Watch Review | Jorg Gray 6500 Automatic

• Specifications:
• 41mm stainless steel case
• 46mm length (lug to lug)
• 13.6mm thick
• 20mm lug width
• Sapphire Crystal
• Exhibition case back
• 100 meters water resistant
• Miyota 9120 automatic movement
• Leather Strap
• Retail Price $895.00 USD

When it comes to Jorg Gray watches, and what I knew about the brand before receiving this model for review, there were two things. 1. They produce mostly quartz watches. 2. President Barack Obama owns one. Now, bluntly speaking, there is nothing wrong with quartz watches at all, I own many, review many, and we have all had/or had them in our collection from time to time. It is just nice to see an automatic piece from a company not known for them. The fact that the President of the US owns a Jorg Gray honestly doesn’t do anything for me. Not getting political, it’s not about the President, just that any celebrity or well known person owning a brand does not sway me one way or another. With me, it always comes down to the quality and functionality of the watch.

The JG6500-82 multifunction automatic is quite a watch though. It is a dress watch in my opinion, with your day, date, month, and 24 hour time. It comes in 3 color versions; a stainless steel case with white/silver dial, as being reviewed, a stainless/black dial and a rose tone/cream dial. All of them retail at $895.00 and are equipped with a Citizen Miyota 9120 automatic movement.

I have to say, for the most part the watch is well made and nicely finished. The case is a combination of satin brushed and high polished finishes and measures in at 41mm and 13.6mm. A little on the thick side, but should still fit under a shirt cuff.

The 6500 automatic has a multilevel dial that is well executed, and while it is busy, nothing is pushed or crammed together. The date is easy to read, though a 41mm watch with subdials is going to need more than a glance to read the month, day and 24 hour registers. The hands are thin sword style and are all outlined in black with a red arrow second hand tip, to make them stand out against the dial. Setting the functions is easy enough as well, as I show in the video.

The exhibition case back is held down with 6 flat head screws and shows off the Miyota 9120 movement. The rotor is laser etched with the Jorg Gray logo and Limited Edition, but the rest of the movement is stock and untouched. Simply stated, the Miyota 9100 series movements are pretty dull and boring to look at, as there is no decoration to them. The outer portion of the case back is laser etched as well, and gives you much of the model’s info, and it is done in a way to give the case back a little flair, but still pretty standard.

When it comes to the blue alligator patterned leather strap, I have to say I was a little disappointed. It is very stiff out of the box, and doesn’t have a very luxurious feel. It also lacks a dual deployant clasp, something I feel this style of watch is suited for. With that said, it is a good looking strap and I like that the ends are curved to reduce a gap between the strap and the case. On my 7 ½ inch wrist, size wise it fits nice, but is not overly comfortable at this point because of the stiff strap. The strap needs to be broken in, probably over the course of a few weeks to a month, until it would be really comfortable.

One thing I was not expecting on a watch such as this, is good lume. Now, don’t get me wrong, this is not dive watch category luminescence, but there is a good amount of lume paint application, especially on the hands. The indices do not glow as well as the hands as you can see from the photos. The hands did retain their glow for about 4 hours though until they completely faded.

Overall, I feel the JG6500 auto would be a great watch for the office or the boardroom, it just has that executive look about it to me. Would it be my personal choice for an everyday wearer? No, but I also am not wearing suits everyday. I love the look of the dial, and the case is well finished. The choice of movement is great, I love the Miyota 9100 series, and the 9120 functions just as smoothly as many of the other 9100 series watches I have tested and owned. The leather strap can and should be upgraded, and I would love to see an actual alligator strap included with this, even if they had to add $100 to the price tag. And if not, a good solid leather strap would do fine, as long as it has a dual deployant clasp. A good solid bracelet option would be great as well.  Beyond the strap and buckle, I can not really find any other faults. It is an attractive dress/office automatic and I do not think the $895 price tag is completely out of line, as we have seen micro brand watches with Miyota 9015 movements for this price or higher.

If you want to see or read more about this model or the many others of Jorg Gray, check out their Website HERE .

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