CanadaWatchGram

A little while back I reviewed the DIY Watch Club Watchmaking Kit, which provided a few hours of escapism and a pretty nice watch at the end of the process that I assembled myself. If you recall, DIY Watch Club partnered with bespoke Hong Kong watch maker EONIQ - who builds custom automatic watches and allows you to customize a timepiece down to the last detail and have it shipped to you anywhere in the world.

“On top of offering selections for different watch components, we also enable users to upload their own designs and images so they can create truly unique watches,” says EONIQ founder Quinn Lai.

So after my amazing experience with DIY Watch Club, EONIQ reached out with the offer to customize my own watch! Naturally I took them up on the offer and decided to have them help me build a bronze Navigator which is the name of their pilot watch. Rebecca at EONIQ was my guide through the build process and she definitely steered me in the right direction.

The Navigator Build

With EONIQ Watches, the design is done through an easy-to-use online interface. You are able to choose:

– The case finish from stainless steel, PVD to Bronze.

I chose bronze. It's not a case material that you often find on a fleiger or pilots watch.

The bronze case is CNC-ed from a block of Aluminum Bronze. Aluminum bronze creates what is called "alumina", which is a small layer of oxide that's like patina. It's different than the CuSn 8 patina you'll find on higher end dive watches though (for the better in this case).

– The crown. Standard or Knurled. Knurled is a larger onion- style crown and I chose that. It's perfectly grippy and winding is butter-smooth. The crown has the EONIQ logo on it.

– Hands and Lume. Sword hands with a choice of four Vintage faux patina or Standard Super Luminova options. I let EONIQ pick the lume on this and it looks like Rebecca chose green C3 lume though the hands and numbers have a faux patina look. The lume is excellent.

– Dial design. Wow, there are alot of options. 25 in fact. From both B-uhr designs and subtle alternatives of that, to big number designs reminiscent of Vostoks I've seen.

I've always been a fan of the Zenith Type 20 but am not a fan of the cathedral hands on that watch. This is the dial design I chose and paired it with fleiger sword hands to great effect!

– Your preferred strap from over 15 options that include genuine European leather and stainless steel, Person and parachute straps.

I went with classic brown leather with the traditional pilot strap rivets. The strap is thick but not stiff with a signed buckle.

– The look of the bottom and top layer of the dial. You can have your name painted on the face or anything - your creativity is your only limited.

I wanted something subtle but Canadian - so I chose a lumed maple leaf above the word "automatic". I uploaded a jog of the maple leaf - it was easy.

Movement and Specs

EONIQ utilizes Miyota 8 series movements (82S0) with the ability to customize the rotor. This is a workhorse skeletonized 21 jewel movement that should be well known to most micro brand enthusiasts. Is it a super premium movement? No, but it's cost effective without sacrificing reliability - and it's easy to service.

The crystal on the Navigator is sapphire. At 44mm the watch is large enough to be prone to knocks so the sapphire crystal makes sense. It's treated with 5 layers of AR coating too and is super easy to photograph

The watch is 12.4mm thick and weighs around 75 grams.

The Verdict

My watch was built on May 25th and arrived from Hong Kong on May 29th. A shockingly fast build and ship time. Your mileage may vary, but that is impressive. I was worried though, would the watch quality suffer?

It did not. At all.

My Bronze Navigator is flawless. From the crisp dial printing, to the laser-etched "CanadaWatchGram Limited Edition" rotor, to the silky smooth bronze case, bright lume and premium leather strap this is a fantastic-looking watch that I'm really proud of and very impressed by.

Honestly, watchfam, the only thing I would improve is the movement. Perhaps high beat Miyota (9 series) just to improve the sweep of the second hand and avoid any stutter. For some a 42mm case or smaller might also make the watch more attractive. That's it.

The build quality is up there with anything in the $1,000 CDN range (the higher end of the affordable spectrum), but what makes EONIQ a great option in the growing world of made-to- order and microbrand watches is the individual care the put into it. This really felt like a quality small batch timepiece, and not a mass produced hastily assembled watch. I highly recommend this for anyone who really wants a watch that's unique to them and are looking for premium materials assembled by hand with care.

If you like this design you can order your own version of it. Simply reference this blog post and be sure to tag me on Instagram when it's completed!

https://eoniq.co/products/navigator/DN8THI8D2UJ5M7SRQ2M56

Full disclosure: DIY Watch Club provided a kit for the purposes of featuring it here and on Instagram.

Today I've got the opportunity to review something unique - the DIY Watch Club Watchmaking tool kit from EONIQ! This is a brand new concept workshop where EONIQ provides all watchmaking tools and watch parts and users follow the instructions included on video step by step, to assemble their own watch!

Background

EONIQ is a custom watch brand based out of Hong Kong. Like Undone, they give you the ability to customize numerous watch styles. They describe themselves as “the first globally to bring customized mechanical watches that are designed by users on our website at the price point of a fashion watch.” Founded in 2014, they had a crowdfunding campaign in 2016 on Indiegogo. The $60,000 crowdfunding campaign on IndieGoGo hit its target in 1.5 hours and hit $200,000 within the first week. At the end of the campaign they raised $466,693 by 1551 backers.

Now with DIY Watch Club they've brought the watch assembly experience to hobbyists.

Personally, I've taken watches apart before, cleaned dials and crystals and of course changed batteries - so some of this was familiar, but there was still much that I was hoping to learn.

My watch kit arrived from Hong Kong it cardboard box with a nice quality zip-up case containing all the parts.

What's In The Box

The kit includes:

* A 38.5mm "Mosel" mechanical watch (with silver dial and Miyota 82S0 gun color movement)

* 316L stainless steel case

* Curved ACRYLITE ® 8N crystal

* See thru screw down caseback.

* A classic black leather strap

* A set of DIY Watch Watchmaking tools with teaching videos (there are three choices of Mandarin, Cantonese and English)

Tools:

tweezers

finger cots

hand pump

suede

Rodico

loupe

case opener

hand removal tools

protective film for hand removal

hand setting tool

screwdriver

peg wood

Overall the tools are solid - decent quality and will definitely come in handy for future maintenance on this and other watches.

The Process

You start off by scanning the QR code on the enclosed card, go through a quick sign up and you're in. Right away you get an introduction to what’s inside the package, and it shows you how to wear finger cots to protect the movement.

You then put the pins in the case back removal tool and remove the caseback from the movement. Then you view a quick tutorial on how to properly handle the movement so as to avoid damaging it.

Next you install the stem and crown, and the dial, movement holder, and movement. This is the part where I had the most difficulty. Fitting the dial into the movement took some effort. I was expecting putting the hands on to be the most difficult part of the assembly, but it was this step that took the longest as the dial was stubborn and would not stay attached. The dial is very nice looking though - mine was a silver sunburst dial that was not unlike a Seiko 5 dial in appearance. It's really sharp.

Hands

The hands were next - starting with the hour and the minute hand. I liked the emphasis on this section and it was good to find the kit came with a second set of hands because this part is tedious. I managed to succeed on the first try.

Aesthetically, the hands could be better. I would have preferred Timex Marlin style hands instead of polished hands with this dial to give it a cool vintage look - but that's just a personal design preference. You mileage may vary.

Once the hands are on and properly aligned you clean everything using the hand pump, rodico and peg wood. The the movement is installed in the case, the caseback screwed on and the leather strap (quick release spring bars) is affixed on the watch. At this point just over an hour and 30 minutes had passed from unboxing to a wearable watch!

Final Thoughts

What a fun activity! Being in lock down this was a great escape from the monotony of Covid-19 isolation. Did I end up with a luxury watch? No. Am I now a watchmaker? Not really. Did I have enjoy the experience? I actually really did.

The watch itself is nice. An automatic , open heart dial with a retro silver sunburst dial and a robust Miyota movement that hacks and handwinds. But really this is not something you've invested in to get a luxury watch when you're done assembling it.

Instead you get a really cool experience that can be a nice introduction to watch making or even watch modding and a watch that you assembled! I think that's what you're ultimately paying for here: a one of a kind horological experience in your own home. I highly recommend it for anyone who is curious about watch modding and even watchmaking or for someone looking for a gift for an aspiring watchmaker or WIS. I had a great time.

You can get your own kit at https://diywatch.club

#Advertising – Sternglas provided a Topograph for the purposes of featuring it here and on Instagram.

And, before you read any further, I have a gift for my followers from Sternglas! You can now use discount code: CANADAWATCHGRAM25 to get 25€ off any automatic watch from Sternglas. Simply visit www.sternglas.com and use the code at checkout.

The Review

2019 marks the 100th anniversary of the Bauhaus School opening its doors. And, in an ever complicated modern world, the Bauhaus agenda is refreshingly focused on design, art, and craftsmanship as the means to a better world.

Enter Sternglas. Founded by Dustin Fontaine when he launched a kickstarter campaign in October 2016, Sternglas is a microbrand located in Hamburg, Germany with a Bauhaus philosophy of creating functional watches at an affordable price, accessible by all.  

With a result of € 16,500, that first campaign three years ago clearly exceeded the funding target of € 10,000 and Sternglas was off and running with the first watches going into production. Now Sternglas is one of the most respected micro brands and has 4 wildly popular models – the latest of which is the Topograph.

The Topograph is their new 42mm diameter minimalist watch - a bit bigger and more masculine than the others in the Sternglas collection and a watch that jumped out at me when researching the brand.

Specs

Diameter: 42 mm stainless steel

Height: 10 mm

Movement: MIYOTA Caliber 821A

Power reserve: 42 hrs

Vibration frequency: 21,600

Jewels: 21

Glass: Domed sapphire

Lug width: 20 mm

Caseback: Sapphire

Water resistance: 50 meters

Guarantee: 24-month

Price: €379

Case

The 316L stainless steel case consists of three parts - a retaining ring, the middle case and the caseback which forgoes the standard screwdown caseback and instead is fastened with six small screws. The back is engraved with the text "Sternglas Zeitmesser + Design aus Hamburg + Automatik + 5 atm Wasserdicht".

The lugs are small, short and curved down which really delivers a comfortable fit. Due to the short lugs the lug tip to lug tip measures 50.5mm, the lug width is 20mm.

It needs to be highlighted that the caseback glass is also sapphire!

Dial and Crystal

The Topograph features a double-domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating. One of the most prominent features of the watch, the sapphire crystal does still give off some reflections, and one of the main "weaknesses" of this watch is how difficult it is to photograph due to the height of the gorgeous domed crystal and the way the light catches it!

Nonetheless, the deep black face contrasts with the thin white hands and crisp markings, creating a precise and minimalist look that is very legible at nearly every angle - even with arc of the the dome and the ease of which it catches light.  A date window is placed at the 3:00 position and features a white date wheel - matching it perfectly with the hands. The hands and dial are not lumed.

Movement

Speaking of movements, you hear alot about "workhorse" movements these days - but when you boil it down, what exactly does that term really mean? 

A true workhorse needs to be a simple design that does the job efficiently with as few moving parts as possible, yet is still accurate, reliable, not too expensive, and easy and affordable to service. The movement inside the Topograph accomplishes just that - a Japanese made Miyota 821A movement with custom branded rotor. Functionally, the 821A is a hacking, hand-winding automatic with date and a frequency of 21,600 bph. It’s kept good time throughout my wearing of the watch. The 21,600 bph movement translates to a noticeably less smooth sweep of the second hand than the 28,800 bph of the Miyota 9015, however I don’t really feel that high-beat movement is missed here in this package. Completely functional, robust, and good looking – the engine powering the Topograph willl run faithfully for years.

Strap

Far too often straps nowdays require an uncomfortable break-in period before they really become something you look forward to wearing. That’s actually not the case with the Topograph and the leather strap is soft and supple right away - molding to the wrist without any stiffness or cheap feel.

Verdict

4.5 out of 5! Nearly perfect. A touch of lume on the hands would truly complete this timepiece, but otherwise a solid winner highlighted by unique design, great specs, and German quality and attention to details. The price is right in the sweet spot for an affordable automatic too, with few other watches in the price range offering sapphire on both the crystal and the caseback.

Overall this unique take on minimalism and simplicity makes the Topograph a great casual watch for creative professionals and other people who like to think outside of the box!

Disclaimer: Spinnaker Watches sent Canadawatchgram this watch for free for the purposes of this review. It needs to be said upfront that a free watch doesn’t guarantee a good review (or even a review at all) – as impartiality is held above all else here. Had the watch not met my standards of quality, it would not have appeared here at all. But since you’re here and it’s here, you can guess where this is going.

First though for those new to watches, Spinnaker is one of multiple watch brands of Dartmouth Brands, which sells watches made by Hong Kong watch maker Solar Time, Ltd. They make sporty watches with a direct nautical influence with some named after key nautical personalities. All Spinnaker watches are sold at very affordable price points and most offer solid specs for the money.

The first Spinnaker I ever saw was a “Wreck”, a watch with an intentionally distressed look (hence the name), which I thought was a great idea though not something I was into at the time. Despite this exposure to Spinnaker, I’ve not had a chance to own another one as they’re not widely available in Canada. Fast forward to April 2019 when Spinnaker reached out directly and asked if I’d like to review one. A few messages later and Spinnaker has graciously provided me with a brand-new Bradner SP-5062-02 to review. Honestly, I respect a brand that is willing to offer up a free watch to a unsigned brand ambassador or influencer. It shows they’re confident in their product – but would the Bradner meet Canadawatchgram’s expectations?

Well, after wearing it for the past week I’m ready to deliver my verdict. In short – yes – it’s a winner.

So what’s the “Bradner”? The Bradner is a retro-styled dive-inspired dual-crown watch that bears a strong resemblance to the Dan Henry 1970 and a few vintage compressor divers from 70’s like the Wyler Dynawind Super Compressor. The Bradner is named after Hugh Bradner, an American Manhattan Project physicist who is credited with inventing the neoprene wetsuit. After the war Bradner investigated the problems encountered by frogmen staying in cold water for long periods of time. He developed a neoprene suit which could trap the water between the body and the neoprene, and thereby keep them warm. After his invention became known as the "father of the wetsuit." Bradner lived to the age of 92, passing away in 2008. It’s unknown how much input (if any) Bradner’s family had on this watch; but regardless it’s still a fitting tribute to an icon.

Let’s get the specs out of the way first:

·         42mm Stainless Steel Case

·         50mm Lug To Lug

·         14mm Thick

·         22mm Lug Width

·         Seiko NH35 Automatic Movement

·         180 Meters Water Resistant

·         Leather Strap

I’m not going to lie, the height and heft of this watch was surprising when I first unboxed it. This is definitely a watch you’ll feel on your wrist and yet at the same time it was extremely comfortable to wear. I took it on a number of trips during the May long weekend and not once did I find it to be uncomfortable, nor did I find it got in the way, despite it’s height.

This watch has a number of great features  - the first being the slightly domed sapphire crystal which is great to see (and really should be standard at this price point – ahem Seiko). On the case’s side is a screw-down crown at 4 o’clock that controls the time setting, while a non-screw down crown at 2 o’clock adjusts the bi-directional inner bezel. The bezel’s minute markers – like the hands and hour markers – are coated with lume, that while not the brightest I’ve come across (like Seiko or Szanto) – is still good enough to post on Instagram on Friday night after a short charge (which I have already!). The inner bezel combines with the curved edge of the sapphire crystal and delivers a really cool distorted three-dimensional retro look. A signed Spinnaker “yacht sail” logo adds a nice flair to the 4 o’clock crown. The overall finish is nearly perfect. I did not detect any blemishes or rough finishing anywhere on the watch.

The sunburst dial is also a looker – and though not “vintage”, it gives the watch a very premium dimension vs if it had been just a plain black dial. A nice touch by Spinnaker there. Expect others to notice this watch!

Water resistance is set at 180m, which is more than enough for anyone who isn’t planning on taking this on a serious dive. The leather strap is more water resistant than regular straps as well – it’s a hefty chunk of leather that Spinnaker claims is water-proof treated so the watch should not have any trouble handling any emergency water situation. A signed, brushed buckle completes the set up. I suppose at some point, I’ll be tempted to swap the strap for a Bond-nato but honestly, unlike many entry-level watch straps, this strap is a keeper.

Under the hood, The Spinnaker-decorated Seiko NH35 movement has been referred to as a “workhorse” a million times before. In short, it’s a reliable and robust movement based on the solid 4R36 calibre that appeared in 2011. It’s a 24 jewel movement with a 41 hour power reserve that hacks and handwinds. And while some entry-level automatic movements or watches like the Orient Mako can suffer from noisy rotors, the Bradner’s case design rendered this movement whisper quiet – which was a welcome change  - and I never notice it when it’s on my wrist.

So no watch is perfect and any review that doesn’t point out a product’s flaws simply wouldn’t be honest. So as far as cons go, there was one thing that does bother me about the Bradner and that’s the inner bezel crown. It’s not a screw down, so it’s held in place by friction and for me I felt with was waaay too easy to turn and often found it got moved around just through regular wear. Even shooting it I’d turn my wrist and the inner bezel would move. This would no doubt make it difficult to use it to time something in a busy environment. I also felt the Super Luminova faded fairly quickly even if it was bright at first. Lume is tricky though for an affordable watch collector who has been spoiled by Seiko’s amazing in-house lume – and I’d put this lume on par with a Citizen or Hamilton of around the same price. I’d personally love to see a future Spinnaker with tritium tubes.

In conclusion – for under $400 Canadian,  there’s a lot of watch here and it competes well with any number of microbrand divers that have recently flooded the market. Overall I’d give the Bradner 4.5 out of 5 stars. It’s perfect for anyone who appreciates value but are still looking for a watch that’s a little different from the normal Submariner or Fifty Fathoms microbrand dive watches you’ll find everywhere. It’s also perfect if you’re craving a vintage look but still want a modern size and specs. The stainless steel case, bulletproof movement and screw down crown should keep this watch running worry-free for decades. 

For me this is a keeper – a nice addition to my collection that will be a great everyday wear or casual wear watch around the office. Thank you Spinnaker!

A little How To... completely redundant in the iPhone era, but for those who like to know stuff! 👆Hit 👉 1iOpen.tv/blog for full video ⏱📽 Featuring @momentumwatch 🇨🇦

From the deep vacuum of space to the harsh cold of the lunar surface - these are 10 space watches for any collector.

At #9 the Omega Speedmaster X-33 (2nd Gen Ref. 3291.50)

Popularized by fellow Miltonian Chris Hadfield, the X-33 is the standard for modern space watches.

Omega made two separate production versions of the Speedmaster Professional X-33 in its lifetime. The first version released in 1998 is commonly known as the First Gen X-33. In 2001 Omega released an updated version of the X-33 now known as the 2nd Gen model, 3291.50.

Omega called upon highly accomplished professionals such as Commander Tom Stafford (Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, Apollo 10, and Project Gemini) and noteworthy figures from squadrons like the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds to provide thoughtful input on the design of this watch. .

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With their help, a series of prototypes of the X-33 were created over the course of three years, and were tested by Russian cosmonauts including Victor Afansiev, and NASA astronaut Richard Linnehan. X-33 initially was the project name Omega gave to these watches, inspired by the Lockheed Martin X-33 of the 1990’s. Reputably the name became so popular that Omega decided to drop the Flightmaster name and make it a sub-model of the Speedmaster Professional range.

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The X-33 was constructed solely from titanium. Titanium’s properties, which are a combination of high strength, stiffness, toughness, low density, and good corrosion resistance led Omega and NASA to choose the material instead of steel.

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Inside is a high-end multi-function ana-digi quartz movement. Omega made sure to include an 80-decibel alarm within the watch, because a standard-decibel alarm might not be heard while in the confinement of the space shuttle. Additionally, an advanced crown system was implemented that needed only to be pushed to operate the X-33’s functions when wearing large gloves, along with a brightly illuminated digital display that would allow astronauts to keep track of how much time has elapsed since the beginning of a mission (up to 999 days) and perform several calculations if needed.

It's been a while since I did a watch countdown - so here's a new one!

From the deep vacuum of space to the harsh cold of the lunar surface - these are 10 space watches for any collector.

At #10 the G Gerlach Kosmonauta.

This is a reissue of the watch worn by the first and only Polish Kosmonaut, General Miroslaw Hermaszewski.

For his trip on Soyuz 30 in 1978, Hermaszewski was fitted with the very first Polish digital watch - a cutting-edge Unitra Warel LED. It was made in Poland and used components developed in conjunction with Japanese tech company Sanyo.

The Kosmonauta is a modern take on this watch. It's a reasonably-sized 40mm watch that features a sapphire crystal, and 100-meters of water-resistance. It has two manually-activated functions on the 2 o’clock pusher: press once for time, twice for date. Time-setting is also the same as the original and runs through the recessed crown at 4. G. Gerlach uses its own LED Module-001GG movement and it features a 2-year battery life.

Overall it's a great little slice of 70's culture and a unique space watch reissue that's hard to pass up.

“Watches in Movies” Countdown

At #4, The Omega CK2129

Film: Dunkirk (2017)

Tom Hardy’s character depended heavily on his watch in the WW2 movie “Dunkirk”. Hardy played a Spitfire pilot in the Royal Air Force, who must use this watch to calculate the amount of fuel he has left when his gauge is smashed by enemy fire.

The watch featured is an Omega “RAF” 1940, ref CK2129, which was delivered to Great Britain’s ministry of Defence in 1940. Only 2000 were made making it particularly notable that Christopher Nolan was able to source an authentic model for the film. 📷 from a_collected_man