EMG Horizon
Are you a Breaking Bad fan? Steve McQueen maybe? Been lusting after a Tag Heuer Monaco but just don’t have the cash? Well, the EMG Horizon is somewhat close, and much more affordable, coming in at under $400. While most homage watches are copies of Rolex or Panerai, EMG went a different route and gave us their interpretation of a classic square chronograph. Though similar to the Monaco, there are a few differences, most notably the dial, but more on that later. The EMG is also using a Seiko Meca-Quartz movement here, instead of an automatic, to keep prices low.
EMG Horizon Specifications
- 38 x 38mm Polished Stainless Steel Case
- 46mm Lug to Lug
- 11mm Thick
- 22mm Lug Width
- Curved Sapphire Crystal
- Seiko VK64 Mechanical Quartz Movement
- 50m Water Resistant
- Leather Rally Strap
- Packaged in canvas watch roll and a cardboard tube
Price $375
https://emgwatches.com/collections/horizon-chronograph
Yes, the Tag Monaco is a pretty famous watch, worn by Steve Mcqueen in the classic film Le Mans and also gifted to Walt White in an episode of Breaking Bad for his 51st birthday. The EMG Horizon is the budget-friendly version if you will and while it might not carry the same pedigree, it is nice to see a brand homage something different. I am not sure why the Monaco is not copied more, but maybe that is why EMG chose to make the Horizon in the first place.
Square watches are normally not my style at all, but this model from EMG Watches intrigued me. If I am being fair, being square had nothing to do with it, but rather the Petrol Blue dial color is what stood out. As is often not the case, the dial color actually looked better in person to me than it did on the brands’ website and the photography I saw online. The orange accents match well while still producing a nice contrast, and even though there are a few lines of text on the dial, overall the EMG Horizon feels clean and uncluttered.
At 38mm, I was expecting this to be a very tiny watch on the wrist, and after taking off a 52mm G-Shock it did feel small, I soon realized that with a large dial and bezel-less case that this is a watch I could wear on a regular basis and not feel like I was wearing something meant for a woman. Even though this is a racing-style chronograph, I wore it a few times for a few dressier events and feel it worked well, especially being very slim on the wrist. I know, this is not the watch most would choose to wear for a more posh event, but it happened to come in a time where I had to dress up a few times and I figured it was a good enough watch for what I was wearing. These weren’t black tie events after all. Here it is below on my 7 1/2 inch wrist.
The EMG Horizon has a much slimmer bezel than the Tag it homages, and is all high polished, as opposed to a combo of satin-brushed and polished. The lugs are much thinner as well and you will notice the chronograph pushers jet straight out instead of being angled like the Monaco. Again, this is not meant to be a direct copy and keep in mind, this is a $375 watch, not a $5000 watch. One element they did try to mimic is the curved sapphire crystal, and I think they did a pretty good job with it. It gives the watch a unique look and gives the dial a little more personality.
If I had one gripe, it would be the lack of running seconds on the EMG Horizon. Because of the Seiko VK64 movement, you will only have a 60 minute counter and 24-hour indicator along with your hours and minutes along with the chronograph seconds hand. One thing you usually give up with a chronograph is a large running second hand, but usually, you have a sub-dial with running seconds in place of it. If you are someone like me that likes to have this feature, you are out of luck here. It is not an absolute deal-breaker but definitely puts this watch out of contention for a daily wear piece.
I find the EMG Horizon to be a fun piece, even if I would not wear it on a regular basis. It looks and wears just fine on my wrist, but square watches such as this have never really been my style, and when you add in the commission of the running seconds, it is just not for me. The Horizon is a nice homage to theTag Heuer Monaco though and I have a feeling many will probably like it just for that alone. This is the second watch I have reviewed from EMG and just like the first, I find it well made and finished for the price. The curved sapphire crystal is a nice touch and the leather strap is soft and pliable as well. This particular watch reminds me of Dan Henry pieces-an an affordable way to get a homage or retro style watch, and there is nothing wrong with that at all. Let me know what you think of it down in the comments below.
