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Zach Weiss
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Steinhart is a familiar name to those of us who have been interested in affordable watches over the last several years. When we were first getting into this world, their watches offered a lot of bang for the buck, and looked good too, as they were largely homage watches or recreations of classic styles, like fliegers and marines. Steinhart also manages to do something few other brands are able to, and seemingly with no great explanation as to how, which is offer Swiss made automatic movements in watches that often cost under $500. What they lacked in originality, they seemingly made up for in style and low prices.
With that said, it’s been a few years since we last reviewed a Steinhart watch. To this day, our review of the Ocean Vintage Military (OVM) remains one of our most read articles and watched videos. The Rolex Mil-Sub homage watch just oozed style, and while controversial, as any homage watch is, was just too much fun to ignore. Plus, the watch it was based on is so rare and goes for so much at auction that an homage to it is hardly hurting sales. If anything, it celebrates the watch it was based on, telling its story to a new era of collector. Needless to say, the OVM became a huge cult hit and was, for a time, always sold out. Since then, Steinhart has released plenty of watches, many of which we’ve mentioned the release of, but none to my knowledge has reached the status of the OVM.
Well, when Steinhart released the Ocean One Titanium Premium 500, the team here all felt that this could be their next hit. This time, instead of being an homage to a specific Rolex reference, the watch went its own direction. The case became titanium, the water resistance claims a depth of 500m, and the dial plays with the sub-layout but is its own thing (or close enough). Clearly, it’s a play at the Tudor Pelagos, but rather than being a look-alike, they made something with similar stats and concept. Both being a modernized play on the Submariner.
More over, it was simply cool looking. Homage watches are fun, but honestly in the years we’ve been doing this, I’ve lost interest in them. More and more micro-brands have popped up with unique visions and stories, creating a marketplace of great watches… for my money, I’d rather buy something unique. So, I was glad to see Steinhart veering away from pure homage. Sure, it has a sub feel, many many watches do, but it wants to be its own watch, and I can get behind that idea. Plus, in true Steinhart fashion, it’s under priced. Featuring a Soprod A10, ceramic bezel and of course titanium case and bracelet, the OTP (it needed an acronym with such a long winded name) comes in at around $540. Knowing a bit about what things cost, that’s a crazy price. The question is, did they cut corners elsewhere to achieve it?
Steinhart Ocean One Titanium Premium 500
Case: Titanium
Movement: Soprod A10
Dial: Matte Black
Lume: BGW9
Lens: Sapphire w/ AR
Strap: Titanium Bracelet
Water Res.: 500 m
Dimensions: 42 x 50 mm
Thickness: 14.85 mm
Lug Width: 22 mm
Crown: 7 x 4.5mm
Warranty: 2 Years
Price: $540 (w/o 19% VAT)
Case
The OTP’s case, as the name clearly indicates, is made of titanium instead of steel. This is the biggest departure from the other Ocean One line cases. Compared to the OVM, the size and shape are identical. After having not worn an Ocean line watch in a few years, I still found the size pleasant at 42 x 50 x 14.85mm (to the top of domed sapphire, 13mm without). It’s a robust watch, giving some sub-styling with a more modern and aggressive tool watch feel. It also wears a bit smaller than it sounds due to the proportions of the case sections and the wide bezel.
The design itself is to be expected, if you’ve owned or seen a Steinhart Ocean before. From the top, the case has classic lines that are dominated by a large bezel with sub-like cutouts for texture. On the right side is a chunky 7 x 4.5mm screw down crown that sits within small triangular guards. From the side, you can see that the mid-case is quite thin and fairly flat, lending to some vintage feel. The bezel angles upwards, meeting the large domed sapphire crystal. The crystal is a strong point of the case design as it’s very attractive, with a tall chamfer on its edge leading to a dome, and has pretty decent AR.
The bezel mechanism has a good action to it too. It’s a 120-click unidirectional bezel with a nice snap and little back play that lines up close to the mark. It has enough resistance that accidental turning is not a concern, but not so much that turning it is unpleasant. A great feature that goes towards the modern concept of the OTP is the use of a black ceramic bezel. It’s more scratch resistant and has a very clean look. I’m a bit torn on the glossiness, as matte might have played off of the titanium nicely (hence its use on the Pelagos) and added to the mil-feel of the dial, but the gloss has some charm too. Unlike the OVM, the ceramic insert also features full lume markers, which glow excellently.
Flipping the watch over, you have a display case-back, with a steel edge. Around the border of the window you have various expected details about the watch. Looking in, you have a delightful view of the Soprod A10-2 movement. To me, this is the highlight of the watch. It’s a gorgeous movement, with perlage, blue screws, various graining and a gold tone Steinhart rotor. It’s also a bit uncommon in general, though especially at this price point, as Soprod is a smaller, more boutique movement provider than Sellita, Miyota or Seiko.
The post Steinhart Ocean One Titanium Premium 500 Review appeared first on worn&wound.
Continue reading...
Let us know your thoughts and impressions.
Steinhart is a familiar name to those of us who have been interested in affordable watches over the last several years. When we were first getting into this world, their watches offered a lot of bang for the buck, and looked good too, as they were largely homage watches or recreations of classic styles, like fliegers and marines. Steinhart also manages to do something few other brands are able to, and seemingly with no great explanation as to how, which is offer Swiss made automatic movements in watches that often cost under $500. What they lacked in originality, they seemingly made up for in style and low prices.
With that said, it’s been a few years since we last reviewed a Steinhart watch. To this day, our review of the Ocean Vintage Military (OVM) remains one of our most read articles and watched videos. The Rolex Mil-Sub homage watch just oozed style, and while controversial, as any homage watch is, was just too much fun to ignore. Plus, the watch it was based on is so rare and goes for so much at auction that an homage to it is hardly hurting sales. If anything, it celebrates the watch it was based on, telling its story to a new era of collector. Needless to say, the OVM became a huge cult hit and was, for a time, always sold out. Since then, Steinhart has released plenty of watches, many of which we’ve mentioned the release of, but none to my knowledge has reached the status of the OVM.
Well, when Steinhart released the Ocean One Titanium Premium 500, the team here all felt that this could be their next hit. This time, instead of being an homage to a specific Rolex reference, the watch went its own direction. The case became titanium, the water resistance claims a depth of 500m, and the dial plays with the sub-layout but is its own thing (or close enough). Clearly, it’s a play at the Tudor Pelagos, but rather than being a look-alike, they made something with similar stats and concept. Both being a modernized play on the Submariner.
More over, it was simply cool looking. Homage watches are fun, but honestly in the years we’ve been doing this, I’ve lost interest in them. More and more micro-brands have popped up with unique visions and stories, creating a marketplace of great watches… for my money, I’d rather buy something unique. So, I was glad to see Steinhart veering away from pure homage. Sure, it has a sub feel, many many watches do, but it wants to be its own watch, and I can get behind that idea. Plus, in true Steinhart fashion, it’s under priced. Featuring a Soprod A10, ceramic bezel and of course titanium case and bracelet, the OTP (it needed an acronym with such a long winded name) comes in at around $540. Knowing a bit about what things cost, that’s a crazy price. The question is, did they cut corners elsewhere to achieve it?
Steinhart Ocean One Titanium Premium 500
Case: TitaniumMovement: Soprod A10
Dial: Matte Black
Lume: BGW9
Lens: Sapphire w/ AR
Strap: Titanium Bracelet
Water Res.: 500 m
Dimensions: 42 x 50 mm
Thickness: 14.85 mm
Lug Width: 22 mm
Crown: 7 x 4.5mm
Warranty: 2 Years
Price: $540 (w/o 19% VAT)
Case
The OTP’s case, as the name clearly indicates, is made of titanium instead of steel. This is the biggest departure from the other Ocean One line cases. Compared to the OVM, the size and shape are identical. After having not worn an Ocean line watch in a few years, I still found the size pleasant at 42 x 50 x 14.85mm (to the top of domed sapphire, 13mm without). It’s a robust watch, giving some sub-styling with a more modern and aggressive tool watch feel. It also wears a bit smaller than it sounds due to the proportions of the case sections and the wide bezel.
The design itself is to be expected, if you’ve owned or seen a Steinhart Ocean before. From the top, the case has classic lines that are dominated by a large bezel with sub-like cutouts for texture. On the right side is a chunky 7 x 4.5mm screw down crown that sits within small triangular guards. From the side, you can see that the mid-case is quite thin and fairly flat, lending to some vintage feel. The bezel angles upwards, meeting the large domed sapphire crystal. The crystal is a strong point of the case design as it’s very attractive, with a tall chamfer on its edge leading to a dome, and has pretty decent AR.
The bezel mechanism has a good action to it too. It’s a 120-click unidirectional bezel with a nice snap and little back play that lines up close to the mark. It has enough resistance that accidental turning is not a concern, but not so much that turning it is unpleasant. A great feature that goes towards the modern concept of the OTP is the use of a black ceramic bezel. It’s more scratch resistant and has a very clean look. I’m a bit torn on the glossiness, as matte might have played off of the titanium nicely (hence its use on the Pelagos) and added to the mil-feel of the dial, but the gloss has some charm too. Unlike the OVM, the ceramic insert also features full lume markers, which glow excellently.
Flipping the watch over, you have a display case-back, with a steel edge. Around the border of the window you have various expected details about the watch. Looking in, you have a delightful view of the Soprod A10-2 movement. To me, this is the highlight of the watch. It’s a gorgeous movement, with perlage, blue screws, various graining and a gold tone Steinhart rotor. It’s also a bit uncommon in general, though especially at this price point, as Soprod is a smaller, more boutique movement provider than Sellita, Miyota or Seiko.
The post Steinhart Ocean One Titanium Premium 500 Review appeared first on worn&wound.
Continue reading...
Let us know your thoughts and impressions.