- 21/2/09
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Greetings, RWIers, and welcome to 007 and R2's Guide to Owning a UN Diver or 0ARGTOAUND for short!
Having both recently received UN Dive models, R2 thought it may be a good idea to share with you fine folks some of the in and outs of UN ownership that we have discovered. I totally agreed and R2 was kind enough to ship his brand new Maxi Diver down South for a quick photo session with my Blue Surf. It is a shame that the return address was ripped off during shipping, so I will most likely have to keep it. Especially since I have blocked R2's PMs, email, and phone calls for the foreseeable future.
There will be pictures for those of you that don't like to read, so without further ado, let's "dive in"! (I promise that will be the last cheesy pun you'll encounter in this guide)
First off, these watches are amazing in person. I wish my photos could do them better justice. They are extremely well made and are probably one of the best "bang for buck" reps out there. For well under $200, I challenge you to find a better value.
Bracelet/Strap Options
Style wise, you have a couple options: stainless steel bracelet or rubber strap. Each gives this watch a unique look. Our recommendation: get both! Seriously. The bracelet makes this diver an excellent dress watch, while the rubber puts it right into the casual polo and jeans category.
Both the bracelet and strap deployment are a bit dirty from the factory. If you have access to an ultrasonic cleaner, the bracelet would greatly benefit.
Here are the deployments. Both are diver style, push button. The bracelet also contains a diver extension.
The stainless bracelet and the stainless inserts in the rubber are very sharp. You will want to smooth down those edges. Be careful not to extend the rubber strap outward before you've smoothed the edges or it will cut into the rubber as shown here:
The inserts are held by a post and screw. You will need two screw drivers, one on each side to remove them to get at the insert edges.
Keep in mind the rubber strap will need to be trimmed to fit. My advice: leave yourself a little bit extra in the clasp. You can size it smaller using the micro adjustment holes on both sides. You can always take off more, but can't add any once you've put it under the knife.
A final note about the stainless steel bracelet, the links are held together with screws, so you'll want to throw some Loctite in there to make sure they don't back out.
Dial and Case
Here's a couple of dial shots, very similar but each has their own personality. Can't go wrong with either.
Here are the Limited Edition badges. The Blue Surf comes with a rose gold badge which is correct. The standard Maxi Marine also comes with rose gold which is incorrect. As you can see, R2 has sanded the gold finish off of his badge. Another thing worth noting: the badge screws are not screws! The badges are simply glued to the side. If you want to mod the badge to be correct, you'll need to remove it and re-epoxy.
I haven't taking this one swimming yet, but from other reviews it seems to be very water resistant. You'll want to make sure the case back screws are tight before taking the plunge.
Movement
The movement has the seconds at the 6 and working power reserve. The movement does not "hack" so the second hand will continue to run no matter what position the crown is in. Also note the power reserve will be depleted before the indicator shows "Down".
The date can be a little tricky to change by the crown. R2's was especially finicky getting it to click back into the date change and wind positions from the hand movement position.
Closing Eyecandy
We hope you've enjoyed this little guide. If you have any other tips for the UN, let us know and we'll include them. Here's a few closing shots.
Thanks for reading!
:av007:
:r2d4:
Having both recently received UN Dive models, R2 thought it may be a good idea to share with you fine folks some of the in and outs of UN ownership that we have discovered. I totally agreed and R2 was kind enough to ship his brand new Maxi Diver down South for a quick photo session with my Blue Surf. It is a shame that the return address was ripped off during shipping, so I will most likely have to keep it. Especially since I have blocked R2's PMs, email, and phone calls for the foreseeable future.
There will be pictures for those of you that don't like to read, so without further ado, let's "dive in"! (I promise that will be the last cheesy pun you'll encounter in this guide)
First off, these watches are amazing in person. I wish my photos could do them better justice. They are extremely well made and are probably one of the best "bang for buck" reps out there. For well under $200, I challenge you to find a better value.
Bracelet/Strap Options
Style wise, you have a couple options: stainless steel bracelet or rubber strap. Each gives this watch a unique look. Our recommendation: get both! Seriously. The bracelet makes this diver an excellent dress watch, while the rubber puts it right into the casual polo and jeans category.
Both the bracelet and strap deployment are a bit dirty from the factory. If you have access to an ultrasonic cleaner, the bracelet would greatly benefit.
Here are the deployments. Both are diver style, push button. The bracelet also contains a diver extension.
The stainless bracelet and the stainless inserts in the rubber are very sharp. You will want to smooth down those edges. Be careful not to extend the rubber strap outward before you've smoothed the edges or it will cut into the rubber as shown here:
The inserts are held by a post and screw. You will need two screw drivers, one on each side to remove them to get at the insert edges.
Keep in mind the rubber strap will need to be trimmed to fit. My advice: leave yourself a little bit extra in the clasp. You can size it smaller using the micro adjustment holes on both sides. You can always take off more, but can't add any once you've put it under the knife.
A final note about the stainless steel bracelet, the links are held together with screws, so you'll want to throw some Loctite in there to make sure they don't back out.
Dial and Case
Here's a couple of dial shots, very similar but each has their own personality. Can't go wrong with either.
Here are the Limited Edition badges. The Blue Surf comes with a rose gold badge which is correct. The standard Maxi Marine also comes with rose gold which is incorrect. As you can see, R2 has sanded the gold finish off of his badge. Another thing worth noting: the badge screws are not screws! The badges are simply glued to the side. If you want to mod the badge to be correct, you'll need to remove it and re-epoxy.
I haven't taking this one swimming yet, but from other reviews it seems to be very water resistant. You'll want to make sure the case back screws are tight before taking the plunge.
Movement
The movement has the seconds at the 6 and working power reserve. The movement does not "hack" so the second hand will continue to run no matter what position the crown is in. Also note the power reserve will be depleted before the indicator shows "Down".
The date can be a little tricky to change by the crown. R2's was especially finicky getting it to click back into the date change and wind positions from the hand movement position.
Closing Eyecandy
We hope you've enjoyed this little guide. If you have any other tips for the UN, let us know and we'll include them. Here's a few closing shots.
Thanks for reading!
:av007:
:r2d4:
