PONTVS Hydra Brass Dive Watch Review - Under $300?!

Case

PONTVS is a brand created by two men from Arizona with a focus on brass and bronze dive watches. Their most recent release named the Hydra is the one we will be taking a look at today. This model is themed after a Greek Mythological creature with nine heads and the watch seems to play the part! It is relatively wearable in size coming in at 43MM in diameter with a lug to lug distance of just about 50MM. The most remarklable feature is the Naval Grade blasted brass they used to create the case, hands, and applied markers. This brass doesn’t seem quite as heavy as bronze and feels real nice on the wrist. Also, a beautiful patina will slowly develop over time, leaving you with a truly special timepiece. Our crown is actually in stainless steel and quite large at first glance. I do like the look of it though and just adds a bit more “Diveyness” to the watch, considering this is a 200M capable dive watch with a screw down crown and steel caseback. Lastly, a nice addition to this model is the lumed logo on the crown in C1 SuperLuminova, which certainly adds to the great value this watch has to offer at $250 USD.

Dial

The Hydra I have features quite a simple, legibile matte black textured dial. We do get brass applied lumed markers, a pointed seconds hand, and sword shaped lumed time hands. The sapphire crystal which features a layer of anti reflective coating is also slightly domed and plays along with lights nicely. I admire the fact they used brass dial components, and this is the first time I have seen that. The submersible style bezel features 120 Clicks and is very tool like with minimal backplay. There are zero alignment issues, and that is always something I look out for in terms of quality control. The lume itself is C1 SuperLuminova which glows green, and for a decent ammount of time. If you did not notice - the 12:00 pip as well as the 0-15 markings are lumed...

Movement

This watch utilizes the common and reliable Seiko NH35 automatic movement. This movement contains 24 jewels and features hand winding, hacking, and a 40 hour power reserve. In terms of accuracy, I am getting around +5 seconds a day, which is quite outstanding.

Strap Options

Now when speaking with the owner of PONTVS, he stated the leather strap was basically an add on / extra accessory. The main strap which really looks the part and matches the aesthetic of the case is the Nylon Zulu 24MM strap. It is certainly tough, robust, and also contains brass loops. The leather strap isn’t bad either in terms of quality, but If you want to get this watch wet I would reccommend using the Black Zulu.

Conclusion

Furthermore, after spending some time with the Hydra- I must say I really think it is a decent watch for the $250 pricepoint. Typically, I see other brands with the same specifications selling brass and bronze watches for around $300-$400. It contains reliable components, feels sturdy and will certainly hold up in rough conditions if needed. My favorite aspect has to be the lumed large crown, and the style of bezel they chose. I cannot really think of any negatives, which is quite rare - If you are looking for more information on this model I have dropped a link below to the PONTVS webstore. Thanks for reading!

www.pontvswatch.com