Review
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Raven Venture | Hands-On Review
Raven Venture Before I get into the nuts and bolts of the Raven Venture, let me just say that Raven Watches have a special place in my heart, or better yet a special meaning in the watch world for me. For those that are not aware, the current Raven Watches is run by Steve Laughlin, who was also partners in Benarus Watches for a long time as well. My first microbrand purchase was a Benar...
Spinnaker Tesei Bronze-Hands-On Watch Review
Spinnaker Tesei The Spinnaker Tesei is the latest from the Hong Kong Headquartered brand and it has some great improvements over past Spinnaker Watches. All versions are CuSn8 Bronze and have sapphire crystals, matte ceramic bezels and an SW200 movement from Sellita. Because of time constraints, this will not be a full article, but please watch the 12-minute video above and you can see my hi-res p...
Crepas Loggerhead | Hands On Review
Crepas Loggerhead If you are not familiar with Crepas Watches, you have probably not been following microbrands for that long. Crepas hit the scene a few years ago and between Crepas and their sister brand Tactico, they have surely made a name for themselves. Some of their more popular releases have been the El Buzo, the Tektite and the Cayman 3000. That brings me to the one I have in hand to...
Armand Nicolet JS9 | Hands On Watch Review
Armand Nicolet JS9 Every once in a while, I get a watch in for review that really stands out in terms of build quality and finishes. This time, that watch is the Armand Nicolet JS9. While it is not without a few quirks, the quality of this watch matches up with the price tag, which happens to be around $1700 USD. There is no doubt that in that price range there is some heavy competition, but the J...
Trintec Copilot GMT And Chronograph | Hands on Watch Review
Trintec Copilot GMT And Chronograph Tool watches. I guess that is what you would call the Trintec Copilot Series, or at least, what most call this style of watch these days. I try and stay away from that phrase as I think it is overused for any watch that is sporty and rugged looking; you know, the tool diver as so many like to say. I consider a tool watch to be any watch that does more than just ...
MTM Special OPS Seal Diver | Hands on Review
There are countless hard use watches out there, and many claim to be the best. I get it, that is marketing, and marketing sells merchandise. The MTM Special OPS Seal Diver is a dive watch made out of titanium, Allen screws everywhere and a “Specially Calibrated” quartz (Ronda 715 Li) movement. It also sports a carbon fiber dial, sapphire crystal and tritium tubes as well as Superlumino...
Hanhart Pioneer One | Hands On Watch Review
Hanhart Pioneer One The Hanhart Pioneer One. A watch that many wanted but never happened. Until Now. Going back through Hanhart’s history, they only made chronograph watches, with one exception; The Pioneer Preventor 9. While that was not a chronograph, it lacked the fluted bezel and red marker and also had a small seconds disc instead of the traditional second hand. The Pioneer One is the f...
Phoibos Reef Master | Hands On Watch Review
Phoibos Reef Master If you are someone that is always looking for the most value or the most bang for your buck when it comes to watches, Phoibos is probably a brand you should be looking at. The model I have in for review here is the Phoibos Reef Diver, which ranges from $229-$239, depending on the case finish. As you will see in the specs below, you get a lot of features for that price tag. I ha...
Zelos Mako Diver | Hands On Watch Review
Zelos Mako Diver Zelos only makes big watches! Why doesn’t Zelos put out a 40mm watch? These are some of the questions I would see on my Zelos reviews, or on Facebook groups and forums. Well, to those out there wanting a smaller Zelos, your praying and wishing is over. The Zelos Mako Diver is your answer and it comes in at 40mm with a lug to lug of 46mm. It is also available to order and wil...
Nethuns Scuba 500 Meteorite | Hands On Watch Review
Nethuns Scuba 500 Meteorite What do you get when you take an iconic case design from one brand and pair it with the most recognized dial design in the world? The Nethuns Scuba 500 Meteorite. The Seiko 62MAS was a popular vintage diver that has recently been re-released by Seiko and a few microbrands have been pumping out homages within the past year or so as well. The Nethuns version is similar to...
Stowa TO2 Flieger | Hands on Watch Review
Stowa TO2 Flieger Simple. Clean. Refined. That is the Stowa TO2 Flieger in a nutshell. Oh, did I forget beautiful? Yes, it is downright beautiful as well. For those that did not watch the video yet or maybe are unfamiliar with Stowa, let me just say, do not let the adjective simple mislead you. This is not one of those Alibaba “minimalist” Chinese $5 watches that new “brands&rdqu...
Ventus Mori Diver | Hands on Watch Review
Ventus Mori Diver Ventus has released another version of the Mori Diver, this time in a gunmetal PVD steel and a stainless steel with blue. Previous versions of the Ventus Mori Diver only came in brass, so this is a variation for those who do not like brass or bronze watches. Ventus is what most call a budget or value brand, as the watches do offer a lot in terms of quality and materials for not a...