MARC & SONS 1000M Professional Watch Review

933

While surfing their site pre-review, I was instantly drawn to their blue dial MSD-043, which would soon become a favorite within my collection. Looking back, I don’t believe I could have gone wrong with any of their three color choices and, from where I currently sit, their gunmetal 1000m diver (MSD-022) keeps calling out to me. The dial on the model I received is a matte blue color that at times can appear purple-ish. Luminous silver frosted numerals and matching arrow styled hands play well with the overall color scheme of the watch. A bright orange seconds hand brings the watch to life as it sweeps around the dial at 21,600 bph. A metallic looking capsule-like tag found just above the 6 o’clock marker designates the watch as a professional instrument capable of withstanding 3,300 ft. of dive depth. I found the dial to be very legible during the day, but I found the lume to be a bit weak in the dark.

Two oversized crowns can be seen dominating the right side of the dive case, which adds lateral dimension to the 46mm case. The first crown located at the 2 o’clock position acts as a manual helium escape valve should the need for one arise. The second non-branded crown found in the 4 o’clock position allows you to set the time, but since the movement is non-hacking, you’ll have to skillfully stop the mechanism yourself in the desired position by moving the minute hand counter-clockwise causing the second hand to pause. While some couldn’t care less about where and when their seconds hand begins its tour of duty, others with OCD beg to differ. If this trick is new to you, you’re welcome!

While I initially cringed that Marc & Sons chose to go with a coin edge bezel on this particular dive model, I found that my knee-jerk reaction was without merit, as I found the 120 click uni-directional bezel to be extremely useful in regards to its grip factor. While physically manipulating the ceramic bezel from side to side, I found a considerable amount of play, but not to a degree that impaired the watch’s overall functionality.

As one would come to expect, a case designed for extreme depths is large, and the 1000m MARC & SONS Professional is no exception. Despite its imposing size and weight, I found the watch to be uncommonly comfortable. The case back is robust and simple, which is to be expected for a large dive watch at this price point. The stainless steel bracelet with fold over safety clasp reinforced MARC & SONS’ commitment of delivering quality made products to each consumer, as I felt that, once again, it was well above its modest price point.

In summation, there’s much to like about this professional 1000m diver, and it easily becomes yet another ‘best bang for your buck’ contender in the sub $300.00 dive watch category.