EWF Impressions:
I’ve been pretty excited to get this piece since I saw it advertised from EWF. Part of me just wanted it so that I can compare its shape and feel to my current submariners. In all honesty, I initially intended to sell it M2M once I compared them. But EWF’s presentation impressed me enough that I plan on keeping it at least for the near future. Just to see how I like it compared to my grailed subs.
That being said, it is not perfect and there are some frustrating aspects of the watch. But fast forward to the end of this post, I will say that the overall feel and look, trumps the cons I noticed initially.
Weight:
Dimensions:
I don’t know the exact dimensions of the gen but it seems relatively comparable to the side by sides I have seen online.
Titanium?
I do not know if this watch is titanium or just made to resemble one. The color is a bit lighter than I expected. Its “matte” presentation is definitely well represented in feel and in look. It is a comfortable bracelet for what it’s trying to accomplish. Personally, I enjoy the luxurious heft of the steel oyster bracelets. Although, if you’re going for comfort, I would favor the titanium offer.
My guess is that the case and caseback are titanium, but I truely don’t know. The bracelet may be some type of composite or made to look like titanium. It failed the magnet test as the link stuck to my refrigerator magnet. No part of the case or caseback triggered a magnetic response. There are no color variations as the case and bracelet match perfectly.
Bezel:
I have a gen watch with a bidirectional bezel and the EWF mechanism seems similar. It has a more dulled, “plastic” feeling similar to my gen. I have always preferred the unidirectional action because of this, I tend to prefer the more visceral, decisive clicks of the submariner. When the bezel is stationary, it seems solid and confidently secure despite its bidirectional DNA. With regard to appearance, the insert’s markers are glossy compared to its general matte body, which compliments that matte dial elegantly (similar to gen).
Other observations:
The glass is accurate from what I could tell. I provided comparison pictures to my VSF 12series. The cyclops performed similarly to the VSF in all environments. It might have just a slighter blue hue but negligible at best. The lume was just as bright as the VSF subs. Perhaps my one biggest criticism that almost made me detest this offering at first was the fragility of the link screws. When I tried to unscrew the bottom link from the clasp, the screw stripped when I applied even moderate pressure. This was only noted on the bottom screw, other link screws came out easily (could just be mine, nonetheless, I would take care when removing them. I actually had to dremel the bottom screw because it would not come out. This experience almost ruined it for me until I started wearing the watch. Of interest, is that when I started machining the screw, I accidentally hit the link and its sparks resembled that of titanium, I’m not an expert so I’m not sure what that means with the magnet test in mind. Finally, the rotor is loud and feels a tad wobbly. I will not be getting in the pool with this watch so I didn’t feel the need to open the caseback, which is probably the tightest I’ve experienced. The most obvious lacking feature is located on the inside of the clasp. The gen has a matte titanium look, while EWF’s offering is polished. Not a deal breaker for me.
In summary, the questionable titanium nature of the watch made me pause for a moment until I started wearing the watch. It is very comfortable and if comfort is your focus, this is a big check. I will leave it up to you guys to comment on whether or not it looks like titanium. My favorite aspect of this watch is its general shape. It is beautiful! The tapered case with the slightly larger markers is golden!! I’ve you have larger wrists, this is perfect. EWF did a good job with the polished crown gaurds and polished lug edges. There is actual shape to these edges similar to the gen. The bottom of the case also resembles the lines that the gen seems to offer. Not an expert, but I would technically rate this watch an 8/10. But I would rate it a 9/10 for overall satisfaction.