Obris Morgan Infinity
Every time Obris Morgan releases a new model there is a frenzy to grab one. This time was no different with the Obris Morgan Infinity. A few months ago they released the Infinity on a preorder, but only 200 were released. Another 300 is set to be released shortly. The preorder sold out in minutes for those first 200 pieces. Why? Well, Obris at this point makes rugged looking classic divers with all the bells and whistles for a crazy price point. This one was $379 on the preorder and the rest will be $439, which is still a great deal, considering most watches in this range have a NH35 movement and the Infinity has an ETA 2824. That is quite the upgrade. With a watch at this price point, there are always a few little issues, but for the most part, this model is a home run.
Obris Morgan Infinity Specifications:
- 43mm Stainless Case
- 22mm Lug Width
- 50mm Lug to Lug
- 14.5mm Thick
- Domed Sapphire Crystal with AR
- Swiss Made ETA 2824-2 Elabore
- BGW9 Superluminova
- Steel Bracelet and Rubber Strap
- 300 Meters Water Resistant
Current Price $439 USD Including Shipping
http://www.obrismorgan.com/infinity.asp
Many microbrand companies are one man operations and a good portion try and do this venture full time. That is not the case with Obris Morgan. They release maybe 2 different models a year and at this stage of the game they seem to sell out very quickly. That is because on average the quality of the product is so good for the price you pay. It seems a good profit is not something they are concerned about and the same can be said about this Obris Morgan Infinity. It is what some might call in the forum community, a “tool diver”, I just prefer to call it a bad ass watch. Tool diver seems silly to me even though I have myself used that term in the past. Reality is all watches are tools so I am not sure how that particular nomenclature came to be. Whatever the case, the Infinity has that aggressive styling to it with its angular case and sharp lines. It has that look about it that it can handle anything you can throw at it. For the most part, that is true, but it still is just regular 316L stainless steel and while the first 200 watches had Incabloc shock protection, I would not call it a hard use watch, though it probably can withstand a good amount of abuse on land or sea.
The Obris Morgan Infinity comes in a few dial color choices, the sunray dial like you see here in my example, matte finish and even mother of pearl, if you like some bling on your dive watch. For me the sunray dial was the one that stood out to me immediately. I just loved how it is a charcoal grey dial but move it just a bit and it almost looks silver, and the other way now it is black. It is a fantastic sunray dial and while the indices are printed and not applied, it does not bother me in the least. I love the overall dial layout and the date window border and the colors of the hands are great too. I am not a fan of the text on the dial though. This is an area that is lacking with Obris Morgan, the font used just cheapens the look of the watch, I would rather just their logo and call it a day. At $439 it is not a deal breaker and one of the little issues I mentioned above.
The entire case of the Obris Morgan Infinity is finely brushed and overall the machining and finishing is above par for this price point. When it comes to the bracelet though, especially the clasp and parts of the back of the watch, specifically behind the lugs, you will find some sharp edges. Not sharp enough to cut you, but you can feel them when you run your hands on them. For the most part,you can not feel these sharp edges when wearing the watch, so even though I noticed it, it is kind of a wash. You can’t have everything for such a low price.
The bezel is a little hard to turn on this example, or should I say almost a pain to turn. I have always stated I do not personally use my bezel to time anything but if you do, be aware, this thing is tight. Maybe over extended use it will loosen up a bit. The good thing is that is probably won’t move from wherever you put it. The crown on the other hand was mechanically sound, smooth to wind and screw back down. Because of the thick case back, this is a watch where you can actually unscrew the crown and set it while on your wrist, something not always so easily done.
When it comes to sizing and wearability, for the most part everything is great. Sizing was a breeze and the Obris Morgan Ininity packaging includes the screwdriver to do it. One sized screws make everything a breeze, but a word of caution: Use loctite after you get the perfect size for the screws. I did notice 2 of them starting to back out a little and while you are at it, check all the other screws and loctite any you feel needs it. You do not want to have one come out and have the watch fall off your wrist. The bracelet is massive and locks down with the ratchet style dive clasp so you can use over a wet suit or for micro sizing as most of us desk divers do. I have not worn a dive watch like this in a bit and being honest I prefer straps these days, so because of the style of bracelet and the case back I am not in love with how it sits on the wrist but I know most will not have an issue. Just be aware this does not exactly wrap around your wrist.
Obris Morgan Infinity Lume
As you can see, while I have a few minor quiblles, there is really not much that I dont like or appreciate about the Obris Morgan Infinity. They have once again made a great bang for your buck watch, this one might the best yet. While dive watches can start to all look the same and this one is not radically different it does have that Fricker case vibe to it that many find appealing and normally watches with those cases start much higher than $439, so if you have always longed for that style but could not afford it, this would be a pretty good substitution. This model took quite a bit for Obris to release this year and it looks like it will be the only one they release for 2017. I hope to see something that can top this or at least similar in 2018.
