I played another blinder.
Well… I didn’t, a prolific watch consumer on the WatchCrunch platform did, and put many of us onto these.
The brand was having a blowout, and the £400 RRP diver from UK-based brand Vaymont was being sold-off at cost via eBay. I bought mine for under £200. Similar to the Matterhorn Divemaster 300 I grabbed for £129 with the hi-beat Miyota 9015, I dropped £160 on a Titanium 9015-powered beast because I thought I would treat myself.
It’s not bad. It is my type.
Bead-blasted Grade 2 titanium gives a very rugged finish. I don’t think I have many (if any) titanium watches; I have a lot of bead/sand blasted steel, but titanium is a different aesthetic. It is duller, so it’s a darker grey. This kind of makes the black and vintage lume softer in contrast. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so I will not dictate to you whether you should consider this as beautiful. I, personally, am not 100% on the bezel font, the paint job, and the lume triangle, but I’m not massively offended by them. They may grow on me.
The case itself, according to the brand, is bespoke to them and cannot be bought elsewhere. Ok… but with respect, it is a pretty standard looking case. 40mm wide, 46mm lug to lug, and 14mm thick, it’s a typical dive watch case. For a Miyota, 14mm seems thick, but then again, this might be a design choice to allow for the 300m WR? I don’t know. I think it’s a bit “meh”, but it’s lightweight and sturdy, and does the job.
AR-coated sapphire glass, very standard now, and probably expected at the RRP.
Dial is nice, and I like the text. It gives me new-car vibes. The logo does not overpower. The handset is clearly riffing off Tudor… sorry, but it is. It seems fine. The sweep of the seconds hand is smooth, but it would be for the 9015. It’s a decent package. I have been toying over a Thorn BB homage, but for the price, I’m happier to have paid a little more to get Titanium and a “more premium” movement.
It came in a plastic carry case with 4(!) straps: titanium bracelet, leather, rubber (Panerai style, which I will default to), and a black/grey stripe NATO. This is a nice selection, and can make the watch very versatile. I refuse to just the term “strap monster”, but here we are, I know some of you are thinking it.
I think, for £400 RRP, it’s not the worst offering out there.
I did have a bit of a quest earlier this year for the Ridge Titanium Field Watch – yes, the wallet people – who seemed to have a 9015-powered titanium field watch they were selling in the US for around $250. It wasn’t available over here in the UK… but what I was struggling to understand, or rationalise, is how they could do that. I didn’t get one either, but I’m not giving up hope. If I was getting this at cost, it’s clear that the sum of the parts, despite titanium and the 9015, is still relatively modest… so microbrand mark ups are clearly something we need to take with a pinch of salt. It is making my feelings towards this watch unclear…
You have to wonder why they are currently shifting these at cost. At RRP it’s good value for a titanium watch with the specs, but at cost it is definitely a good deal. As you can probably tell throughout this post, however, I am struggling to fully rationalise my feelings. It’s similar to Timex, and their weird pricing – I like some of their pieces, but it’s difficult to assess value when they have sales every five seconds, and the amount of discount seemingly reflects how close the Earth is to the Sun, the moonphase, and every time you hit their website they offer you 5-15% off when subscribing/resubscribing. It’s tiring. This is fun, but at cost it’s almost like it’s not quite right… I’m waiting for the catch, like it’s not titanium, or not 300m WR, or not a 9015 movement. Is that weird?
Then there is the fact that they are just selling these and they are done. They have other models on their website, some as coming soon, and the Ti Diver is listed at £400 RRP. Similar with the Ridge that seems to have now vanished, was this just a brief flash in the pan for watchmaking? I’m probably overthinking it.
So – yeah, if you want a titanium 300m WR diver, and like to haggle, grab one of the last few remaining on eBay. You could do worse.
Now I’m not sure if I want to spend more than £200 on a titanium watch – I guess I’m spoilt now.
The Escapement Room 