Moving on to the watch case, the Admiral is constructed of marine grade stainless steel with a brushed finish throughout the case. The case measures what many consider a perfect 43mm in diameter and right around 46mm with the crown. The only aspect that I am not thrilled about in regards to the case is the branding on the non-crown side of the case. Personally, I prefer a clean non-crown side of the case rather than over-branding and marketing of a brand. The other specifications of the case include 50mm lug tip to lug tip, and right around 15mm in overall case thickness. The watch weighs a light 105 grams, so combining the weight with the other case specifications the watch is going to feel quite comfortable on the wrist but still provide some wrist presence due to the overall size. The crown is quite small measuring only 6mm in diameter. The crown is push/pull without any significant gasket system resulting in a minimal water resistance rating of 5atm. The crown is quite firm with no play or wiggle when engaged in either setting position. The push button measures 4mm and adjusts the day of the month with precision. It is nice to see a watch at this price-point with a nicely etched crown face.
As expected, the Admiral is fitted with a mineral crystal measuring approximately 33mm in overall diameter. I’m not certain if the crystal has anti-reflective (AR) coating or not as that information is not provided in the specifications, but as you will see in the photographs and video, there is some glare and milkiness from certain angles. I’m not certain if the clarity problems are related to the quality of AR or the lack of an AR. I do think the interior of the crystal could be cleaned slightly better during assembly as there was also a small amount of dust or lint under the crystal surface. Surrounding the crystal is a uni-directional rotating bezel. I guess the bezel in this case can be used for timing other activities other than diving obviously. The bezel is quite firm with no play in either direction. Beneath the mineral crystal is a multi-layer black dial with what appears to be a carbon fiber type print at the central portion. I would have to say overall the dial is clean and uncluttered with the typical type branding found on the dial. I am impressed to find that all the markers and numerals are applied on a watch at this price-point. Skeletonized Roman sword style hands are utilized as the primary hour and minute handset while solid sword style hands are used on the sub-dials. The complications found on this model consist of a power reserve indicator at the 10 o’clock, day of the week at the 2 o’clock and a small seconds hand at the 6 o’clock. Last but not least, I will briefly mention the lume or lack thereof. The lume is almost non-existent which will be quite evident in the photograph taken. Lume is more of a gimmick, but I have to say I am quite disappointed at the application even for a watch in this price category.
Moving on to the case back, the Admiral comes with a screw down case back with a large 25mm mineral crystal display. In my opinion, the case back is rather atypical for a watch in the sub $200 price range as it does provide a display of the movement and also has some sort of branding application beneath the crystal. The case back has the typical specification and model information etched on it. Beneath the case back is some variety of Chinese automatic movement such as a Seagull. The movement accuracy has been fairly typical of this type of movement at +/- 30 to 40 seconds a day. Overall, the case back has quite a bit of detail for a watch at this price-point.
Finally, the Admiral comes with a nice quality black croco-embossed leather strap. So many times watch companies either provide straps of low quality or just far too short. The strap has a great overall length and will fit wrists at or below 8 inches with ease. The leather is quite stiff but should work in well over time. The strap measures 6mm at the thickest point and around 3mm at the thinnest. The strap is also 22mm at the lug while tapering to 20mm at the buckle. Finishing off the strap is a rather surprising custom looking signed buckle that has a substantial feel to it.
Not all of us can afford extremely expensive timepieces so if you are looking for a low budget multi-function style watch, then check out the Admiral models from Thomas Earnshaw Watches. The model is available in silver, gold and rose toned cases so certainly a finish available to fit a variety of tastes. The watch would compliment the wearer for a night out on the town, as well as, being an acceptable accessory for the executive boardroom. I do however strongly believe that many improvements are in order, even at the near $200 price-point of this model. Overall better quality control prior to shipping should be the minimum improvement at the sub $200 price-point. Certainly at the retail prices of near $700 the watch should include a more desirable movement and a sapphire crystal. I would consider purchasing with better quality control at the sub $200 price-point but not under any circumstances at the $700 price-point. I would also like to thank each of you for reading and look forward to your thoughts and comments.
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