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GUG #7 - The Ocean7 American Limited Edition

Dan_Gerous

Known Member
26/5/08
129
0
0
The Ocean7 American Limited Edition

I recently picked up an Ocean7 American Limited Edition and thought I should do a review for our GUG section. This is my first watch review ever, so be kind. ;-)

First off, for those of you unfamiliar with Ocean7, here is a little background on the company.
Ocean7 (http://www.ocean7watchco.com) is a US based watch company that has been around for a couple of year now, and has been steadily building a reputation in the WIS world. They are primarily dedicated to the creation of dive watches, but also have some none dive models, including the American LE. To keep prices down they sell their watches exclusively on their own website. This is what the website says: “Our mission is to provide enthusiasts with the best quality watches available anywhere in the world, at pricing that can be achieved only by selling direct. Our watches are produced in limited quantities using the best available materials, and are sold exclusively over the Internet.†They have a number of watches priced under $1000 in the materials steel and titanium as well as ceramic.

Now back to the watch itself. Price of the watch is $889 (plus shipping). For that you get the following:

Watch details:
• Limited edition of 100 pieces - Swiss Made
• Titanium case with 24mm lugs
• Case diameter: 44mm between 10:00 and 4:00
• Case height: 16mm
• Movement: Sellita SW200 – 26 jewels Automatic 28,800 BPM
• Domed sapphire crystal
• 36mm dial with dark blue lightly etched star pattern dial
• Special case back engraving showing the Navy Jack flag

Bracelet/straps included:
• Titanium bracelet – 24/24 mm wide
• Dark blue leather strap with red stitching and steel buckle – 24/22 mm wide
• Silicone strap with steel buckle– 24/22 mm wide
• Extra titanium buckle for the silicone strap.

Additional accessories included:
• Black wood box lined in black velvet
• Springbar tool
• Polishing cloth
• Extra springbars
• Autographed and numbered copy of Don’t Tread On Me, by H.W. Crocker, III. Each copy numbered to match the serial numbers on each watch.
• Reproduction poster from WWII

Additionally, a $100 donation to the Freedom Is Not Free organization is made with each sale. Freedom is Not Free (http://www.freedomisnotfree.com) is a non-profit organization dedicated to aiding wounded US military service members, their families, and the families of the fatally wounded.

Most of the parts of the Ocean 7 watches, this being no exception (i.e. case etc.) is made in China in an effort to keep cost down. This is something the company is quite open about (as opposed to many other Swiss made watches), but as the movement is Swiss made and all assembly is done in Switzerland they qualify to label the watch as Swiss made.

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Watch:
This is a big watch at 44 mm, and due to the large dial it wears even bigger, but I still think it looks good on my not-exactly-huge wrist. Due to the titanium case it’s not too heavy, and feels good on. The case has a nice satin brushed finish, and seems to be of an overall very good quality. The back of the I wish that the engravings were a bit deeper, and the inside of the lugs are a bit on the sharp side, but for what you pay this is in my opinion nitpicking. The only text on the dial is the Ocean7 logo, and the dial is in a beautiful dark blue color with a subtle star pattern that adds a bit of depth to an otherwise understated design. The legibility is excellent both day and night due to the contrasting colors and use of superluminova on both hands and indices.

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Movement:
The Sellita SW200 is a Swiss made automatic movement modeled after an ETA 2824-2, as the patent for that movement has expired. They have done a few changes to the design, including the addition of an additional jewel to make the jewel count 26. Sellita may not be as well know or as large as ETA, but have been around for quite a while, and have in fact been suppling ETA with movement components since around 1950. Reviews of the movement sites it as being as good, if not better that the 2824-2 it draws its inspiration from. So far the movement seems to keep good time, but I have not had it checked for accuracy.

Bracelet and straps:
Initially I felt the titanium bracelet seemed a bit too for a lack of a better word wiggly. I’m not sure if this is due to the metal (titanium), the construction or the tolerances. My guess is it is a combination of all of the above. However when adjusted on the arm the bracelet is quite comfortable, and not nearly as “bad†as I expected, and for the price it’s great. My only gripe is that the edges are a tad sharp, something that can (and will) be easily remedied. The leather strap seems to be of good quality, has a nice thickness to it, and its dark blue color with red stitching complements the watch nicely. The silicone strap seems equally well made, and is my perspective a very cool design, emulating the look of the old Omega PloProf rubber straps.

Purchase process:
As mentioned earlier, the Ocean7 watches can only be purchased from their website. This worked effortlessly for me, even though I had it shipped to another address than my credit card (different country even). Mitch, the owner of Ocean7, answered all my questions via email with impressive speed, and the shipping via FedEx worked perfectly.

Overall I would have to say the watch is excellent value for money. How often can you find a brand new Swiss made titanium watch with bracelet and two straps included for under a thousand bucks? The fact that the watch is a limited edition of only 100 pieces, and that Ocean7 donates $100 to charity for each watch sold makes it even more impressive. I’m fairly sure this is not the last watch I will buy from Ocean7.

The above pictures originate from the Ocean7 site. Below are my pictures.

Wristshots:

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Other shots:

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LegendofSpeed

Put Some Respect On My Name
4/5/06
5,722
3
0
Re: The Ocean7 American Limited Edition

Terrific review.... thanks for taking the time to do it....
 

Exploder

I'm Pretty Popular
23/3/08
1,039
0
0
Re: The Ocean7 American Limited Edition

Nice watch, great review. Looking forward to the wrist shots - Get them up! :D

Xplodr
 

seanf

Mythical Poster
Advisor
29/11/06
6,011
18
38
Re: The Ocean7 American Limited Edition

Great review. Kind of reminds me of a Kobold, but better looking and not as silly in terms of pricing. Stickied!
 

horologie_unitas

Put Some Respect On My Name
3/12/06
5,148
3
0
i agree, great review.
i am sure its high quality....

i really like plain base watches.....but this watch does not get me any excitement. looks like they copied an Omega Seamaster,

i would not buy it. its good though that everyone has a different taste, and i am glad you like it. there are very nice other models from

this brand that i would consider.

good luck for it.
 

jkirke

Known Member
28/10/07
101
0
0
those strap options are AWESOME.

very cool piece.

now contemplating ANOTHER purchase.