Recently, I ran across an article about the best thin watches for men. Some of the names mentioned were Christopher Ward, Zenith, and Piaget amongst others. Each were truly thin and noted high quality specifications, but none of them retailed under $500 USD. What about individuals needing a more cost effective alternative? Personally, I always try to find value and quality, which I believe TW Steel provides in an affordable alternative through their new Slim Line Series.
First, let’s take a look at the history of TW Steel. TW Steel is a Dutch company, founded by Jordy and Ton Cobelens, that introduced their first collection of watches in 2005. The brand name is actually an abbreviation for “The Watch in Steel” and the company now offers around 140 different models while striving to produce modern, stylish and oversized designs that will not impact the wallet as much as many other brands. The TW 1306 from the TW Steel Slim Line Collection is certainly an affordable thin watch, with a lot of style and modern appeal that will work well in the executive boardroom or a night out on the town. At $450, the TW 1306 has the following basic specifications: Movement 1S13 (3-hands) from Miyota, Made of high grade 316L steel, Diameter of the case 45 mm, Shiny case and bezel, Sunray black dial, Sapphire crystal, and 5 ATM water resistant.
The packaging is slightly different than the typical clamshell type jewelry box. The packaging includes a sleeve and outer white cardboard box. Inside the outer packaging, is a metal case with a metal clasp holding the case shut rather than some sort of spring assisted mechanism. The interior of the metal case is nicely padded with the watch resting on a pillow. The packaging is adequate for protection of the watch during shipping but lacks any other functionality, ultimately ending up in the watch case pile in the closet. I would hope that TW Steel examines the use of travel cases in the future, such as zipper cases or rolls, which just makes it so much simpler for taking a watch with you on a trip.
The case of the 1306 is composed of 316L stainless steel with a high polished finish throughout, providing a very elegant dressy overall appearance. The case measures 45mm and when factoring in the crown just slightly under 49mm. However, for such a substantial case, the watch including the bracelet weighs around 130 grams and is only 8.5mm thick. The watch will obviously provide quite a bit of wrist presence but due to the weight and thickness, will not be overly cumbersome to the wearer. The lug width measures 22mm, so if one is not a fan of the bracelet for some reason, there will be no issues having a custom strap designed for the watch.
The non-crown side of the case is unremarkable but one can get a good look at the quality of the case finishing. On the crown side of the case is a signed push/pull crown positioned at the 3 o’clock position. The crown measures approximately 6.5mm in diameter and is quite easy to grasp and engage with absolutely no play or wiggle in either setting position. I really appreciate several aspects of the crown. First, the crown is engraved with the TW Steel logo rather than being stamped or etched. Engraving is a level of detail normally found on watches in a much higher price category many times. Secondly, the crown has a brushed finish which provides some contrast against the case finishing.
