Carrnegie Watch Review - Seiko VH63 Mechanical Quartz

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Case

The Carrnegie models feature a wide variety of case finishes and strap combinations for your liking. They do only have one current model, and I think it is a fairly decent piece for the coin. The solid 316L stainless steel cases feature integrated lugs and a 41MM diameter with a 12.5MM case thickness. In terms of finishing, they have a smooth brushed finish, with zero blemishes or errors on the two models I have been wearing for the past couple weeks. The case itself features a screw down caseback along with fifty meters of water resistance, suitable for shallow swimming and hand washing. Some nice details include the drilled lug holes and concealed downward curved concealed lugs, for easy strap swapping. Carrnegie offers a few different straps such as genuine rubber, Italian leather, and standard leather as extras if you take a peek at their webshop. It most definitely is smart looking on the wrist and certainly one that can be dressed up for any occasion. For you spec freaks, the lug to lug distance measures in at 49MM which wears real nice on my 6.5 inch wrist.

Dial

The white dial is a bit more dressy, as you can see from the photo above. Some aspects I like are the symmetry of the three subdials, and applied faceted bold hour markers. The black dial variant is a bit more fierce and bold looking when on wrist, and even feels slightly sporty or casual in a way. A nice set of dauphine hands and a needle point sweeping seconds hand certainly look right at home on the Carrnegie timepiece. So, there are three complications on this model...at 9:00 we get the day of the week, at 3 the day of the month, and finally a 24 hour subdial resides at 6. It’s amazing they are able to fit all of this information packed into a 41MM case without it looking cluttered or distorted. In addition to this, a nice thick piece of genuine domed sapphire crystal resides above the dial, allowing for a classic luxurious feel.

Movement

I really do adore this Mechanical Quartz hybrid Seiko VH63 movement they decided to use. It has four ticks per second, along with a three year battery life. You really do get the feel of a mechanical watch, but with the upsides of a quartz caliber such as accuracy, robustness, and reliability. The accuracy on this piece is no exception and certainly is doing much better than some pieces with a standard swiss made ronda 515, gaining only 1 second in the two weeks I have owned it!

Genuine Leather Bands

Now, there are infinite strap options at different pricepoints with Carrnegie. The two I have in hand are the rubber tang buckle, and the premier italian embossed leather on a butterfly clasp. The straps are 20MM in width which suits the case diameter just fine, and certainly does not look out of place. Out of the two, I much prefer the rubber tang, as it is extremely supple, comfortable, and can get wet. It feels at home on the rose gold plated iteration, and suits the case and lugless design with ease. On the other hand, the Italian leather Premier band is a bit more classy and dressy - allowing for a completely different look and feel. It has a decent signed butterfly clasp which is super easy to adjust and fit. It really is a hard choice to choose permanently between the two, so Id reccommend grabbing one of each if your not certain.

Conclusion

Furthermore, Carrnegie watches have done a decent job on their first major release in my eyes, providing probably the best quality you can obtain for your money at this entry level sector. The movement is the real star of the show for me, and I think will be one of the main reasons many will choose a Carrnegie timepiece. The overall design and presentation is good enough, and I do like the fact that they have created numerous strap options to swap out. Some brands create a watch with a lugless integrated design, but forget to actually create more strap options, often leaving the customer hopeless. So, there you have it - the Carrnegie ! I did leave a link button above if you are interested in picking up one of these pieces for as low as $179 USD , AND I believe if you sign up for their newsletter you can save an additional ten percent...which is a real bargain.