buttons are ellipse-shaped and more substantial compared to many. You’ll have no problem getting the perfect fit either, thanks to the micro-adjustment system which slides at the push of a button, no tools required!

Movement

The Model Three is powered by the Miyota 9039 Japanese automatic movement, from global brand, Citizen. This extremely reliable movement beats at 28,800 vph / 4Hz, which gives a smooth 8 ticks per second, and it’s a close competitor to the Sellita SW200 in all respects bar accuracy, which is within -10s / + 30 seconds per day.

The Dial and Hands

All variants of the Marinor feature fumé dials that have a subtle gradient going from lighter in the centre of the dial, to darker at the outer edge. Indices comprise circular polished silver hour markers and rectangular batons for the 3, 6, and 9. Taking pride of place at 12 o’clock is a uniquely shaped index said to represent the North Star, a significant symbol for seafarers. All indices are filled with a blue BGW9 Super Lumi-Nova luminescent compound for excellent legibility in low light. You’ll find a simple minute track on the dial’s outer edge, which comprises printed hash marks and printed dagger-shapes at every five minutes. Other than that, the dial is clutter free, with no date window to interrupt the symmetry or micro-second printing to distract visually.

The hour, minute and seconds hand are all polished but feature longitudinal centre creases to reflect light and aid legibility. The hour hand is a broad arrow, filled with BGW9 lume which mirrors the arrow-shaped surround. The minute hand is a tapering sword shape with a lume strip that covers about a third of its entire length. Again, it’s shaped to mirror the frame of the hand. The second hand features a lollipop lume.

Legibility is generally excellent for this style of dive watch. The AR coating on the sapphire does a good job at minimising reflections and the dial lume was strong. The only slight negatives are that the bezel lume is weaker, and the printed seconds track isn’t all that visible due to the distortion from the box sapphire. The dial generally looks to be very well executed, but I was unfortunate with my review watch, as there was one small hair (or possibly a scratch to the AR coating under the sapphire). However, the good folks at Héron have assured me that quality control for production watches will be carried out in Montréal and that something like this wouldn’t be allowed to slip through the net.

Final Thoughts

The Marinor offers the best of both worlds; a comfortable wearing experience akin to a skin diver, but with the specifications of a true ‘tool’ dive watch. With its beautiful fume dial and nods to vintage inspiration, it’s on the dressier side of the dive watch spectrum and relatively petite, but this belies its impressive capabilities. There is extensive use of premium materials such as sapphire, and genuinely thoughtful, practical additions including case hardening technology and on-the-fly bracelet adjustment. Add to that 300m water resistance, nautical design touches, and a reliable Japanese movement and it’s clear that the Marinor is a good catch given the very reasonable $620 USD (approx. £515) asking price. In fact, aside from the unfortunate prototype niggles mentioned above, the only negatives I can come up with for the Marinor are purely subjective. I’d like to see the hour hand increased in size slightly, and I wish that Heron would have retained a few more of the colourways offered in the original Kickstarter campaign. But that’s it! Impressive stuff considering this is only the brand’s second watch release.

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Tool Watches for Explorers With a Social Conscience

BŌKEN, (the Japanese word for ‘Adventure’), is headed up by owner and founder, Daniel Banks, who wanted to create a brand where style meets adventure. BŌKEN watches are said to be a vibrant expression of untamed spirit, crafted with precision for the modern-day explorer. It’s inaugural watch, the Nomad, is Swiss-made but designed in Great Britain. True to their philosophy, BŌKEN also align themselves with Just One Ocean and will donate a portion of its annual profits to them. Just One Ocean is a charity established to protect and conserve the oceans for future generations. They achieve this through raising awareness, undertaking research, and supporting the development of scientific knowledge.

Pick a Colour, Any Colour!

To my eyes, BŌKEN appears to have taken at least some inspiration from Doxa, and Breitling’s Superocean when designing the Nomad. This isn’t a negative as I like both, and the Nomad certainly isn’t a homage watch as it brings plenty of its own design elements and character to the table. My review watch is the Ember Blaze variant with vivid orange dial and black bezel, but a total of five dial and bezel combinations are offered, so there’s bound to be one that appeals to you. Aside from Ember Blaze, you can choose from Midnight Sapphire (blue), Solar Flare (yellow), Arctic Frost (white with white bezel), or Moonlight Onyx (white with black bezel).

The Case and Wearing Experience

The Nomad’s case diameter is 42mm and the thickness is 13.4mm. This is very much a modern tool watch designed to be used as such so it wears true to size, if not slightly bigger. It’s befitting that the Nomad uses a tonneau case shape that is simple and purposeful with no polished sections or bevelling. The relatively short wide lugs, aggressive looking bezel and grippy, well-sized crown combine very well and give the impression that this is a watch where functionality doesn’t play second fiddle to looks.

The case has circular brushing to its dial-side and rear, and linear longitudinal brushing to the sides. Case finishing looks to be exemplary, and in my opinion, BŌKEN has made the right choice by opting to craft the case and bracelet from grade 2 titanium. This not only helps keep the weight down and offers increased strength, but the darker greyish tone really looks cool, especially against the orange dial. For a titanium watch, it’s still fairly hefty, coming in at 129g on the bracelet when sized for my 7.25” wrist (as a comparable, my Tudor Black Bay 41 ETA in full stainless steel is 164g). If you’ve previously ruled out a titanium watch because you don’t like how light they feel, this watch might strike the right balance for you, as the perception of weight it gives on the wrist is somewhere between titanium and steel.

Water resistance is an impressive 300 meters, thanks to the screw-down caseback and screw-down crown, which is deeply knurled to provide ample grip, and etched with the brand’s logo. I’m a big fan of the unfussy case shape, but whilst the mid-case does have a nice gentle curve to it, I think comfort could be improved further if the curve was slightly more pronounced, or the overall thickness reduced with more of a taper at the lugs. I’d gladly sacrifice a decrease in water resistance to 200m if it helped. Rather than an etched crown logo I’d like to see deep engraving or maybe embossing. But let’s face it for most people, me included, ‘etched vs engraved’ detailing will be very low down the list of criteria when choosing a watch!

I particularly love the deep bezel design, which features wide toothing and provides extreme levels of grip, even with gloves on. The bezel insert is made from black ceramic and looks to be well executed with deeply etched numerals and markings. The glossy surface looks great against the matt grey of the titanium. The bezel on my prototype has a nice action, lines up perfectly and has no back-play.

The Straps

The quality of the three-link style titanium bracelet is excellent. Lug width is 22mm which tapers to 20mm, and links are secured using push-pins. The brushing on the links is very fine, consistent, and silky smooth. However, the outer sections of the clasp let it down. The deployant fold-over section, twin-trigger release mechanism and security latch need to be thicker, less sharp and preferably milled. I also wish BŌKEN had opted for female end-links to help keep the lug-to-lug measurement down. As it stands, with the non-articulating male end-links, I measure the total span across the wrist to be 55mm. Of course, the end links do have a slight curve to them, so the reality is that it wears somewhere in between the quoted 48.5mm lug-to-lug and 55mm. Half links are provided, and the clasp has three micro-adjustment holes, so you should have no problem achieving the perfect fit.

In addition to the titanium bracelet, the Nomad comes supplied with a high quality quick-release rubber strap which tapers from 22mm to 20mm and has a weave pattern to the topside, and ridges to the underside. The highlight of the rubber strap though must be the strikingly angular, branded, titanium buckle. Pairing the watch with the rubber strap helps constrain the span across the wrist to a true 48.5mm and keeps the weight down to 92g. Whilst I’m usually a bracelet guy, I have to say this watch looks right at home on the rubber strap and I think if I owned a Nomad, it would spend most of its time on this!

The Dial

If there’s one type of watch that orange is made for it’s a diver! The vibrancy just screams ‘holiday watch’, perfect for a day at the beach, a dive, or an adventure. It also serves a purpose as orange is widely considered to be the most legible colour under water.

The dial on the Nomad has a smooth matt finish, against which the blocky matt-black hands with needle tips contrast nicely. The minute track is printed in black onto the white, sloped rehaut. Bolder hash marks are used for every five minutes/hour and additional Arabic numerals are used at ten-minute intervals, beginning with 05.

On the Ember Blaze Nomad, the hands are all filled with Swiss Super Lumi-Nova C5 which glows brightly in low light and has a green/yellow colour (the four other colourways all have Super Lumi-Nova C1, which is a white compound). I found the lume on the hands to be excellent and I could tell the time throughout the entire night. However, the indices don’t glow as brightly as the hands, so they would certainly benefit from more layers of Super Lumi-Nova.

The block-style, applied stainless steel hour markers also feature C5 Super Lumi-Nova centre strips. The outer sections of the indices are cut at a shallow angle. In certain light they look to perfectly match the matt black handset, and in other lighting conditions, they reflect the light. I can’t say whether this was an intentional design decision, but either way, it really works.

A simple black-on-white date window sits at 3 o’clock. Black printed dial text comprises ‘BŌKEN 1988’ at 12 o’clock (1988 is a nod to when founder, Daniel was born), and ‘Titanium, 300m / 1000ft / automatic’ at 6 o’clock.

The dial is protected by a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal which has an internal anti-reflecting coating applied to the inside for enhanced legibility.

The movement

A Sellita SW200 Swiss automatic movement powers the watch and is visible through the sapphire exhibition window in the caseback. This workhorse movement is a mainstay for watch brands at this price level. It has a 38-hour power reserve and beats at 28,800 vph or 4Hz, giving a nice smooth sweep to the seconds hands. BŌKEN has added a custom rotor, bearing the logo and tagline ‘adventure awaits’. They’ve even gone so far as to regulate the movement to bring an improved accuracy rate of +/-12 seconds per day, which is very worthwhile improvement. Like the crown, it’d be nice to see engraving, embossing (or maybe skeletonization) used for the branding details on the rotor, but in the scheme of things, I appreciate this is nit-picking!

Final thoughts

The Nomad is a watch that ticks a lot of boxes. Not only is it good looking, but it’s tough, extremely legible and uses premium materials. A titanium watch, designed in England, made in Switzerland, with a Swiss movement, 300m water resistance and a ceramic bezel. You couldn’t really ask for much more in a dive watch.

It’s a great first outing from this fledgling brand, that could be made even better with a few improvements. My two biggest gripes concern elements of the bracelet, namely the stamped clasp and the male end links. My other negative is purely a subjective one, that of size. I would love to see the thickness reduced ever so slightly for the MKII. There was a slight misalignment of the 6’oclock applied index on my prototype watch, but when I mentioned this to Daniel, he was appalled. Even though I explained that it’s very minor, he said that any amount of imperfection is not good enough. This is clearly a man who cares about his products, and I have every confidence that Daniel will ensure that production models will be perfect!

The Nomad is a full-sized, modern dive watch with a true tool watch vibe and performance to match. With plenty of colour options to choose from, the BŌKEN Nomad is a very cool and more exclusive alternative to mainstream offerings from brands such as Seiko and Christopher Ward, and a cheaper alternative to brands such as Tag Heuer, Doxa, Sinn. Plus, with two quick-release straps provided as standard, you can achieve a different look in a matter of seconds! If you like the look of the Nomad, I’d suggest you get in quick at the Kickstarter price of £995. The Kickstarter campaign starts at 7.30pm, 15 October and finishes 12 November. Thereafter the price will increase to £1395.

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Baltic’s inherent intuition for producing well-designed watches imbued with just the right amount of vintage charm has won them lots of fans in a comparatively short space of time. They have also shrewdly managed to keep their prices relatively low by knowing just where savings can be made in production costs (such as movements used) without sacrificing the overall appeal. It’s for these reasons that I’ve been keen to get my hands on one of Baltic’s watches for some time, so when the chance came to review the new Baltic Bicompax 003 chronograph, of course I jumped at the chance.

The Case and Wearing Experience

Whilst I love smaller watches as of late, I am averse to watches that have shrunk in all dimensions bar thickness, as proportions can look ‘off’. For this reason, when I saw in the specifications that the 36.5mm Baltic Bicompax 003 was 13mm thick, my heart sank. However, after having it on the wrist for a week now, I can honestly say, don’t let this put you off! The reality is that this watch wears a lot thinner. In fact, it wears very well indeed. The case itself is just 10mm thick and the stunning high-domed Hesalite crystal takes up the remaining 3mm. The 1940s-style ‘stepped’ case also helps in this regard. Conversely, I’d also say that on the wrist it wears more like a watch with a 38mm diameter, thanks in part to the relatively long, elegant lugs and lug-to-lug measurement of 46mm. It all balances out nicely and will suit a surprisingly wide variety of wrist sizes.

The finishing on the elegant 316L stainless steel case is simple, being predominantly brushed, with just the dial side of the upper bezel, crown, chronograph pushers, and part of the caseback being polished.

The mid-case is slim and very elegant when viewed from the side and the stepped case is a nice feature. The lugs curve gently downwards, but the relatively deep caseback means that the watch does sit slightly proud of the wrist, but not annoyingly so. The circular brushed finish to the tops of the lugs appears to give a tonally bright, but less refined look than the linear finish to the case sides. The lugs are drilled, a nice feature which makes it easier to swap out straps that don’t have a quick release function. However, Baltic’s own straps are quick release, so swapping these out is even more of a doddle than using the drilled lugs. My watch came paired with the Beads of Rice bracelet (€60 option) and although there is quite a lot of flex in it, I found this combo to be comfortable, well-balanced and light on the wrist. I think the watch might look great with a dark coloured leather strap for added contrast.

The 20mm lug width gives the watch a wide and flat stance across the wrist. Given the design approach taken with this watch I’m a little surprised that Baltic didn’t opt for an 18mm lug width, which would have been truer to the vintage spirit. However, it might then look more dainty on larger wrists.

The screw-down caseback comprises a polished outer, brushed inner and exhibition centre, made from Hesalite. The unsigned push-pull crown is oversized, making it very easy to wind and set the time, a good move for a manually wound watch. Unsurprisingly, water resistance on the watch is just 50m. But then most people don’t buy a vintage-style chronograph for water resistance!

Baltic Bicompax 003 – Dial and Hands

First off, confession time! Whilst salmon dials seem to be a big crowd-pleaser amongst microbrand lovers, I’m not easily pleased when it comes to salmon dial watches. All too often they are either too pink or verge on brown. So it was with some trepidation that I unboxed the Baltic. It was a very dull day when I opened the package, and initially I was underwhelmed. I thought the dial lacked dynamism and the colour was more wishy-washy than I was expecting. However, I’m pleased to say that in better lighting the dial comes alive and has more light play. Now that I’ve lived with the watch for a bit, I think that the colour choice is a good one, leaning more towards copper, but with just a hint of salmon. 

I love that a combination of different finishes has been used. Arranged in a sector dial type design, the centre section has a grained finish, the chronograph sub-dials have a concentric circle pattern (what Baltic call ‘Azurage’), and the hour sector and minute track both have concentric brushing, separated by another thin band of graining. These textures help break up the dial in the absence of any contrasting or accent colours and also help bring the dial to life.

The fully polished flat leaf-style hour and minute hands are elegant and well proportioned. However, adding a longitudinal centre crease, chamfering or contrasting finishes might have helped improve legibility here. The slender chronograph seconds hand reaches right to the outer edge of the dial and has a circular counter-balance.

Polished dial furniture comprises pointer-shaped applied indices at each hour, with applied Arabic numerals for the 12 and 6. The outer minute track, running seconds and 30-minute chronograph registers are printed in black, as is the minimal dial text comprising brand name and ‘Bicompax’ model name. There is no lume, which is to be expected for this type of dressy chronograph.

Legibility and contrast are poor on this watch, especially in low light. Also, bear in mind that once you throw a wide bezel and stepped case into the mix, the dial itself is pretty small. This is fine for time-telling and for style, but not so great if you plan on frequently using the chronograph functions. So, if like me, 20/20 eyesight has long since disappeared in the rear-view mirror, you should probably consider one of the other two dial colours available, Silver Blue or Blue Gilt, both of which have increased contrast. I’m hoping that Baltic might also consider revising the salmon dial variant by giving it dark or blued hands for added contrast, wink wink.  

Bring on the Hesalite!

As any watch brand will know, choose Hesalite for your new vintage-inspired watch release and people will complain, choose Sapphire and people will complain. It’s a no-win situation. However, in the case of the Bicompax, there will surely be fewer distractors than normal. Why? Baltic have firmly planted their flag in the sand with this watch. They make no qualms about the fact that it has been designed to fully embrace vintage, not just pay homage to vintage, or pick and choose certain elements. They understand that this watch isn’t going to please everyone, so those that it will appeal to will probably welcome this decision. I know I do, as the high-domed Hesalite looks amazing and certainly adds to vintage charm. Plus, as I’ve recently discovered (after previously being scared to try it), small scratches can easily be polished out with Polywatch.

Baltic Bicompax 003 Movement

The Bicompax 003 uses the Chinese-made Seagull ST1901 manual winding movement. This column wheel chronograph is based on the Venus 175 movement and is now a mainstay choice of movement for Baltic. It’s non-hacking, has a 42-hour power reserve and beats at 21,600 vph, or six ticks per second. It doesn’t give the smoothest sweep to the seconds hand, but it’s well suited to this watch.

I’ve not handled a watch with the Seagull movement before and was pleasantly surprised at the winding action. However, the crown’s push-pull action takes a bit of getting used to. When you pull the crown out to set the time, the engagement feels vague with very little discernible click, and you’re never quite sure what position it’s in.

I chose to spec the optional exhibition caseback for my review watch as I wanted to show our readers the movement. And I’m glad I did, as the movement fills the viewing window completely, which is a good look. The architecture of the ST1901 also ensures there’s lots of visual depth, so if you love mechanics there’s plenty here to keep your attention. There’s a nice balance of colour, with steel, gold, blued screws and pink jewels. There are also small sections of Côte de Genève decoration.

At a glance, it’s a great looking movement. However, if you buy watches with exhibition casebacks because you like sophisticated finishing and craftsmanship that stands up to scrutiny under a loupe, you might prefer to opt for a solid caseback and save yourself £25 in the process. All-in-all though, when you consider that you’re getting a mechanical chronograph from a respected company for a starting price of just £540 in the days of frequent and rapidly escalating price increases, there’s a lot to be grateful for here.

Final Thoughts on the Baltic Bicompax 003

With this release Baltic is amongst the handful of trend-setters who have fully embraced vintage, rather than just dabbled around the edges. As I’ve been saying for while now, I think we’re starting to see brands shift from making vintage-inspired watches recreated at modern sizes, to truly vintage-sized pieces (KUOE, Nivada Grenchen, Baltic to name a few). Most brands that can afford to experiment with this approach will still offer core collections of crowd-pleasing sizes, whilst others are choosing to specialise. I’m not suggesting that these watches will be the biggest sellers, but there is certainly a growing niche for them.

I think Baltic is onto another winner with the reduced size Bicompax 003. They’ve timed its release well and I’m sure they’ll sell enough units to make it worth their while. I’d be curious to know how sales of this new 36.5mm size compare with its larger sibling, the Bicompax 002.

Other than field watches, there aren’t currently many truly vintage-sized watches on the market, even less so when you’re looking at chronographs. Therefore, at this point in time, the Baltic Bicompax 003 is a compelling package, especially when you consider its price point (from £540, or £625 as tested). This watch will likely appeal to two different types of buyers. The first will be those who already know that they love smaller watches and are looking for a watch with full-on vintage aesthetics. The second will be those who usually buy modern ‘full-size’ watches but are drawn to the romanticism of smaller vintage watches. The Baltic Bicompax provides the opportunity for them to take the plunge without breaking the bank, and without the risks that come with buying a genuine vintage watch.

My biggest gripe about the watch is undoubtedly legibility. Contrast is low, and the lack of angles, chamfering or alternating finishes on hands and applied indices doesn’t help. If you’re concerned about this, you have two choices. You could choose between the other dial colours, or you could look towards the 003s larger sibling, the Bicompax 002.

All-in-all, the Bicompax 003 is another interesting release from Baltic. It’s got killer looks, great overall design, and attractive dial finishing. It’s also configurable with different dial colours, caseback options and plenty of strap choices. Just as importantly for some, it feels like you’re wearing an actual vintage watch and it’s fun!

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MAEN Watches was established in 2017 and occupy the mid-tier of the microbrand market, with watches ranging from roughly €300 and €1500. The new Hudson 38 GMT is currently priced at just under €800 and available in four colourways. On test here is the GMT AGM.01.

The GMT That Thinks It’s A Dive Watch!

Before I even received the watch for review, certain specifications made this watch stand out from the crowd for me, such as its water resistance rating which exceeds most dive watches, and the movement used. It’s also an incredibly attractive watch. So much so, that its good looks alone will undoubtedly prompt some buyers to reach for their flexible friend (nice 80s reference there!). But how does the entire package stack up, and is it worth the asking price?

Case Design And Wearing Experience

The 38mm case is made from 316L stainless steel and is of a conventional three-section design, comprising 120-click rotating bezel, mid-case and caseback. The case finishing is all perfectly executed and predominantly finely brushed.

Working from the dial-side of the watch to the rear, first up we have a double domed scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with internal anti-reflective coating protecting the dial. This sits slightly proud of the steel bezel insert which has a matt black finish and is deeply engraved with an off-white 24-hour GMT scale to provide an easy reference for a second or third-time zone, in addition to the independent GMT hand.

Brushed and polished finishes are used for the coin edge of the bezel, which provides very good levels of grip considering that, despite the Hudson GMT’s phenomenal 300m water resistance, this is not a dive watch.

I’d describe the bezel action as very good for the price point with very little back play. Considering the watch is a GMT, not a diver, I’m surprised that MAEN has chosen to fit a uni-directional bezel rather than bi-directional. It could be that this is a cost saving measure, as they can carry it over directly from the Hudson dive watch.

The mid-case is a simple tried and tested shape, similar to the original Tudor Black Bay. It has straight sides with longitudinal brushing and has polished bevels which widen towards the ends of the lugs. The lugs angle downwards ever so slightly, but don’t extend past the caseback. The screw-down caseback is also a simple affair, just stainless steel with a brushed centre section and specifications engraved into a polished circular band.  The screw-down crown with signature ‘M’ surrounded by an etched circle, is polished, perfectly sized and has lots of grip.

For a GMT with 300m water resistance, this is a thin watch! Overall thickness is just 12.05mm, and the all-important lug-to-lug measurement is a crowd-pleasing 46mm. With measurements like this it should come as no surprise that I found this to be an extremely comfortable watch to wear. It’s worth noting that the height is nearly identical to its non-GMT dive-watch brother, the Hudson 38 MK4. From what I can gather, MAEN has managed to achieve this by using printed indices for the dial which are obviously less tall than the applied indices used for the dive watch. In addition, the caseback hardly protrudes at all, so it beds down into the wrist and sits flat.

From a visual standpoint, despite the mid-case being slab-sided, thanks to MAEN’s efforts to keep the watch thin, the watch never looks bulky from any angle. Polished bevels to the tops of the outer lugs also help break up the visual mass. The double-domed sapphire brings some lovely distortion and light play to the face of the watch.

The 316L stainless steel five-link bracelet tapers from 20mm to 16mm, feels great and is very fluid. It’s predominantly brushed, but added contrast comes courtesy of thin polished links that sit outside of the centre link. The female end links help restrain the lug-to-lug length. However, the stubby centre sections of the end links sit slightly higher than the outer links and case. Although to me this is not aesthetically pleasing, it’s not a big deal, and I doubt most people would notice it, let alone be bothered by it. But I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t point it out so you can make up your own mind. The bracelet’s twin-trigger fold-over deployant clasp is milled, signed and has four micro-adjustment holes. It also has a wide, polished bevel running its entire length. The bracelet is adjusted using single sided screws. On-the-fly clasp adjustment would have been nice, but it’s certainly not a deal-breaker. Overall, the watch head and bracelet combined result in a well-balanced package.

Hudson GMT Dial And Hands

The matt black dial has a grained texture and a printed outer minute track showing fractions of seconds increments, as well as printed 24-hour scale with red Arabic numerals denoting 6, 12, 18, 24 and grey numerals for every other 2-hour interval. Surrounding the main dial is the rotating bezel which has a steel insert in matt black and deeply etched off-white numbers in a very clean looking and attractive font.

The design for the baton-shaped indices is interesting as they are slightly raised from the dial, giving a more premium and three-dimensional appearance than that of flat printing. A double baton is used for the 12 o’clock marker, and all main indices are filled with a centre strip of glowing Swiss Super-LumiNova Grade X1 for improved legibility in low light.

The unique hour and minute hands are sporty but elegant, have a polished steel finish, and are filled with neatly applied X1 Super-LumiNova. The lollipop seconds hand has a simple circle of X1 lume and a tapered counter-balance. Being what is known as an ‘office’ or ‘caller’ GMT, the Hudson 38 GMT has a fourth hand, an independently adjustable GMT hand used to show a second time zone. This is instantly recognisable by its perfectly executed red arrowhead. To set the second time zone, you simply pull the crown out to its first position and turn away from you to make the GMT hand jump in increments of one hour. Everything about the handset looks to be very well executed.

Dial text is simple and clean. Just the brand name at 12, and ‘Automatic’, ‘Hudson’ and ‘GMT’ at 6 ‘clock. ‘Hudson’ is picked out in red to complement the GMT hand. Also at the 6 o’clock position is a framed black-on-white date window and ‘Swiss Made’ designation at the outer edge of the dial.

The only thing I found disappointing in terms of the dial was that the 24-hour GMT scale on the main dial has very poor legibility. Most of the time this won’t be an issue, as you can just read the 24-hour time by reading it from the rotating bezel, provided you ensure that it’s set to its default position with the triangle lined up to 12 o’clock. However, if you’re using the rotating bezel to track a third time zone and you’re not very familiar with GMT watches, you’ll struggle to quickly read the time at a glance. For the Hudson MK5 I’d like to see larger Arabic numerals used on the rehaut, as well higher contrast colours. I also think cleaning up the minute track by removing the micro hash marks (denoting fractions of a second) would help with legibility.

MAEN Hudson 38 GMT – The Movement

MAEN has taken the unusual decision to use the Soprod C-125 Swiss automatic movement for the Hudson GMT Mk4. This makes for a refreshing change from the usual Miyota or Sellita movements and it shows that the team at MAEN aren’t afraid to go their own way. This 25-jewel movement with bi-directional rotor ticks at 8 beats per second (28,800 vibrations per hour) which gives a nice smooth sweep to the seconds hand. It has a 42-hour power reserve and has Incablock shock protection.

Another point of difference from many microbrands is that MAEN went the extra mile by opting for the Elaboré Grade, which is decorated and adjusted to three positions, bringing accuracy to within 7 sec +/-7 per day, impressive! It’s just a shame that you can’t see the movement because of the solid caseback. However, like anything, this is a trade-off. Fitting a sapphire exhibition caseback would have added to the overall thickness of the watch. Given the choice, I’d prefer to have a thinner watch, so this design decision suits me just fine. Of course, this is personal preference though.  

The winding action is great, the crown engages positively in all positions and screws down with confidence. Pull out to the first position and turn towards you for setting the date, away to set the independent GMT hand. Pull out to second position to stop the seconds hand, hack the movement and precisely set the time.

Final Thoughts

There’s an awful lot to like about the MAEN Hudson 38 GMT and very few negatives. It’s well proportioned, looks phenomenal on the wrist, and offers quality that exceeds that of most other microbrands and indeed many mainstream luxury brands. In fact, in-house movement aside, the MAEN even compares favourably to the Tudor Black Bay GMT when you consider that it’s around a fifth of the price. Plus, the MAEN has more water resistance, even though the Black Bay is pitched as a dive watch!

If you’re looking at buying the MAEN Hudson 38 GMT specifically to track three time zones, it’s worth bearing in mind my points above in the ‘dial and hands’ section. In reality though, I think most people who buy GMTs will either only be tracking two time zones, or they’ll just like the look of an extra complication and a pop of colour. My only other negatives are very minor. Some people might like to see on-the-fly adjustment for the clasp, and maybe a quick-release trigger for the bracelet. Personally. I’d like to see the stubby end links of the bracelet sit flat with the case and rest of the bracelet, but that’s about it for negatives as far as I’m concerned.

Overall, the Hudson 38 GMT feels like a premium watch. The finishing is great, it houses a regulated Swiss automatic movement, and one of its biggest selling points is that it’s a GMT that can double as a dive watch, thanks to its unidirectional bezel and 300m water resistance. It’s also on the dressier side of sporty, so if this isn’t a ‘go anywhere, do anything’ (GADA) watch, I don’t know what is!

At the current retail price of around €800, it offers outstanding value for money. In fact, I can’t think of another non-homage Swiss-made automatic GMT with 300m water resistance for less than €1000. If you know of any, I’d love to hear your suggestions in the comments section below!

The only fly in the ointment is that for UK customers, by the time you’ve added VAT and import costs, competition does open up from British brands such as Christopher Ward and Farer whose watches won’t incur these additional costs. However, even then, the Hudson 38 GMT certainly holds its own and it has its own style, so it’s horses for courses here!

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Circula is a family-owned business, based in Pforzheim, one of Germany’s oldest horological centres. If you’re not already familiar with the brand, it may come as a surprise to hear that they’ve actually been around since 1955. Now under the watchful eye of Cornelius Huber, the grandson of the original owner, this brand is beginning to attract significant attention thanks to its concise but compelling line-up of divers and field watches. 

A Field Watch For The Twenty-First Century

Field watches seem to be having a bit of a renaissance as of late, something that I’m delighted about. However, many manufacturers understandably look to the designs of military-issued field watches from the 1940s or 1970s eras. As a consequence, if you squinted, you’d struggle to pick one out of a line-up. It’s refreshing then, when you come across a brand such as Circula that takes the essence of everything a traditional field watch should be, but bring it kicking and screaming into the twenty-first century. This is exactly what they’ve done with their latest release, the ProTrail, by combining their own unique design language, with strong specifications and advanced engineering technology. But is the end result a success? Let’s delve in and find out…

Case Design And Wearing Experience

The ProTrail has a 40mm diameter and a wrist-friendly 46mm lug-to-lug measurement. These proportions will hit the sweet spot for many. However, proportionally it is relatively thick, at 13.4mm. Slim enough to fit under all but the tightest of shirt sleeves, but it does make the watch head feel fairly weighty.

The stunning 316L stainless steel case blends angular geometry, compact integrated lugs, and distinctive details. The mostly sandblasted finish looks good and minimises reflections, something that is traditionally important in field watches, as it minimises the risk of giving away your position to the enemy! A robust, scratch-resistant surface treatment is also applied, which gives the case an impressive hardness rating of 1,200 Vickers, approx. five times that of stainless steel.

The unconventional case is a breath of fresh air, with sharp angles throughout the mid-case and lugs, giving it a thoroughly modernist look. The sides of the mid-case also have a cut-out design with a coarse-grained finish, which contrasts against the rest of the case. This clever detail also helps visually break up the mass. The lugs curve slightly downwards, and the case steps down between the lugs and is cut straight across. This is a design trait I like as it means that, provided you fit a suitable strap, there are no unsightly gaps between the strap and the watch head. If you’re the type of watch enthusiast who has a bulging strap drawer, you’ll have some fun trying different looks out on this watch!

The bezel is conventional with a flat top, straight sides and a chamfered edge which is polished, but has the appearance of something more akin to satin, due to the Kolsterization hardening process. The sapphire crystal has a bevelled edge and sits slightly proud of the bezel.

The caseback and crown are both screw-down, helping the watch achieve a water resistance rating of 150m, which is very respectable for a watch of this type. The solid caseback features a contour map design which is lightly etched into the steel, and the conical-shaped crown features an engraved Circula logo filled with Swiss Super-LumiNova® BGW9!

Circula ProTrail – Dial and Hands

The sector dial design is dual-layered and features 12-hour and 24-hour displays, in-keeping with a military style field watch. The 24-hour display sits at the centre of the dial on the bottom layer and comprises orange Arabic numerals on a background of concentric circles, which gives the appearance of a dark grey colour. Outwards of that, the main dial features the 12-hour display and sits on the upper dial level. Large Arabic lume-filled (Super-LumiNova BGW9) numerals are printed in white against a semi-matt black background, and a white printed circle helps visually separate the two sections of the dial. Finally, a railroad track at the outer perimeter counts the minutes, with every hour/5-minutes denoted by Orange printed dots, except for the cardinal points which feature orange arrowheads.

The custom handset is bold and distinctive, yet graceful. The hour and minute hands are brushed and feature a longitudinal crease down the centre. They’re also filled with strips of Super-LumiNova BGW9 that echo the shape of the hands. The painted white seconds hand is a simple stick shape with an orange tip. The orange tip perfectly spans the width of the outer dial, and this purposeful design choice is a great example of the attention to detail that elevates Circula from other brands at a similar price point. In fact, all hands are perfectly proportioned and the perfect length too. That maybe sounds like an odd detail to point out, but it’s amazing how many brands don’t get this right!

Dial text is fairly minimal with the brand name printed in white on the inner dial above the pinion, ‘Protrail’ (printed in Orange) and ‘Antimagnetic’ (printed in white) below the pinion, and ‘Made in Germany’ underneath the six o’clock marker.

Legibility is exceptional thanks to the large Arabic numerals, high contrast colours and double coating of anti-reflective treatment to the underside of the scratch-resistant, slightly domed sapphire crystal.

Everything appears to be well executed, with precise printing and nicely finished hands. The dial design is cohesive and pleasing to the eye. It also has great balance, with no date window to interrupt the symmetry. The only real negative here is that, surprisingly, the lume on the numerals doesn’t seem to be all that bright and fades quite quickly.

Movement

The ProTrail is fitted with the Sellita SW200-1 Swiss automatic movement, a mainstay for many brands due to its reliability, availability and relative ease of servicing. It’s hacking, hand-winding and beats at 28,800 vph, giving a nice smooth sweep to the seconds hand.

Where Circula differ to most though is that, rather than using the basic movement, they have opted for the Elaboré version which has Incabloc shock protection. Circula also regulate the movement to three positions to improve out-of-the-box accuracy, ensuring a very respectable tolerance of -5/+7 seconds per day. And the icing on the cake? The movement is encased within a soft iron cage to provide an anti-magnetic rating of 80,000 A/m (roughly equivalent to 1000 gauss).

Final Thoughts on the Circula ProTrail

One thing that has become evident as I’ve spent time with this watch is that no area is left as an afterthought. This approach doesn’t just go for design, but also for the engineering. The team at Circula have done a fantastic job with this watch. For circa €755 at the time of writing, the ProTrail is a well-considered and beautifully balanced package that combines good specification, cohesive design, and nice attention to detail. It’s also a watch that’s very much its own thing and not a homage to anything else. What’s perhaps even more surprising is that the ProTrail is a watch designed with significant input from the watch enthusiast community, an approach that if not steered correctly, could quite easily have backfired. As it is, Cornelius expertly steered it to very successful conclusion!

Any negatives? Yes, but very few. For the next generation of the ProTrail, I’d love to see the thickness reduced. Although the ProTrail is a robust field watch, it feels premium and relatively refined for a tool watch, so it’s surprising to me that it’s thicker than many other field watches on the market. The anti-magnetic cage might account for some of this thickness, but regardless, it does detract slightly from the wearing experience.

I’m also not overly keen on the sailcloth strap. Aesthetically it suits the watch and it’s of good quality, being backed with leather and with a nice custom hardened buckle. However, it’s a light strap that is slightly at odds with the heavy watch head. Thankfully, since sending my review watch, Circula have launched a solution in the form of a great looking quick-release bracelet with micro adjustments. Whilst this does add to the cost, it’s definitely the option I’d choose as I think it completes the package and will make the watch more balanced on the wrist. I also think that this is a watch that would work very well in titanium, so this might be something Circula could consider for the future. Finally, I think the caseback design could be executed better by using deeper engraving or embossing for a more premium look, bringing it more in line with the level of finishing on the rest of the watch.

If Circula could make these refinements for the next generation ProTrail, for me personally, it would be the perfect modern field watch. As it stands, it’s still a great time-only GADA (Go Anywhere, Do Anything) watch. In fact, I think you’d be hard-pressed to find a better modern interpretation of a field watch!

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I first discovered KUOE whilst scrolling through my Instagram feed. At first, I thought I was looking at a vintage watch, but upon closer inspection the dial bore the brand KUOE and Old Smith. Not a name I was familiar with, I headed on over to the KUOE website. The first thing I noticed was that KUOE is a very new brand, established just three years ago by founder and designer, Kenji Uchimura. The second? Without exception, all its watches are 35mm or less. A brave move indeed and something that piqued my interest!

The seeds of the idea for the brand concept were planted when, as a student, the young Uchimura entered a shop in London selling vintage watches. He was struck by the warmth and timeless appeal of the watches and felt a strong, enduring connection to them. Fast forward ten years, and after gaining some experience within the watch industry, he set up KUOE with the purpose of creating new watches inspired by the classic designs he’d seen and loved in the London antique shops. Incidentally, if you’re wondering where the name originates, KUOE (pronounced Kuo) is a combo of the founder’s initials and his birthday, October Eighth!

The first model to launch was the Old Smith 90-001, and it’s this watch that first caught my eye on Instagram feed. However, for my review, I wanted to see what its flagship model, the Royal Smith, had to offer. KUOE pitches the Royal Smith as their premium line watch, due to its higher specification and attention to detail. It comes in three variants, an all-steel version, and all-gold version and the steel and gold reviewed here.

The Wearing Experience

Let’s address size first, as I want to tackle it head on. The Royal Smith 90-008 is the smallest modern watch I’ve ever reviewed! With a diameter of just 34mm, and a lug-to-lug measurement of 41mm, it’s small, even given the recent trend towards more modestly sized watches. However, before you switch off, thinking ‘that’s just too small for me’, just allow me one paragraph to persuade you otherwise.

Firstly, this is a 1940s-inspired watch in the truest sense. Unlike many neo-vintage watches, which take design inspiration from a particular period and simply upsize to suit the mass market, KUOE’s whole ethos is to make vintage inspired watches that retain vintage proportions. With that in mind, the Royal Smith 90-008 will be an ideal watch for anybody who likes the idea of owning a vintage watch but is daunted by concerns over reliability and servicing costs. Secondly, it’s worth noting that the Royal Smith pulls off a neat trick, in that it somehow manages to wear ok on both larger and smaller wrists. To illustrate the point, I’ve pictured it here on my 7 ¼ inches wrist, and my wife’s wrist, which is 6 inches. I think the reason it manages to morph so successfully is that it visually looks bigger, probably due to the cushion case shape and 11mm thickness, but physically wears compact thanks to the short lug to lug measurement. It’s a small watch, but it doesn’t look or feel delicate. Consequently, I think it could appeal to a surprisingly wide audience. Unless you have wrists larger than mine (7 ¼ inches) I’d certainly encourage you to keep an open mind!

So now we have that out of the way, let’s take a closer look at the specs and details…

The Royal Smith 90-008 Case

The attractive cushion-style watch case is crafted from 316L stainless steel and has short lugs that angle downwards, making it a real wrist hugger. The bezel has soft-corners and shallow, angled sides that meet the mid-case. The mid-section has straight sides, and the screw-down caseback features a sapphire display. The whole case is entirely polished with no chamfers or hard transitions.

A gently domed, scratch-resistant sapphire crystal protects the dial, and the anti-reflective coating is very effective. The unguarded, signed crown is my least favourite thing about the watch. I’m not keen on its shape and find it a bit too small and fiddly. It’s easy to pop the crown out but not that easy to change the time or wind. Water resistance is 5 ATM/50 Metres, which is fine for a watch such as this.

The Royal Smith Dial And Hands

The cream-coloured dial is stunning. It has a subtle grained texture and features a railroad track at the outer edge, sectioned into minutes, with the addition of applied gold-coloured square blocks at the hour markers. Applied, Breguet-style numerals sit inboard of the railroad track. They are well executed and bring lots of depth and character to the dial. The contrast of the polished numerals against the textured dial works wonderfully. Fans of open sixes and nines will be pleased too!

The elegant and perfectly proportioned leaf-style hour and minute hands have a slight crease running longitudinally down the centre, and the simple, lancet-style seconds hand features a lollipop counterweight.

Dial text is a personal thing and can cause heated debate among enthusiasts, but to my tastes, KUOE has got it just right here. The brand name and city are printed below the 12 o’clock, with Royal Smith and Automatic above the six o’clock. It’s also nice to see Japan Made printed in a small font, underneath the six o’clock marker. As I hope you can see from the photos, the printing of the railroad track and the dial text appear to be impeccable. And thankfully, there’s no date window to interrupt the balance and symmetry of the dial.

The Movement

Moving to the rear, the screw-down caseback has a flat sapphire display window with anti-reflective coating, through which you can see the premium Miyota 9039 Japanese automatic movement. This reliable movement features 24 jewels, has a 42-hour power reserve and beats at 28,800vph. You can also hand-wind and hack the movement for precise setting to a reference time. Whilst the movement is a widely used choice for watches at this price point, it’s nice to see a custom rotor with ‘KUOE Made in Japan’ embossed in gold.

Straps And Extras

The Royal Smith is supplied on either a leather strap or a stainless-steel beads of rice bracelet, both of which feature a quick-release mechanism. The supplied black leather strap is unpadded but thick, with contrast stitching and sealed/painted edges. It is supple straight out of the box. No wearing in period with this one! I was also supplied a Mocha-Brown leather strap which for some reason was thicker and initially a little less supple. KUOE have named these straps ‘Lychee’ leather due to its unique texture. The leather straps are good quality and come with a simple polished and branded pin buckle as standard, but a butterfly clasp is available at extra cost.

The stainless-steel bracelet tapers from 18mm to 16mm and is of very good quality. It features push pins and a twin-trigger fold-over deployant clasp with three micro-adjustment holes. The five centre links are polished, but the outer links are brushed. Initially I didn’t like the bracelet as it has flat end links. However, after just a couple of days on the wrist, my opinion changed. It’s comfortable, fluid, looks good, and for some reason once on the wrist the straight end links stand out a lot less. Plus, a watch of the period probably would have had straight end links. That said though, I think the watch looks best on tan leather, but it’s great that KUOE gives you plenty of options and you could have some real fun here experimenting with different watch straps. A tan colour top-grain waxy leather would look great for a more casual vibe.

I wouldn’t usually mention packaging, as it’s usually superfluous once the excitement of unboxing is over, but it’s worth noting that KUOE supply the Royal Smith in a rather nice faux leather storage case, with an unusual folding design. It’s very compact so would make an ideal travel case.

Final Thoughts On The KUOE Royal Smith

The Royal Smith has completely stolen my heart and it has barely left my wrist since receiving it. It’s a great looking watch of considerable charm and character. It combines the best that vintage has to offer but with the reliability and peace of mind that comes with owning a modern watch the uses modern materials. Priced at under £550 on the bracelet or even less on a leather strap, it’s a great buy.

The gold and steel version has lovely warm, vintage tones and the dial textures and applied markers combine to great effect and legibility. The whole package just works incredibly well. I’d also say it’s gender-neutral due to its style and proportions, so it’s great for sharing.

In terms of negatives, there really aren’t many. I’d like to see KUOE improve the quality and shape of the crown. It could do with being a little bit bigger with more mass so it’s easier to use and feels better in the hands. Also, the fact that the bracelet has straight end links will undoubtedly be a love it or hate it thing. Some will love the vintage aesthetic, but others would probably prefer fitted end links for a more premium look. A good solution might be for KUOE to offer two different types of bracelets at the point of ordering. Finally, it’s perhaps surprising that Cordovan (KUOE’s most expensive leather strap) isn’t offered as standard with the Royal Smith, considering this is their premium watch.

The Royal Smith certainly won’t be a watch that will appeal to the mass market, but then that’s not the intention. Like all KUOE’s watches, it will appeal to enthusiasts looking for something different that doesn’t have to compete for its place in their rotation.  What KUOE is doing as a brand is refreshing and to be applauded. As other watch brands are busy raiding their back-catalogues, endlessly resurrecting past glories minus the vintage proportions, KUOE’s vibe is truly one of a golden era. By taking inspiration from the 1930s to 1960s, and not being tied to any one particular watch, they have the freedom to take the best that the period has to offer, whilst creating a range that is unique to them. This surely gives KUOE a pretty unique place in the market.

I’ll be keeping a keen eye on KUOE as I’m curious to see if the brand gains a loyal following in the UK. My guess is that it will. Why? The romance of true vintage watches is appealing to many, but few are brave enough to purchase vintage. KUOE’s watches will appeal to those people in the middle ground. Give it a few years, and I think we’ll see more brands following KUOE’s lead.

The post KUOE Royal Smith 90-008 – The Small Watch, That’s Big On Personality! appeared first on 12&60.

I’d hazard a guess that the only chance you’d ever have of spotting a Marathon on a ‘celeb’ would maybe be on the wrist of TV tough guy Ant Middleton, or outdoor survival expert, Bear Grylls. But in reality, even that wouldn’t be Marathon’s style. Why? They’re too busy being the part to play the part.

Unlike many other brands that make military-inspired watches, Marathon is authentic. Established in 1939 by Morris Wein, just two years later they were supplying watches to the British and Canadian forces. Still family-owned today, this Canadian company is now run by the founder’s grandson, Mitchell Wein and assembles its watches in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. Marathon is a brand with staying power, and over 80 years on, they’re still rigidly sticking to what they do best, make tactical, tool watches with military designs. This is a rare thing in the industry. Also noteworthy is that Marathon still sells most of their watches directly to government contracts. So when, as a civilian watch enthusiast, you buy a Marathon watch, you know you’re getting a true tool watch in the most literal sense!

THE RETURN OF A CLASSIC!

The Officer’s Mechanical sits within Marathon’s General Purpose range, which also includes the Field Mechanical and Field Quartz (34mm watches with composite fibreshell cases) and a quartz version of my review watch. The Officer’s Mechanical is inspired by a rare field watch made by Marathon to US Government GG-W-113 specifications in the mid 80s for a period of just one year.  Whilst other manufacturers were also making watches to the same military specifications, the Marathon GG-W-113 was unique for its case shape and abundant dial text, things that have been carried over to the Officer’s Mechanical.

HOW DOES IT WEAR?

This reissue watch hasn’t strayed from the original’s modest 36mm (39mm with crown) proportions and has even kept the narrow 16mm lug width. The lug-to-lug measurement is 44mm and the overall height is 11mm. The case wears quite flat across the wrist and the lugs are cut at right angles, so it doesn’t bed down into the wrist like some watches. However, coming in at only 56 grams, this is a light and incredibly comfortable watch that you’ll barely notice on your wrist.

The supplied strap is as basic as they come. Made out of ballistic nylon, it has a single wide keeper and a simple matt-black pin buckle. I’m usually not a fan of fabric straps, partially because it can often the make the watch feel imbalanced when the watch head is heavy, and partially because they can add a lot of bulk. However, that’s not the case here because the watch is so light, and the strap is thin and single-layered. You also don’t need to tuck the strap back on itself. However, should it not be to your taste, strap changes will be easy thanks to the drilled lugs, something that I always appreciate on a tool watch!

THE MOVEMENT

The original GG-W-113 was fitted with the ETA2801-2, a movement that was contemporary at the time of issue. Still a reliable and accurate movement today, Marathon has chosen to use the same hand-wound movement in the current Officer’s Mechanical. This 17-jewel movement beats at 28,800vph/4hz, is hackable and has a 42-hour power reserve. It’s also shock resistant thanks to the Incabloc shock protection system. Marathon adjust the movement themselves to an accuracy of +/-15 seconds per day when fully wound. As you’d expect from a venerable Swiss movement, the wind is very satisfying and smooth. The simple push-pull crown is small, but appropriate for the size of the watch and easy to turn. The movement is no longer offered by ETA, so it’ll be interesting to see which movement Marathon fit once supplies run out.

THE CASE

The two-piece case, crafted from 316L stainless steel, is simple but unique and full of character. To me it’s one of the standout features of this watch. It has straight sides and beautiful, soft concave curves all the way around, from the top of the mid-case right the way to the watch face. There is no bezel as such.

The case and unsigned crown undergo a proprietary finishing process to give them a Parkerized coating, something often found on weapons and other military equipment. The result is a satinised, graphite grey finish that is very tactile and looks extremely cool. In the flesh it’s just the right side of grey, appearing slightly darker than I was expecting, which is a good thing. Parkerization also serves several practical purposes. It is corrosion resistant, anti-reflective and has anti-magnetic properties. Even the inside of the rehaut is Parkerized, so you can be sure there will be no reflections coming off the watch to give away your position to the enemy.

Despite having the appearance of a monocoque case, the case does have a simple screw-down caseback, the only part of the watch case that escapes the Parkerization process. Here you’ll find a huge block of text and reference numbers, highlighting its military credentials. It’s all on there, including the NATO stock number (yes, it’s still military, and still procured by the U.S. Government!). One thing that might raise an eyebrow is the water resistance, which is ‘only’ 30 metres. Whilst it’s adequate for this type of watch, it might put some buyers off who have come to expect 100m water resistance on any ‘tool’ watch. However, it’s worth noting that Marathon themselves test the watch to 50m water resistance…a curious anomaly.

THE DIAL AND HANDS

The Officer’s Mechanical has a Type II matt-black military dial, which means that as well as 12 hours markings, it has 24-hour military time markings on the inner ring. Arabic numerals are all printed as is other dial text and markings comprising outer hash marks for minutes and seconds, brand name, and ‘17 jewels’, a reference to the movement. On my test watch, kindly lent in by The Watch Trend, additional U.S. Government markings are present below the brand name, but the watch can be ordered with or without this. Of note here are two symbols inward of the nine and three o’clock positions. On the left is the ‘H3’, and on the right is the universal radioactive symbol. These are a nod to the fact that tritium, a radioactive substance, was used in the luminous compound on the original dials.

Like all of Marathon’s analogue watches, this reissue watch still features tritium lume, but thankfully doesn’t emit any harmful radiation because it is safely housed within hermetically sealed glass tubes. Orange coloured tritium is used for the 12 o’clock hour marker to help aid orientation at night. Green tritium is used for the remaining baton-shaped hour markers, needle-shaped hour and minute hands, and simple stick-style seconds hand. The seconds hand also has a red tip.

For those not familiar with tritium lume, it glows less brightly then Super-LumiNova, but doesn’t need recharging by light. This makes it ideal for military issued watches as the glow is subdued enough not to give away your position, but still visible throughout the entire night.

A scratch-resistant flat sapphire crystal protects the dial, separated by a deep rehaut, a necessity because of the extra space required to accommodate the height of the tritium glass tubes.

FINAL THOUGHTS

In terms of military-style watches, the Marathon General Purpose Officer’s Mechanical scores a whopping nine out of 10 from me, high praise indeed! It has character by the bucket-loads, its authentic and offers value for money to those seeking a military style watch with pedigree. Standout features for me are the case shape, tritium lume, Parkerized finish and Swiss hand-wound movement.

There are only three things I’d change. All are minor and certainly aren’t deal-breakers. The first would be to do away with the tiny hash marks on the seconds track as they don’t add anything in the way of functionality and aren’t historically accurate. The second would be to increase the water resistance to 100m. Finally, I’d like to see an anti-reflective coating applied to the sapphire crystal.

Whilst I personally really love the case size, if Marathon increased the diameter to 38mm, it would probably give the watch wider appeal to the civilian watch community, whilst still not straying too far from its origins. This would also inevitably make the dial even more legible and increase the lug width, making it easier to find alternative straps.  

Marathon hits the nail firmly on the head when it describes its watches as ‘engineered for the field, not your display case’. The Officer’s Mechanical is unashamedly a tool watch which doesn’t seek acceptance by the masses. Paradoxically, this is precisely why it does appeal to me. I love its no-nonsense uncompromising take on the military watch. In a market that is becoming saturated (pun intended) with expensive, colourful watches with fancy dial textures, complex in-house movements, and elaborate finishes, it’s refreshing to find an unpretentious watch like this. It’s almost an anti-luxury watch. But that would be doing it an injustice. Money has been spent here, but on the things that matter in a tool watch – functionality, reliability, and durability. It does what it needs to do and not a jot more. And I for one think there’s something to be said for that!

Head on over to The Watch Trend to buy yours or to browse collections from other top name brands!

The post Who Wears Wins! Is The Marathon Officer’s Mechanical The Perfect Field Watch? appeared first on 12&60.

Founded in 1986, Botta designs and assembles its Bauhaus inspired watches in Germany and uses only Swiss movements. Led by chief designer Klaus Botta, the German brand has an impressive list of accolades under its belt, awarded mainly for the strength of their designs (think Red Dot Design Award and the like). They claim to have invented the first one handed watch, so it’s fitting that we’re reviewing the Uno 24 Quartz here, a range that epitomises what the brand stands for and takes the one-hand watch concept to the extreme.

The Botta Uno 24 Concept

If you’re not familiar with single-handed watches, the Uno 24 Quartz could have you baffled at first. So, before we delve deeper into the overall design and the specs, let’s get the time-telling concepts out of the way so you can make sense of the images. You’re probably asking, ‘Why do the numbers on the dial go up to 24’, and ‘why is there only one hand?’. Well, there are two concepts at play here – both aimed at encouraging you to think about time in a different way.

Firstly, there are 24 hours in a day and the sun rises/earth rotates on its axis once every 24 hours, so it makes perfect sense that the hour hand (or in this case hour and minute) rotates once around the watch dial to mimic this. And I won’t even get started on circadian rhythms!

Secondly, the single hand, which indicates both the hour and the minutes, is designed to slow the perception of time down for the wearer. This concept is at its most extreme on Botta watches with 24-hour dials. The hand moves incredibly slowly – so slow, that I had to check if it was actually working! Life somehow genuinely does feel less hurried. It’s the perfect antidote to today’s ‘everything now’ world. The Uno 24 is to watches what vinyl is to music. 

A Unique Take On Dial Design

Our review watch is listed on Botta’s website as the black/yellow colourway, but to my eyes it looks closer to orange. With very little bezel to speak of, the dial takes up a lot of real estate and is split horizontally by colour, black for the lower half of the dial and grey for the upper. This is a further reference to the 24-hour concept, with the top half representing daylight (06:00-18:00), and the lower half representing night-time (18:00-06:00).

Starting from the outside of the dial and moving inwards – simple stick indices are printed in white onto the sloping black chapter ring, which sits on its own level, closest to the sapphire crystal. The large hashes indicate the hours, the medium the half hours, and the smallest 10-minutes increments of time. A yellow accent ring, which can only be seen at certain angles, sits between the chapter ring and main dial on its own layer. On the main dial, inwards of the chapter ring, white Arabic numerals show the time in 24-hour format, with each quarter of the day being given prominence by slightly larger Arabic numerals in yellow.

Yellow batons applied to the cardinal points indicate the passing of every six-hours, with the midday marker thankfully being at the traditional 12 o’clock position. These sit proud of the chapter ring and cut through the upper two layers of the dial via a gap in the chapter ring. They also protrude inwards of the chapter ring towards the centre of the dial, with the inner edge cut at an angle. These details really help to add necessary depth to an otherwise plain dial.

Befitting of a watch of industrial design, dial text is kept to an absolute minimum, with just the brand logo picked out in white at 12 o’clock. A crosshair draws your eye from the centre of the matt dial to the white-on-black date window at the six o’clock.

Finally, the uniquely designed single hand is long and elegant. It thins from the pinion to the farthest point and a pinion cover with black and yellow accents keeps things looking slick! (Why aren’t all watches designed with a pinion cover?!). I also really like the shape of the bulbous counterweight.

Case, Bracelet and Comfort

The Uno 24’s 40mm case diameter is a great choice and I’d imagine in 2023 it will prove to be more popular than the original 45mm version of the same watch, which incidentally is still available. Overall thickness is a svelte 9.8mm including the sapphire, and the lug-to-lug is the same as the diameter.

The architectural, ergonomic and multi-faceted undercut case design is where the Uno really begins to shine. The geometry of the case is best appreciated when viewed in profile or from underneath. Whilst I wouldn’t call it a ‘lug-less’ design as such, it certainly wears like it is, as the lugs do not extend beyond the case itself. Visually, I’d say the watch looks true to size, but physically it wears much smaller and people with smaller wrists who still like a big dial will absolutely love this watch!

The case is crafted from what Botta call ‘Tri-Titanium’. Three different compounds of aluminium are used, with each alloy specifically chosen for its unique qualities best suited to the section of the case it’s used for – the bezel, the mid-case and the case back. This makes the watch extremely light, strong, resistant to corrosion, anti-magnetic and anti-allergic. The brushed and sand-blasted finishes seem entirely appropriate for the industrial, Bauhaus-inspired design.

A signed crown sits at three o’clock and hardly protrudes from the case at all. Whilst it does look insubstantial and isn’t the easiest to grab hold of, does it really matter? After all, on this quartz version, the likelihood is that you’re only going to be adjusting the date or time once a month. Plus, the trade-off is added comfort!

The sapphire crystal is slightly domed and has a healthy coating of anti-reflective coating on both sides, a good move with a watch such as this. Water resistance is just 50m, but this is fine as it’s not really the sort of watch you’re likely to take into the water anyway.

The single link, non-tapering stainless steel bracelet is a perfect match for the Uno 24, and continues the minimalist, ‘nothing unnecessary’, design language. The straight end links are recessed into the case and partially covered by the bezel, giving the appearance that the bracelet continues ‘through’ the watch in one continuous loop around the wrist. This simple but elegant solution allows the whole design to look unified and is a lovely touch. The butterfly-style clasp ensures this seamless look continues throughout the entire length of the bracelet. The downside, as with most butterfly clasps, is that there is no micro-adjustment. If this bothers you, or the bracelet isn’t your style, Botta offer five additional straps options at the checkout. Plus, with a 20mm lug width, you could always choose an aftermarket strap if you prefer.

A simple, but robust and accurate Swiss quartz movement from Ronda powers the watch, and as you’d expect, there is no display case back here. Change the battery every few years and you’re good to go. One thing I would point out though is that it’s very weird to hear the watch ticking at one second intervals, but to see the hand progress so slowly around the 24-hour dial.

Legibility

Although the dial is uncluttered, legibility could be improved further without impacting too much on the design. For instance, increasing the size of the cardinal Arabic numerals (12, 18, 0 and 6) would make it easier to orientate yourself with the unconventional 24-hour dial layout at a glance. I’d also be tempted to lose the date window to accommodate this, as it’s too small for my liking and feels kind of at odds with the whole ‘slow it down’ minimalist ethos.

Similarly, particularly in low light, it can be difficult to see the grey hand against the grey dial. Simply making the hand yellow to match the other colour accents would solve this. Of course, if you have 20/20 vision (I don’t) these would be much less of an issue. The lack of any lume might put some buyers off too.

Minimalist Approach Leaves Nowhere To Hide!

With such a modern, sterile watch, quality control needs to be stringent and engineering tolerances tight, as there is nowhere to hide. Areas of concern on my loan watch included microscopic paint splatter around the 17:00 and 18:00 hour numerals, a white mark around 06:00 o’clock and a hair at the 05:00 numeral. However, I do acknowledge that these imperfections are not visible to the naked eye.

The quality of the clasp could also be improved on the bracelet, as a very firm hand was needed to lock each side into place. Better still, would be for Botta to craft the bracelet out of titanium to match the watch, although of course this would add to the manufacturing cost.

Of course, there’s every chance I’ve just been unlucky and my review watch is not necessarily a reflection of the brands total output, but as an impartial reviewer, I feel like I must point these out.

Final thoughts…and the quartz crisis of conscience!

I’ve enjoyed my week on the wrist with the Botta Uno 24. It’s a strikingly modern watch and the design is unique, as is the way that you tell the time. There’s something quite romantic and poetic about slowing time down and not being obsessed with the minutes that pass.

The Uno’s 24-hour display takes ‘reinventing the concept of time’ to its extreme. It really does massively slow down your perception of time and it’s an odd feeling to look down at the dial after a couple of hours, to see that the hand has hardly moved! For sure, it takes some time to adapt, but I think that’s a good thing as it keeps your interest.

My favourite thing about the watch is the case design. The geometry is great and the way the watch hugs your wrist is an absolute joy. Thinness, titanium construction and a short lug to lug measurement result in what is probably the most comfortable watch I’ve ever worn. In many ways the quartz movement makes sense for this 24-hour watch too, even for a self-confessed quartz-phobic like me! Why? Part of the joy of mechanical watches for me is seeing the seconds hand glide effortlessly around the dial, something that you rarely get with a quartz. However, with such a sedentary dial it’s irrelevant here – there is no second hand – and the only hand there is moves around so slowly that you won’t even see it move!  

Priced at 628 Euros, the Uno 24 Quartz is sure to win over some watch enthusiasts as a great ‘wild card’ option that won’t break the bank, or a weekend grab-and-go watch for when precise time is less important. However, it may be a bit niche to appeal to wide cross-section of collectors. I see the main audience for this design-led watch being style-conscious lovers of modernism, Bauhaus, architecture, or industrial design who want a unique conversation piece that makes an instant visual impact. Overall, it’s certainly an intriguing watch with a unique place in the market, with few direct competitors. If Botta could just tighten up the engineering tolerances, it could be a compelling option.

The post Slowing down time with the Botta Uno 24 appeared first on 12&60.

The Multimatic’s Many Complications

The watch is powered by the Miyota 9100, which has 26 jewels, a 40-hour power reserve, and a 4Hz beat rate. As most of us know, Miyota’s are known for their reliability, and the 9 Series are a solid choice for a mid-range automatic movement. This 9100 variant is equipped with a plethora of features. In addition to displaying the hours and minutes, the calibre has a date complication, a power reserve indicator, and three subdials displaying the day, month and 24-hour time. It’s a lot to cram onto a watch, but I think Waldhoff manage it rather well. And the reason I think it works is that the rose gold accents used on the sub-dials and hands contrast really well against the rich green of the dial. 

A Detailed Dial 

The design of the dial is rather complex, with the hour markers and minute track placed on a raised outer ring that serves to give the watch some nice depth. Meanwhile, the main dial is stamped with an interesting pattern that looks very art deco in style. I personally feel as though this over-complicates the dial somewhat, as there’s already a lot going on with the power reserve indicator and sub-dials. However, as I said earlier, I don’t think it noticeably impacts the legibility of those complications, which are on the whole pretty easy to read. The only exception is the 24-hour sub-dial at 6 o’clock, which doesn’t have any numbers printed on it, so it’s really difficult to tell exactly where the hand is pointing. Though, on a positive note, the sub-dial does feature a neat little globe printed on it that really pops against the green and gold of the dial. I must admit that the green is a bit too vibrant for me, but the Multimatic is available in several other more conservative colours, and the finishing of the dial is pretty good. 

When it comes to night-time legibility, only the hands of the Multimatic are lumed. The hands on the sub-dials don’t glow too brightly, but the hour and minute hands have a stronger glow and are much easier to read in the dark.

The Multimatic’s Case And How It Wears

The case measures 41mm across and is 11.4mm thick, with a lug-to-lug of 47.5mm. With its thin lugs, the Multimatic II wears rather nicely, and it offers a good amount of presence on the wrist without being overpowering. The overall design of the case looks deceptively simple when viewed from the top, but it’s got an interesting side view with vertical brushed slats milled against a polished channel. 

On its underside, the Multimatic has a display case back, through which you can see the Miyota movement. Waldhoff has gone to the trouble of having the movement’s rotor decorated, which helps to make both the movement and watch feel a bit more premium. 

As it’s essentially a dress watch, the Multimatic only has 30m of water resistance, but it’s hardly the watch you want to take for a swim anyway. However, it does have a flat sapphire crystal that will provide decent scratch resistance. 

When it comes to the leather strap, it’s nice and thick and feels pretty durable, but its faux alligator surface does feel a bit plasticky. The strap is also pretty stiff straight out of the box, though it will probably break in and soften with regular wear. Fortunately, the strap has quick-release spring bars, so it will be easy to swap it out for something more premium if that’s something you want to do.

Final Thoughts

Overall the Multimatic II makes for an ideal statement piece. It’s not too big, but it has a decent amount of presence and the punchy gold and green colour scheme of this option only enhance the watch’s eye-catching styling. The same goes for the intricate dial, and I think the stamped art deco pattern really helps to make the watch look more premium. 

On the flip side, I think that the strap could be nicer and a bit more supple. I also feel that with a retail price of $789 (approximately £643), the watch is priced a little on the high side for the overall package it offers. 

However, value is subjective, and the watch has a fair few points in its favour if you like the design. The movement and other specifications are all spot on, and the design is original, which is always good to see. So, if you like the look of the Multimatic II and are after a watch packed with complications, then it’s a solid pick. 

You can read more about the Multimatic II on Waldhoff’s website here.

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The Nove Modena’s Striking Design

Aesthetically, the Nove Modena is certainly rather striking. I’ll be honest and say that it’s not my cup of tea, but it is an original design, and in Nove’s defence the build quality is rather good. I think that the dial in particular is rather well executed. It has a fumé grey sunburst finish that looks rather striking in the light, and the horizontal lines cut into its surface break the surface up nicely. 

The Modena has no minute track, and the hour markers are small polished dots. I get why Nove went with such a minimalist design as the case is so complex, but I’d have liked to have seen them use bigger lumed hour markers. The reason being that the dots are rather small, and as a result, there’s a lot of negative space on the dial. 

The polished handset is simple, clean, and legible. They’re pretty well finished and I like that they’re bevelled as it adds a bit of detail to the Modena’s dial. The hands are of course lumed and though it isn’t super bright, there’s enough there that the hands are readable in the dark. 

All this sits beneath a double-domed sapphire crystal that’s got both anti-reflective and anti-smudge coatings. And, one really nice bit of attention to detail is how perfectly the curve of the sapphire matches the angle of the bezel, to create one seamless curve. 

Unusually, the Modena also has a domed sapphire crystal on its display case back. When I first saw it I was worried that it would make the watch sit awkwardly on the wrist, but I needn’t have been concerned. I don’t really notice the crystal when wearing the watch and I actually quite like the effect of using a domed crystal on the display case back. 

How The Modena Feels On The Wrist

This now brings me on to the comfort and wearability of the watch. When I first got the watch I was worried that it would be too big for me, as the case measures a sizeable 44mm in diameter. However, the lug-to-lug of the Modena is only 46mm, so whilst it’s still a large watch, it’s not too big for my wrist. It’s also only 12.5mm thick, including the crystals, so it sits rather nicely on the wrist. 

As to the case’s design, it’s unusual, to say the least. It seems to be a multi-piece construction where the lugs, bezel, and crown guard all screw onto the case. Along with a combination of brushed and polished surfaces, this results in quite a complex-looking design. On a functional level, the case uses a screw-down crown and has 200m of water resistance, which makes the Modena a watch you can take virtually anywhere.

When it comes to the H-link bracelet, the links themselves feel well-made for the price point, and the bracelet feels comfortable. However, it does have a big flaw which is the butterfly clasp. It’s not that it’s a bad quality clasp, it’s just that by design it has no micro-adjustment, so it’s very hard to get the right fit. For example, I had to wear this one a little loose. The links are held in place by split pins, and though I’d prefer screws, pins are what I expect on a watch at this price point. 

The other thing to note about the bracelet is that it’s secured to the watch by a screwed-in bar, rather than traditional spring bars. Whilst this means that the bracelet is very securely attached to the watch, it also makes it very unlikely that you can swap it out for a different kind of strap. 

An Unusual Movement

To make it tick, the Nove Modena uses a Ronda R150 automatic movement, which is a calibre you don’t often see. Indeed, this is the first time I’ve gotten hands-on with a watch that uses the movement, and it seems pretty solid. The specifications are all pretty standard for a Swiss-made movement, and the R150 has 25 jewels, a 4Hz beat rate, and a 40-hour power reserve. The movement also has bidirectional winding, a hacking seconds hand, and Incabloc shock protection. 

As to the movement’s accuracy, Ronda state that on average the R150 should be accurate to within +/-12 seconds a day, with a maximum deviation of 30 seconds a day, which isn’t bad for a base calibre. In fact, from what I’ve experienced with the Modena, the R150 seems like a good alternative to the more mainstream movements from ETA and Sellita. 

Final Thoughts

All in all, the Nove Modena is a well-made watch that’s priced very reasonably for its specifications. The specifications are spot on for a steel sports watch, and I think that the R150 is a good choice of movement that seems to be a notch above the alternative Japanese options. It’s just a pity that the clasp has no micro-adjustment and that you can put the watch on another strap. 

But apart from those two points, there’s not much to objectively criticise about the watch, and the Nove Modena will be a good pick for anyone after an affordable steel sports watch that’s visually rather different from the usual choices. 

You can read more about the Modena on Nove’s website here. 

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Buy the Tissot PRX Powermatic 80 now at Goldsmiths.

Understandably, many other brands were keen to get in on this new trend including Tissot, who in 1978 released their Seastar, a 35mm stainless steel design with an integrated bracelet. Keen to embrace new technologies, the watch featured the brand’s first quartz movement but kept a very legible 3-hand plus date design. The name Seastar was soon replaced by PRX with the ‘PR’ standing for ‘Precise’ and ‘Robust’ and the X representing the Roman numeral 10, indicating the watch had 10 atmospheres or 100m of water resistance. 

The Tissot PRX Today 

Tissot’s re-released quartz PRX line-up was an outstanding success for the brand when announced back in 2020. The watch offered entry into the integrated bracelet world while still being considerably more affordable than a lot of the competition. Tissot has since followed up on the quartz models with Powermatic 80, 35mm models and most recently a 42mm chronograph. It’s started to feel like there is a PRX for everyone, including myself.

My Experience With The Tissot PRX

The PRX I eventually settled on after much deliberation and going backwards and forwards to the AD was the 40mm Powermatic 80 in blue. While the quartz, especially the 35mm models, are closer to the original, I couldn’t resist the beautiful textured dial and smooth sweep that the Powermatic 80 movement offers. 

The Case

The case of the larger PRX is 40mm in diameter, 10.9mm thick, and with a lug-to-lug of 39.5mm which sounds like an ideal watch for any wrist size. However, these measurements are deceptive. Watches with integrated bracelets wear far larger than an equivalent size circular watch. In much the same way that square watches tend to wear large due to the greater visual presence on the wrist. The design coupled with the rigid first links of the bracelet means the PRX feels more like 42mm on the wrist. 

The case and bracelet are 316L stainless steel with a fine brushed finish across most surfaces highlighted by polished bevels to the case, bezel and between the links. The brushing is vertical across the sides of the watch and is of a very high standard, being smooth and uniform throughout. The bevels add to the look of the case breaking up the design and allowing it to catch the light.

Just like the original, the modern PRX is rated to 100m of water resistance and while modern seals and gaskets have improved greatly since the 70’s I would still exercise caution as the crown is only a push/pull rather than a screw-down more commonly seen on heavily water-resistant watches. 

The Bracelet

No review of the PRX would be complete without a moment of appreciation for the bracelet. This is without a doubt the standout feature with its gorgeous flat links, polished betweens and a heavy taper. The quality of the bracelet is a testament to the value Tissot offers in the sub £1000 price range. The bracelet ends in a simple yet functional two-button release butterfly clasp. 

The bracelet features quick-release spring bars making strap changes easy, although, with the integrated lug design, you will need a PRX-specific strap if you wish to change. Since the 2020 release of the PRX, Tissot has added the option to purchase the 40mm versions on a fitted leather strap alongside the original bracelet options. Although, I think mine will remain on the bracelet as I think this is my favourite part of the watch and the feature of the watch that sets it apart from many others in the sub-£1000 category. 

If I had to pick a negative of the bracelet, it would be the butterfly clasp which, while comfortable, lacks micro adjust. Saying this, Tissot has made an effort to minimise problems in finding the right fit by providing multiple half links which should work for most wrists.

The Dial

The dials of the Powermatic 80 versions all share the same waffle pattern with framed date windows at 3 o’clock and are protected by a flat sapphire crystal. The clean look is aided by minimal text, with only ‘Tissot 1853’ and ‘PRX Powermatic 80’ found in the centre of the dial. This is a refreshing break from the essay of specifications that are found on many modern watches. Finally, a small ‘Swiss Made’ designation can be seen on either side of the 6 o’clock index, something which all Tissot watches proudly display. The indices are simple applied battens which elevate the look of the watch, adding to the visual interest and light play. 

The hour, minute hand and indices are all lumed although this is short-lived and adds very little to the functionality, fading quickly. The finishing of the hands is to a very high standard and under a loupe show the faceted edges and a range of textures.

The Movement

The movement in all of the automatic PRXs is the Powermatic 80.111, a minimally decorated 23-jewel movement made by the Swatch group with a custom rotor and a patented Nivachron balance spring. Nivachron is one of many new materials entering the watch world designed to reduce the effects of magnetic fields and temperature fluctuation on the accuracy of the watch. Something must be working because this is the second Powermatic 80 movement I have owned and both run within COSC specification since being bought, despite neither being officially Chronometer rated.

As the name suggests, the Powermatic 80 has an 80-hour power reserve achieved by reducing the beat rate of the movement from 4Hz to 3Hz. Considered as a negative by some to lose the smoothness of the second-hand sweep, it makes a refreshing change compared to the standard ETA’s and Sellita’s which generally feature a 38-hour power reserve.

Final Thoughts

I think the case can be made that within the current line-up of 22 variations of the PRX as listed on the Tissot website, there is one to suit every wrist. Mine even won out over my BB58 as my watch of choice for a recent family wedding. The BB58 is undoubtedly the better watch, as it should be at almost 5x the price, but I wanted something with a little more wrist presence and a more eye-catching design and that’s where the PRX truly shines. The waffle dial and bracelet come together to make a watch which looks good from any angle.

Overall, I think that Tissot has a winner with the PRX, everything about the watch is right on trend and manages to feel classic yet modern. I think the design will be around for years to come offering an affordable entry into the world of integrated bracelets.

So, if you haven’t had a chance to try out the PRX, I recommend heading to your local AD and spending some time with the range, because you never know!

You can read more about the PRX range on Tissot’s website here.

Buy the Tissot PRX Powermatic 80 now at Goldsmiths.

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The latest watch to be reissued, or reinterpreted as Seiko prefers to say, is their 6105-8000 “Turtle”. This was only the second dive watch that Seiko produced, and it had a fairly short production run, only being made from 1968-1970. The original model has naturally become pretty collectable, and with Seiko reissuing the 62MAS and the Captain Willard, the 6105 Turtle was the next logical choice.

Buy the Seiko Prospex SPB317J1 at Goldsmiths.

The new collection is officially called the “Prospex Heritage Turtle 1968 Re-Interpretation”, and there are three different models to choose from. The white dialled SPB313J1, the black and gilt SPB315J1, and the black and white SPB317J1. It’s the latter model I’ve got in to review, and it was kindly loaned to me by Francis & Gaye Jewellers. As always I thoroughly recommend them as a UK-based authorised dealer and they have a fantastic selection of brands to choose from. Regarding pricing, the SPB317J1 retails for £810 on a rubber strap, and the other models go for £990 on a steel bracelet. 

The Specifications Of The SPB317J1

On paper, the SPB317J1 has all the features that are hallmarks of these higher-end Prospex divers. The watch has a 200m depth rating, a sapphire crystal, and the case is treated with Seiko’s scratch-resistant DiaShield coating. It also goes without saying that the lume on the SPB317J1 is exceptionally bright. 

Inside the SPB317J1 beats Seiko’s in-house calibre 6R35. This automatic movement has 24 jewels, a beat rate of 21,600 bph, and a 70-hour power reserve. Though these movement specs are pretty solid, the 6R35 is only rated to be accurate to between +25 to -15 seconds per day, which isn’t what I’d expect from a watch at this price point. It’s something that I really hope Seiko improves on in the near future, as I think it’s the main thing that detracts from their watches at the moment. Not to mention that I’m getting sick of mentioning the same point each time I review a Seiko!

The bezel insert is aluminium and uses the same design that Seiko has been using for decades. It’s one of the features that helps to give the SPB317J1 that classic Seiko look, but of course, the aluminium is nowhere near as durable as the steel inserts used on Seiko’s 62MAS reinterpretations. You might also have already noticed that predictably the bezel is misaligned. Again, it’s not something that you expect in a watch that retails for over £800, and bezel alignment is the second major improvement I think Seiko need to make to their watches. 

A Classic Seiko Design

The design of the SPB317J1 is very true to the 6105-8000 it’s based on, with just a few minor tweaks to tie the watch into Seiko’s other Prospex divers. In fact, the dial layout is almost identical to that used on the Willard reissue, with chunky polished baton markers on a matte black dial. It’s not exactly an imaginative layout, but it provides the high contrast you expect on a professional dive watch.

Meanwhile, the baton handset is also the same as that used on the Willard reissues, with a dual brushed and polished finish that creates some interesting light play. The shovel-tipped seconds hand is the same too, with a red lume spot that serves as the only splash of colour on the watch. 

The biggest talking point about the design of the SPB317J1 is actually its date window. Date windows can be quite divisive features, with some people finding them useful and others disliking that they can ruin the symmetry of a watch. For anyone who falls into the latter camp, I wouldn’t worry about the one on the SPB317J1, because it’s actually barely noticeable. It’s positioned at 4:30, and with its colour-matched date wheel, it’s actually very unobtrusive. I think its placement is Seiko’s attempt to compromise between the two sides of the date or no date debate, whilst also allowing them to follow the latest ISO6425 guidelines, which require dive watches to have lume plots at all hour markers. 

All this is housed in a brushed steel cushion case that’s not really any different from the original Turtle. The combination of all these elements results in a watch that’s best described as a no-frills dive watch. And I mean that in a good way, because it’s got all the functionality you want in a diver, with absolutely no excess design features. The simple black and white dial looks really crisp, with the hands and markers really popping out at you, and it’s therefore exceptionally legible. 

The SPB317J1 Is Very Comfortable On The Wrist

One of the best things about the SPB317J1 is just how well it wears on the wrist. This is partly due to its dimensions. The case is 41mm wide, with a 46.9mm lug length, and a thickness of 12.25mm. This makes the SPB317J1 Seiko’s thinnest Prospex diver yet, and because of that, the watch sits really unobtrusively on the wrist. 

The other reason it wears so well is because the crown is located at 4 o’clock, and as a result, it can’t dig into the back of my hand. This is far from an unusual design choice for Seiko, but on the SPB317J1 I really noticed just how much more comfortable it made the watch to wear. 

The last thing to talk about when it comes to the comfort of the SPB317J1 is the rubber strap it comes on. The strap is well-made, with supple rubber, chunky steel hardware, and a subtle pattern. It’s certainly not anything special, but it’s comfortable and exactly what I’d expect to see fitted to this watch. Plus with 20mm drilled lugs the SPB317J1 will suit a plethora of aftermarket straps if the stock one isn’t your thing. 

Final Thoughts

As I said earlier, I think of the SPB317J1 as a no-frills diver. It’s a watch that’s not concerned with fancy finishing and over-the-top design elements. Everything is functional and to the point, and as this is a reissue of the 6105, the design is packed with Seiko DNA. All of which makes the SPB317J1 the quintessential Seiko dive watch in my opinion. 

It’s hardly a revolutionary watch, but rather the SPB317J1 is a tasteful evolution of an iconic Seiko design that’s a classic for a reason. It’s legible, toolish and easy to wear. It’s just a pity that the usual Seiko issues of bezel alignment and movement accuracy continue to rear their ugly heads. I’m also conscious that with a retail price of £810, the SPB317J1 is hardly cheap. However, it seems that Seiko has realised the value of its history and factored that into the price of these Prospex reinterpretations. But, besides those small issues, I think the SPB317J1 is a solid dive watch that makes for a great daily beater. 

Thanks once again to Francis & Gaye for loaning the watch to us. You can purchase the Prospex SPB317J1 Turtle Re-Interpretation from their website here. 

Buy the Seiko Prospex SPB317J1 at Goldsmiths.

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