Anstead Oceanis Watch Review

The dial is a nice matte black with easily read markers and numbers, a date cutout at the 3 o’clock position, Anstead name and logo, and the model name, automatic and water resistance on the dial. Now, I am one that prefers the less is more approach, so while the dial is not overdone with lettering, I think “automatic’ and the water resistance could have been left off the dial, for an even cleaner look. My favorite part of the dial is the second hand, as odd as that may sound. Combining both a lume dot and a long red tip, it is what a second hand should be on any diver or sport watch, easy to read day or night.

The case, bracelet, and bezel are all brushed steel. No high polished areas to be found, which is always my preference, unless dealing with a dress watch. Thomas Anstead means for the Oceanis to be a “tool” watch; a watch that you can wear and not have to worry about marking up.

The bezel is flawless in my opinion with perfect action and easy to grasp, either from the sides or from top to bottom. One thing of note, because it is a stainless bezel, you will probably get some scratches on it, depending on how careful, or not careful you are with your watches. I personally do not have an issue with this, and like the change from aluminum or ceramic bezels as this gives the watch a different look, especially if you have a lot of dive watches in your stable. Crown action is smooth as well, though the crown is a little on the small side for my tastes, and with the crown guards makes it a little difficult to set the time or date while on the wrist, at least for my fingers.

A very slightly domed sapphire crystal protects the face, and has a fairly decent AR coating. It is not the least reflective I have seen, but it does reduce some of the glare.

The bracelet is fairly chunky for a watch that is only 13mm, measuring in at 4mm thick. One of my favorite clasps is being used, with the ratcheting extension dive clasp. This is almost becoming a standard on micro brand dive watches, and one that I always welcome. Easy to close and open and the ratchet extension makes micro adjusting simple as pushing a button. The bracelet uses double-sided screws to hold the links together. This is one feature I found a touch disappointing. Many makers are using single sided screws these days, making sizing a breeze. Sizing here is still fairly easy, but just takes a little more time and patience. And always remember, when sizing these types of bracelets with tiny screw heads, do not do so over a carpet…or you will have to get out the flashlight and some advil.

The case back is nicely engraved with the Anstead logo and a combination of brushed and frosted finishes. The case back is fairly flat and feels great on the wrist. Speaking of on the wrist, I took out 3 links for my 7.5-inch wrist, so if you have a wrist larger than say 8 inches, extra links would probably be required.

C3 superluminova is at work here for the lume, and as you can see, it was applied generously. While not the brightest or longest lasting lume on the market, this is not department store watch lume by any means, and should satisfy most of the lume junkies out there in the watch world.

As I said in the beginning, I get a little Kobold/Omega PO feel, (especially with the bracelet), the case shape even loans itself to… say, a vintage Rolex Sub a little, but I don’t feel anyone would mistake this watch for any of the above, or say “hey that is just a X homage”.

I have worn the Oceanis for about 2-3 weeks now and every day I find I appreciate it a little more. I would say if you really are on a budget and want a great looking diver that can fit for almost any chore you have to do that day, the Oceanis might be the ticket. It is not small, but not oversized. It has all the goodies with the Miyota 9015 automatic movement, sapphire crystal, firm bezel and crown, solid bracelet and clasp, and as of the time of this writing, a price that comes in just under $500 USD.

You can check out the Anstead Oceanis on the Anstead Website HERE .

Thank you to Thomas Anstead for providing for review.

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