Hey folks, some initial thoughts after just 24 hours of owning the watch...



This is my first DLC watch, but I have several that use the PVD. I have always been concerned about how well it will hold up. I'm not really that delicate with watches, so it will continue to be a concern.



The rubber strap - It's awesome. It's unbelievably thick and very comfortable. With the buckle they've chosen, you have to trim the rubber to fit. That's simple enough to do, just seems very destructive. However, given the thickness, there's really no choice as it would be very difficult to have a tang buckle or other type to hide the excess. My strap appeard to be attached backwards (very minor annoyance). One side of the strap is signed with the Steinhart logo, but that faces away from the wearer as it's upside down when looking at the time. Almost every watch I've seen, this detail is really for the wearer. Thankfully, they've included the wrench to easily change the strap (and put the right way!! :) ).



The buckle - It sucks! Yes, it really sucks. SUCKS SUCKS SUCKS!!! I don't know if its just mine or if there's a bigger issue with the buckle they've chosen. It's a butterfly clasp. You would not want to take this into the lake/ocean with you, as the release is way to sensitive. It may not slip off your wrist, but it's something you'd probably not like happening. Oddly enough, even thought it's too easy to open, it's very difficult to close. It is DLC coated and has the Steinhart logo. I WILL be looking for a different clasp.



The case - Substantial. The watch is very heavy. I've never measured my wrist, but I tend to think it's greater than 7.5". That being said, it's very comfortable. The case and bezel are essentially the same size @45mm. On the left side of the case, it's engraved with 100 ATM. I suppose that's a nice touch, but with the DLC it's hardly noticable. For me, it's a little strange to engrave that on the side, but it doesn't really bother me. On the right side you have the crown @5 and the helium release valve at just past 2. The release valve looks like the tip of a tiny duracell battery. That's probably the most talked about piece of the watch of anyone that I've shown it to. Eveyone thinks it does some special power...quite funny.



The crystal - seemingly bullet proof. Tapping on it makes the same sound as tapping the steel case. If this thing were ever to make it anywhere near 1000M, I would be more concern that the case wouldn't hold than the crystal shattering. The dual layers of internal anti-reflection coating work very well. Nuf said...



The bezel - awesome. Very easy to use. Nice smooth movement, but about as tight as you'd hope it to be. I do have concerns about the lume paint for the minute markers being exposed as I don't know how durable that will be over time. My concern is that it will fade or chip off. Only time will tell.



The caseback is engraved fairly nicely with a wavy pattern. Seems to have the satin finish without the DLC coating. Not sure why they chose not to coat the caseback. It's possibly the only part of the watch that the DLC coating wouldn't wear off. Other than that, nothing special.



Overall, I couldn't be happier with this purchase. This watch sells for $750 at Gnomon, which seems to be an incredible value.



Thanks for reading!

Last edited on Wed Jul 7th, 2010 10:58 pm by tenbosch