Luxury and Affordable Watches
 Case The Marloe Beacon Morar automatic dive watch is a brand new model released by Marloe Watch Company based in the UK, with british design. The watch itself is a more casual diver in my opinion but is tested too 310M enabling it to be a true and useful companion on your deep dives. The case is solid 316L steel and finished with a very neat bead blast. In terms of dimensions it wears rather true to size at 40MM wide and 48MM lug to lug. The case also features a very sturdy screw down crown with great action and construction which is surrounded by large crown guards for extra protection. In terms of weight it is certainly not extremely heavy nor light with a total weight coming in at 101 Grams. Its a nice balance whether the leather or standard rubber strap is equipped and I do not get a top heavy feeling, which is a good thing. The caseback is rather interesting because it is engraved with the Spirit of the Loch ( Loch Morar is situated on the NW cosst of Lochaber in the West Highlands and is the main port for the small isles and Skye ). The "Morag" create which is seen engraved on the screw down caseback is said to have lived in this Loch for centuries and is around 30 feet long.   Dial The grainy blueish/grey dial is rather interesting as we have sea shells shaped as the lumed markers and nice bold rectangular hands in orange and white. Other small details suchbas the 310 which pops out a bit really make this watch unique and unlike any other. We do get s genuine sapphire crystal along with a 120 Click bezel which features no backplay and lines up just fine to the 12:00 position. Now getting to the lume - the lume is actually quite potent and lasts some time as a true dive watch should. They used a combination of BGW9 and C3 superluminova which creates a nice contrast. MovementPowering the Beacon is the trusted and robust japanese made Miyota 8039 automatic caliber. It is essentially a miyota 9015 without the date complication. This movement features 24 jewels, hacking, and beats at 4 HZ just like an ETA 2824. The power reserve is reasonable at 40 hours and in terms of accuracy I am getting around +6 seconds a day which is very good in my book. This movement was definitely a good choice as It helps keep costs down especially for smaller companies not producing thousands of watches each quarter. Supplied Silicon Strap Now - there are two options for straps with Marloe - I opted for the silicon band which is actually really comfortable and fits my 6.5" just fine with a lot of extra space incase you have a large wrist of lets say 8". The quality is decent and the strap contains some perforated holes for breathability when on wrist. However, I think they could of upgraded the strap a bit to perhaps a nice vanilla scented genuine rubber strap and It would of gave the watch a much more luxurious feel for this $535 pricepoint. They do however have an option for a leather band which seems a bit higher end..  ConclusionFurthermore, the Morar Beacon is certainly not your run of the mill Diver as it has many key characteristics that separates itself from the rest. It truly is its' own thing and is not trying to be something it's not. I like the unique details such as the shell shaped markers and multi colored lume, as well as the Loch engraved on the caseback. I think if you are in the market for a robust automatic diver and want to be a bit different from the rest - It is not a bad choice.  
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 History Behind the Stowa Marine Classic  Today we are going to take a look at a classic and traditional piece produced by German watchmaker STOWA, that being the Marine Classic 40. This watch is based off of the original Marine Observation watches which were utilized dating back to 1939 around the time STOWA opened its' first factory. There were 239 custom built Observation watches in total built inside wooden boxes for waterproofness and protection. These watches had to be extremely legible, accurate, and were even painted completely with luminous paint. Below, you can see an actual photo of the original STOWA movement which was used - being a beautifully crafted hand wound mechanical masterpiece. Packaging 2019   Case The Stowa Marine Classic 40 has a perfect set of dimensions for my aversge 6.5" wrist. The solid steel polished case measures 40MM in diameter and stands 10.3MM tall. It features 20MM lugs and a 48.6MM lug to lug span. It really is the perfect size for todays ever so changing times. While a few years ago larger watches were a bit more standard, it seems now most traditional companies are sticking to smaller diameters of 42 and under. In terms of finishing, I have never really had a complaint with Stowa - their finishing is very very goos for this pricepoint and definitely sits above other brands I have taken a look at such as Hamilton and Laco. In terms of water resistance, this watch does feature 50 Meters with a screw on caseback ( Classic German Tradition ) and a pull and push circular crown. The watch sits just perfectly across my wrist and rides nicely without any odd positioning at different angles. Another nice standard feature is the Sapphire crystal featured on the front of the watch and the backside for a nice clear view of the STOWA signed Swiss Made ETA 2824 Automatic calibre.   Dial The white almost enamel looking dial definitely stays true to its lineage with great legibility and large numerals evenly distributed. I must say, this is probably one of the most legible watches at a quick glance I have owned in a long time. A standard railroad track on the outer portion of the dial completes the look along with a reference triangle above 12:00. The thermal heated blued hands are really quite stunning to look at in the sunlight or at angles. The hands themselves are very long which I do prefer, reaching all the way out to the railroad track for better legibility and precise time telling. It is a rather simple and clean dial , and has always been like that for good reason.  MovementNow - there are many customizable options abailable with STOWA if you didn't already know. You do have the option of movement, rotor, custom engraving on straps and movements. However, my model contains the standard Swiss Made ETA-2824-2 minus the date wheel. I have much experience with this calibre and it is used widely in the Swiss watchmaking industry as well as the German watchmaking houses. It is a rather robust and trusting movement which contains 25 jewels and beats at 28,800 BPH. This movement also feature hacking and hand winding of course with an average power reserve lasting around 38 Hours. A nice detail on my model is the custom engraving on the Rotor bearing the STOWA branding. Most of these movements are quite accurate when tuned a bit, mine being +5 seconds per day straight from Stowas factory. Supplied Band My watch came stock with a very decent quality 20MM genuine cowhide leather band. The strap features a signed Stowa polished steel buckle and a solid yet thin construction topped off with black vertical stitching. Straight out of the box, the strap was basically broken jn already and comfortable. I do appreciate that, and hate when companies use super stiff straps on new watches. The backside is a light tan/white color and features branding embossed deep in the leather. Overall, it is comfortable and gets the job done with quality up to my standards. I dont think changing the strap will be necessary and you should be good to go.     ConclusionFurthermore, I must say I am definitely pleased with this addition to my collection and to no surprise , I do not have a single piece that looks like this watch. I have always respected the history of true watchmakers such as German brand Stowa and others, and especially when they stay true to their lineage as Stowa most definitely does. I have not ever had a single issue with a timepiece built by them and the quality and finishing has always stood a bit higher than the actual cost. In all honesty, I can say I do recommend this brand to my readers and viewers - and hope one day you can experience them and enjoy this brand as much as I do.   Case This Seiko 5 diver actually has a nice and sleek solid 316L steel case with drilled lug holes. The size is a bit biggee than norm coming in at 43.5MM x 13MM thick with a lug to lug width of 49.3MM. The watch definitely wears a bit bigger than something like a Seiko SKX but fits slimmer on the wrist. The flanks are highly mirror like polished with decent work and the tops of the 22MM lugs are finely brushed. As most Seiko 5 sports "Dive" models this watch does feature 100M of water resistance with a Pull/Push crown. I would not call it a true dive watch because of the lack of deep depth diving capability but it is certainly swimmable in most scenarios. Overall, it feels right on the wrist and does not sit out of place in any way.   Dial The Blue sunburst dial is actually very eye catching when light hits it giving off different hues of blue. The applied markers are filled with lumibrite which gives off some decent brightness in the dark - but it does not seem to be as heavily applied in comparison to its' older brothers such as the Turtle or SKX. We get a date aperture at the 3:00 and an applied "5" logo and "Seiko" below 12:00. Personally, I always feel as if the 5 and the sports cheapen the look of the watch...but It IS a cheaper watch so I really cannot complain here. Another gripe of mine is the hands themselves...while legibile and filled with ends of lume - they just look out of place to me and I honestly do not like the semi skeletization aspect they embody. The crystal is Seiko Hardlex which is pretty common amongst most Seiko 5s and prospex models. Its obviously not as hard and scratch resistant as a true Sapphire crystal but once again we have to expect and deal with these things at lower pricepoints. Overall, it is legibile and gets the job done at the end of the day. Lastly, the unidirectional rotating Bezel is a good aspect on this model and feels pretty decent with minimal backplay and perfect alignment. ( Yay Seiko ) MovementThe common and robust Seiko 4R35 automatic movement is shown beneath the screw down caseback of this model. This movement is produced by Seiko and features a beat rate of 21,600 BPH whilst containing 23 jewels. The good aspect of this movement is the hand wind and hacking capability. Now, Seiko has a tolerance of around -35 +45 seconds a day for this movement - BUT usually they gain around 10 seconds a day max and sometimes even less. BraceletThe solid steel bracelet contains hollow end links and push pins to adjust along with a decent ammount of micro adjustments for exact fit. Its your typical seiko 5 bracelet - it works and gets the job done without looking too out of place. It does feature a stamped fold over clasp with a signed seiko buckle which is a nice touch. Honestly, if it doesnt pull hair and fits right I would leave it on the watch.    ConclusionFurthermore, this watch is definitely a good piece to have as an everyday sports/leisure watch while your more expensive pieces take a break from destruction. It looks good on the wrist, comes in some nice dial colors, and keeps fairly good time. I can definitely reccommend this watch to any experienced watch collector or someone just getting into the hobby.   Box This watch comes with an Egard Zulu style leather NATO strap as well! Case The Poseidon by EGARD is definitely a truly unique watch in terms of the esquisite finishing and engraving they have achieved on this model. The case itself is 44MM in diameter and measures around 12MM thick. Of course comprised of solid 316L stainless steel which is a must, and featuring 100M of water resistance with a screw down signed crown. The case does resemble or homage a Rolex Submariner a bit, but honestly what company has a model that doesn't? If we look closely at the fine engraved sides of the case and lug tops - it is really precise and professionally done. Now, if you wanted to do something like this custom to your watch it would cost you around $2500 USD from a few different engraving artists which have done work that mimics this on many luxury timepieces. With that being said, this watch is truly a great value in that aspect. The sides and tops are smooth to the hand without any error or sharp edges. I really was quite blown away by the level of finishing once I had the Poseidon in hand.   The screw down caseback features your unique serial number as well as an engraved octopus, as well as basic specifications. Dial The black gridlock style dial features applied luminous markers with a date window at 3:00 minus the cyclops. Overall it is definitely really legibile and does kind of match the motif design which fits together just fine I think. The crystal utilized is a genuine sapphire crystal topped off with a traditional coin edge 90 click unidirectional dive bezel. The action is good, with minimal back play and perfect alignment. The lume itself is not Seiko LumiBrite bright - but its bright enough and gets the job done.  MovementThe popular and affordable Japanese Miyota 8215 automatic caliber is used inside the Poseidon - which is a fairly robust and easy to maintain mechanism. It features a quickset date, 40 hours of power reserve, hand winding, and can go many years without attention or care. In my experiences with this movement over the years reviewing watches, these movements tend to gain or lose around 15 seconds a day. I think it was the right choice because I am sure the case work and other aspects of the watch were not cheap to bundle all this together at $550 USD. Full Engraved Bracelet Now, the 22-20 MM engraved bracelet is where the design really flows into reality. Considering this is a dive style watch there are tons of ocean related drawings engraved such as a Starfish, Divers Helmet, Anchor, and more. The detail is very good as well on the bracelet just as the case is. A signed egard clasp tops it off with a two button stamped durable clasp.  ConclusionFurthermore, the Poseidon by California based EGARD is definitely a piece of art as well as a decent timepiece. It fits, functions, and feels great just as any other automatic diver would - with the exception of the great value propositin which is the engraving. I feel many people do not understand the ammount of work and time it actually takes to do this - thus stating the watch may be overpriced. However, it is truly a very good value considering what it actually does cost to have this done to your watch! I definitely can reccommend this watch to my readers if your on the hunt for something truly artistic, functional, and good looking at the same time. I highly doubt you will meet another person with such a unique timepiece.   |
