LIV GX-Diver’s Automatic
LIV Watches started out about 6 years ago wanting to create an affordable automatic chronograph, and they did just that, and their first Kickstarter Campaign hit over 1 million dollars. They have done quite a few Kickstarter’s over the years but you can also buy the majority of their watches from their website, including this LIV GX-Diver’s Automatic. This watch is available in 41mm (shown in this review) and 44mm, but I will be concentrating on this T.J. Blue version. This model sports and all brushed finished, a sandwich dial, 300m water resistance, and an ETA 2824 Automatic. The question is, is this just another Kickstarter watch, or is LIV producing solid, quality watches?
Specifications:
- 41mm wide, measured 10-4
- 45mm with crown included
- Lug to Lug 48mm
- 12.9mm Thick
- 22mm Lugs
- 193 grams unsized
- 300 Meters Water Resistant
- Sapphire Crystal
- Polished Ceramic Bezel insert
- ETA 2824 Movement
- Price $790
https://www.livwatches.com/collections/gx-diver/41mm#watches
If you are not familiar with LIV Watches, you must not be paying attention or you are new to watches. Even if you are not a fan of microbrands whatsoever, I am sure you have seen a LIV ad on Youtube, Instagram, Facebook, hell, even google. LIV is really everywhere, and since doing this review, they are really everywhere, as a man, every tab I open, I get a sponsored post about LIV. Okay, so they have money to spend on advertising and marketing, this is for sure. Even back when the brand was new, I saw ads for them everywhere. It seems the brand has been very successful right from the start, but they definitely had some money to put into the advertising campaign to get the word out. Like a lot of brands, there are models I just do not care for, but this LIV GX-Diver’s Automatic did catch my eye in the many ads I saw. ‘
The LIV GX-Diver’s 41mm is a pretty standard dive watch with a few upgrades, and I do not think that is a bad thing. The most standout part of the watch is definitely the dial (more on that in a bit), but the case and bracelet are standard dive watch fare, but again, this is a watch that is meant to appeal to the masses, so that makes sense. And honestly, there is nothing wrong with the case, crown, bezel, or bracelet. The bezel is relatively firm and has precise clicks, and the crown is very large and easy to use. Because of the 300m WR, the case is a little on the thick side at 13mm, which doesn’t sound like much for a 300m watch, but the overall silhouette of the watch does read kinda chunky, especially for a 41mm watch.
Like most diver watches on the market these days, this is not a true dive watch, meaning no ISO certification, no locking clasp, and no divers extension. Why do I bring that up? Because many will comment about it not being a true diver. That is for the people that dive, though most who professionally dive use a dive wrist computer, and even many who recreationally dive. Well, what about if you are just diving 50m or so, would it work then? Yes, and you wouldn’t really need a wetsuit or anything like that either, so, the point kinda becomes moot. If you are a diver, you know what tools you need, and you will use them. If you are a watch enthusiast, you are aware that we are not flying planes either, and yet there are countless pilot watches out there and most of us have never been in the “field” either. I would say, if you go to the pool, lake or have a day at the ocean, you should be more than fine.
The dial of the LIV GX-Diver’s Automatic has a lot of good about it, especially that color, but there are a few things that would have made it better in my opinion. It is a dual-layer dial, or sandwich dial as most of us refer to it, and the outer portion does have a nice wave texture, with applied markers loaded up with lume. To stand out a little, LIV decided to make the 12 and 6 stencil markers, with the lume applied underneath, which really does stand out, especially in the dark. Other details like the brushed metal around the date cutout and the vertically brushed steel hands, the orange accents, all work together for a pleasing aesthetic.
That is, till we get to the bottom portion of the dial. Now, some will disagree with me, but I can only review from my perspective and I really dislike the giant LIV banner on the bottom portion of the dial. I often wonder, with smartwatches being all the rage these days with the young crowd, are brands trying to over-brand their watches in hopes people will see it from far away, as most don’t ask to look at your watch anymore? I don’t know, but it sure seems like it. At least they didn’t engrave the name into the side of the case like so many do-sorry but I find that utterly tacky. Anyways, I would love to see a cleaner-looking dial from LIV-it would bring a level of class to the watches that I think they are missing currently. Sometimes less is more, and this is one of those cases.
As I have heard so many times, many watch guys (and gals) like to see the movement of their watch. I prefer a nice solid case back, but I will say LIV did a good job by making the steel around the sapphire crystal black via DLC, and while it is a standard ETA-2824, it looks pretty good and they did do a nice job with the rotor. One thing you may want to keep an eye on is those 6 screws. My example had an issue, but I am not sure if the screw fell out, or was never in, to begin with (I discuss it more in the video), but screws, no matter where they are on a watch, should always be checked regularly.
With the exception of my screw issue (which could have just been a one-off), and the dial billboard, I can’t really single out anything else negative about the LIV watch, and it just like the case, the bracelet is solid and well finished, and it balances out the case on my wrist, and is actually pretty comfortable, even if it does feel slightly chunky.
I can definitely see the appeal of this LIV GX-Diver’s Automatic and LIV watches in general, and even though this is not exactly a watch that I would wear on a regular basis, I appreciate what LIV is trying to do in the industry. With prices of everything going up and up, I think $790 is a good price, considering the specs and of course the ETA 2824 movement, and being marked Swiss Made, which is very important to some. With LIV only being around for 6 years so far, which is a relatively short time, I am interested to see what they can produce in the future, and hopefully, they leave the branding on the box and less on the watch.
Oh, yeah, and one more thing-The lume is excellent.
