Votum Blue Ocean
Sometimes I just never know what to expect when a watch for review arrives. You may be thinking, well, you know generally what watch the company is sending you and what it looks like, right? In most cases, yes, though sometimes I do not. In this instance, I was familiarย with Votum as I reviewed a previous model a few years ago, but I can say the Votum Blue Ocean exceeded my expectations in both looks and feel in person. That is the thing, sometimes it is hard to get a good feel for a watch by just looking at the pictures on the website. That is what these reviews are for though, to get someone’s perspective on a watch that you have not seen in person. Coming in at $831, the Blue Ocean is not crazy expensive for a watch marked with Swiss Made though it is more of a sport casual watch than your typical pilot or diver. Is it worth the coin? Overall, I would say yes.
Votum Blue Ocean Specifications:
Price $831ย USD
https://www.votumwatches.com/products/blue-ocean-rb-90-995
I just established I think the Votum Blue Ocean is worth the asking price, but as always, that is one man’s opinion. Yours, of course, could be different, as price and with are always subjective. Things like Swiss Made really do not mean much to me, it is more about how the watch is put together, how it looks, etc. The reason I mention Swiss Made above is simple, I am comparing to others that are marked as such in the same price range.ย Swiss Made does carry some weight with many watchย enthusiasts though, so if you are one of those, it is marked at the bottom of the dial. Speaking of the dial, that is where the Ocean moniker comes from, as the dial has a distinctive wave patternย and a vibrant blue tone.ย Because of the Unitas 6498-2 mechanical movement, you have the small seconds register at the bottom of the dial a swell, a key characteristic of this movement which lends to the Blue Ocean being sporty but somewhat elegant at the same time.
The construction and quality of the Votum Blue Ocean are very nice on this example and in line with the price. The dial work is very crisp and the brushed and polished combo on the case is smooth and clean. At just over 11mm thick,ย it wears very nice on my 7 1 / 2-inch wrist and should be no problem to fit under a shirt cuff.ย The padded suede straps are leather backed and a nice compliment to the style of the watch. I never actually put the brown strap on, I just liked the way the blue looked and left attached, but I am sure it would be a nice contrast between the brown and blue.
It is not often that I review a mechanical piece here at Watchreport and I have to say, it is a refreshing change of pace. When the power reserve runs out I get a satisfaction out of having to manually wind the movement, something I rarely do with my automatics. I am a shake and bake type of person when it comes to automatics; I know, not the best way to get a watch going, but I have always done it, so why stop now. As you can see, Votum chose to show off the Unitas 6498-2, as many do with a mechanical movement, so you have beauty front and back.
A nice surprise was not only the amount of lume applied to the Votum Blue Ocean but that it has a nice strong glow as well. Even the Logo is lumed, something I did not expect for this style of a watch or this company if I am being honest.
The takeaway here is that the Votum Blue Ocean is as nice on paper as it is in person, meaning the specifications and description are backed up when you get it in hand, or on the wrist if you will. I am not sure what classification to put the Votum Brand into-from my interaction with the company they would be bigger than what most call a microbrand, but they are not as big as Oris, as an example, at least from what I can tell. The watches have shipped to me from Switzerland though I do not know what factory they are using or exactly how much of the watch is being made in Switzerland, at this price, it does not matter, at least to me. This is a great example from Votum and if blue is not your thing, they have a Black Ocean as well. It is a nice change from the many dive or diver style watches we see and the Blue Ocean has the quality and looks to back up the price.
