Review of the Prometheus Recon 5

Aviation Hands on Watch Reviews Prometheus

Dial Up for review today is the second watch from Prometheus, and it’s quite a bit different from the Ocean Diver. The Recon 5 is an handwinding aviator, with the characteristic re-think we’ve come to expect from Prometheus. Let’s get started with some specifications:

  • Stainless steel case: 44mm by 10.5mm.
  • Sapphire crystal and caseback.
  • SuperLuminova hands and indicies.
  • Brown leather strap with thorn buckle.
  • 22mm lugs.
  • Non-screwdown large crown for easy winding and setting.
  • Unitas 6497-1 movement: non-hacking, handwinding, 42 hour power reserve, decorated with Geneva stripes, blued screws, and a bit of perlage.
  • Water resistant to 50m (165ft).
  • List price 269 Euros, or about $366 as of this writing.

Please read on for the full review.

Open-boxThe Recon 5 is shipped in a very nice leather reusable travel case as seen here, with warranty card tucked into the pocket. This is nearly ideal for packaging: it’s useful for travelling, protects the watch well, and is nice and slim. Well done.

Just as the Ocean Diver was a redesign of the dive watch, the Recon 5 is a change from a lot of other WWII-style “flieger” watches, as you’ll see from looking at the dial and hands. Very functional and eminently readable with a spacious, uncluttered face.

The Unitas 6497 and 6498 (which differ only in the placement of the subseconds) are among my favorite movements. They’re Swiss-made, accurate in all grades, very tough, and used in watches all the way up to five-figure Panerai. This is a tool watch movement of the very highest caliber (pun intended). In the Recon 5, Prometheus has used a mid-grade version with nice machine-applied decoration for a result that’s quite visually appealing.Back If you compare the movement here with the one in the much-more-expensive Stowa Marine Original, you may wonder (as I did) if I overpaid for the Stowa!

At the end of the Stowa review, I said that “About the only thing I’d change is a touch of lume on the hands and dial. Readability at night would be nice.” Right on cue, the Recon 5 arrived and delivered exactly that. It has a bit more modern feel in the dial design, but otherwise it’s quite a spectacularly-priced replacement.

Upper-right Case finishing is very good, especially for this price range. The edges are even, the finish is smooth, and the design is flowing and unobtrusive.

The dial is actually a very dark, subtle shade of brown that appears grey in most light. It’s set off nicely by the contrast-stitched brown strap. I like that Prometheus skipped the two steel rivets that many fliegers have; it’s a non-functional decoration, and this watch is all about function.

Hairspring Here’s a closeup of the movement. Part of the fun of a clear caseback is enjoying the visual detail, and the Unitas is excellent in that regard. The lack of a rotor weight leaves lots of details to see and watch in motion.

Overall, I think the Recon 5 is a fabulous deal and an attractive, highly functional watch. You get the enjoyment of a Swiss-made handwinder at a fraction of the price of other brands. Highly recommended.

Our thanks to Prometheus for the review unit.

By Paul Hubbard

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