- Joined
- Jul 12, 2014
- Messages
- 1,012
Well I asked for some input on the Ballast Trafalgar and I greatly appreciate all of your input. I decided to pull the trigger and it arrived yesterday. I grabbed the black and rose combo. My initial impressions are this:
1. Presentation is above average in a very nice wooden display box
2. Overall fit and finish is very good. All of the machining is crisp dial details are as well. The coatings are all even and consistent and the strap is very nice and compliments the watch perfectly IMHO. The custom submarine logo buckle is a great touch.
3.Now for the real driving force to grab this watch is the unique bezel driven setting system. It is where you unscrew the canteen crown to reveal a pusher that has 2 positions, 1 for setting the date and one for setting the time. When the pusher is in position you rotate the bezel to set the time, set the date and when the pusher is closed, rotating the bezel winds the watch. It all works as advertised. Although the bezel is a little stiff to rotate so when rotating to wind or set can get a little tough on the fingers. I would assume that the stiffness comes from seals that would be necessary to maintain the 100m W.R. Also, there was some question weather this movement was still automatic as well as manual wind and I can answer, yes, that the rotor still does its original job.
4. Lume is pretty lack luster. My pic looks cool but it is very short lived. I'm sure it is affected by being diluted with the pigment to achieve the color they chose for the markers, logo and hands.
So, I am pretty impressed with this watch. It falls a little short in a couple places and really lives up to expectations in others. Price definitely plays a role in expectations as well and if I had payed their retail of $500, it would not be a bargain. But at just under $300, I would recommend to anyone looking to add a watch to the stable with a unique feature not found in any but maybe one multi thousand dollar watch in a really appealing design.
Here are some pics. Thanks for looking.
1. Presentation is above average in a very nice wooden display box
2. Overall fit and finish is very good. All of the machining is crisp dial details are as well. The coatings are all even and consistent and the strap is very nice and compliments the watch perfectly IMHO. The custom submarine logo buckle is a great touch.
3.Now for the real driving force to grab this watch is the unique bezel driven setting system. It is where you unscrew the canteen crown to reveal a pusher that has 2 positions, 1 for setting the date and one for setting the time. When the pusher is in position you rotate the bezel to set the time, set the date and when the pusher is closed, rotating the bezel winds the watch. It all works as advertised. Although the bezel is a little stiff to rotate so when rotating to wind or set can get a little tough on the fingers. I would assume that the stiffness comes from seals that would be necessary to maintain the 100m W.R. Also, there was some question weather this movement was still automatic as well as manual wind and I can answer, yes, that the rotor still does its original job.
4. Lume is pretty lack luster. My pic looks cool but it is very short lived. I'm sure it is affected by being diluted with the pigment to achieve the color they chose for the markers, logo and hands.
So, I am pretty impressed with this watch. It falls a little short in a couple places and really lives up to expectations in others. Price definitely plays a role in expectations as well and if I had payed their retail of $500, it would not be a bargain. But at just under $300, I would recommend to anyone looking to add a watch to the stable with a unique feature not found in any but maybe one multi thousand dollar watch in a really appealing design.
Here are some pics. Thanks for looking.