macbigyin
3T WIS
|
No I am not kidding, i've been patiently (Yeah right!) waiting all week and finally today as I was heading out to pick up my youngest from nursery I saw the DHL van heading down my estate. I am sure the guy in the van thought I was a lunatic, flagging him down on the main road, but hell, I didn't want to wait for the rest of the afternoon to have to drive to the depot for my package.
Finally he parted with this.....................
I know a lot of discussion has been had on WUS over the finish and quality of this, being so close to the Ocean 7 and Enzo models, but I have yet to find a flaw in it.
Crown (Huge thing, but I like it!)
HRV
Bezel
Caseback
The finish is excellent, edges are defined, but not sharp, the brushed finish is lovely and the bezel is tight, but will likely loosen up a bit over time. I might give it a few twirls later to ease it out.
The dial colour is just spot on. I thought I was taking a punt when I bought this one as Ralf's pics were very bright, but its not a million miles off the Ocean 7 colour, and the 3d effect of the carbon fibre dial is just too cool for words.
I had serious reservations about this because I thought it would be too damn big. However, I thought it was better to spend a little to find out if I was right or wrong, rather than spend a lot buying a LM-3 or Enzo. You've also got to remember in this day in age, that Ralf is in the EU, so no customs for little old me, nor a fraught hunt to find someone will ship outside the US on the second hand market. Now, being honest it will never fit under a shirt cuff, but its comfy on the wrist. I doubt the bracelet will ever get put back on, even though I did size it just for fun, because it is way heavy with the watch head on. I don't honestly know how guys wear these things on a bracelet, but hey, each to their own.
Packaging
The supplied package comes in a very neat box, which will be great for travelling, as I now only have 2 watches. Lovely quality box which reminds me somewhat of the watch case Eddie sent the PRS 50 out in. I prefer the side by side version though, as it allows for 2 strap compartments as well.
The strap and bracelet supplied are top notch. The leather is as soft as butter, but what really does it for me at the minute is rubber. I've had watches on rubber all summer, and the rubber/silicone strap on this one is as soft as velvet. I've had a few on watches previously, Seiko, Ocean 7, Eddies retro rubber, Italian rubber and plain silicone ploprof straps, but this one is the softest yet. I must ask Ralf where he gets them and if they do a 22mm version.
In fact the attention to the package as a whole is what got me thinking about this watch at the start. Its not just a watch, but everything else you could want to have in one go. Bracelet, leather, rubber, choice of bracelet deployants. Its amazing when you think this thing cost me just over £200.
Diver deployant on bracelet
And finally, the killer for me, the lume. I work nights in a low light environment. Lume is pretty much essential, as without it I can't even read a watch in 'normal' light in here. As for this one, its not a seiko, but its good enough for me.
I used my Seiko kinetic as a comparison, as that's what I usually wear to work, so both of them got a 1 minute exposure to my desk light. I usually use this to charge up the watch before going into the production environment so I thought it would be a good representation of how it will fair tonight at work. Here they are side by side.
Forgive the photography, I'm still working on the lume side of things (tips for settings would be greatly appreciated).
All in all I'm happy with this deal. I preordered thinking I had nothing to lose, and I certainly gained more than I thought I would. Even at the current price, this is a great deal for the watch and bundle. I will certainly be watching out for what Ralf comes up with next.
|
I look forward to receiving mine here in the States as it looks like a winner to me....TY for the pics!yahoo.gif
