Axios Ironclad 500M Dive Watch Review - Best Deep Diver under $500?!

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Case

The all new Axios Ironclad is a sister brand of the famed ZELOS microbrand. It certainly features those great elements of quality and precision, but with simpler DNA. This watch will go live on Kickstarter August 19TH of this year, and I think it will do pretty good. The case itself is solid 316L stainless steel featuring a 3 Micron thick protective coating for hardness and durability. This is quite innovative and I believe the first microbrand to do so. In terms of dimensions, they are very wearable and modern at 40MM x 46MM x 13MM. The short lug to lug really helps it wear with ease on my 6.5” wrist - which I do appreciate. Now, the case is rated to 500M which is certainly suitable for diving and any water activity you will be doing whilst wearing your Ironclad. Getting to the finishing, it is decent with polished flanks and brushed tops/bracelet. The finishing is good enough for this pricepoint and definitely does not contain any sharp edges nor blemishes.

Dial

The blue sunburst dial on this “Horizon” example is quite striking at first glance due to its’ shine and luster in the sunlight. We also get large applied white markers filled with leaps and bounds of X1 C3 SuperLuminova...which is REALLY bright. Our hands are in orange to match the sweeping seconds hand as well as the ceramic bezel insert colors. The A logo for Axios is applied in polished silver, and quite small Id say. In terms of bezel action - the 120 Click Lumed Ceramic bezel is stiff, but not too stiff. It feels very tool like and has absolute zero backplay. It definitely adds some shine to the blue dial and plays nicely with it. Hovering the dial is a double domed sapphire crystal with inner anti reflective coating, so legibility in high light conditions will not be an issue. A small detail I did notice is the matching date wheel to the dial - kudos to Axios for doing that. Its the small things that count!

Movement

Powering the Ironclad is the standard Swiss Made automatic Selitta SW200 movement. It is quite a common one and is essentially the equivalent of an ETA 2824-2. It feature hacking-hand wind- and a smooth sweeping seconds hand which beats at 28,800 BPH. You can expect around +2-6 seconds on these Ironclads and around a 38 hour power reserve when fully wound. Overall, for the price I think this is the highest end movement one can source.

Bracelet

The oyster style bracelet is 20MM and tapers down to 18MM and is comprised of solid steel. It does feature screw links, so adjusting the links takes only a few minutes and you will be on your way. It also features a custom buckle and proper milled clasp which so many of us are accustomed to now in higher end microbrands. There are not any dive extensions but there are certainly enough micro adjustments to fit anyones wrist just fine. It is comfortable, doesn’t pull my hair, and has a nice smooth brushed finish just as the case. I do not have an issue with this bracelet, and you shouldn’t either.

Conclusion

In conclusion, when searching for a watch in the $400 price range, especially a diver) there are key elements I look for such as Sapphire-Swiss Movement-Bracelet-Lume- Bezel Action. This watch definitely ticks all those boxes for me and I believe the Pre Order price is where you should jump in on this one. I am actually sad I have to send this review unit back - because I genuinely had a really fun time test driving it. Thanks once again for taking the time to read.