Having read a few of the other reviews here today, it's inspired me to try my hand at my own quick & dirty one. It will only be short as I'm having a 'break' at work, but I'll try to get all the points down.
First, here's a pic (credit to the original photographer - their skills are far superior to mine!)
Size: 42mm x 13mm
Weight: 180 grams
Calibre: Ronda 715
Strap: Stainless Steel/IPK 22mm
Water Resistance: 300 metres
The watch comes in a very nicely presented soft lined leather case, complete with polishing cloth, warrantee (60 months guaranteed!) and personally signed Christopher Ward letter with the serial number of the watch on (there were only 300 made in total - 250 of which were for sale). When I collected this when it was dropped off by courier, it felt like I was carrying a brick!
The strap is IPK coated. As you can see from the pic it's got a '3-tone' effect to it - with a black centre surrounded by sets of two thin polished links then wider beadblasted links to match the case. The links are held together by split pins, which I see as a bonus after having had hassles with Seiko pins & collars in the past! The strap is made of solid links and feels very sturdy. The IPK coating is holding up very nicely too - after 2 months of desk-diving it isn't showing any scrapes of marks yet either!
If I were to have one gripe with the strap, it would be down to the butterfly clasp on the watch. Whilst it does keep the strap looking very streamlined, and I like the fact that I'm not constantly clanking a chunky buckle against the table when I use my keyboard, it does mean that you can't perform fine adjustments. This leaves the strap either feeling slightly too tight or too loose throughout the day, and the heaviness of the watch head can pull the watch down towards my hand when the strap's loose.
One very strange thing about the strap is that there's a drilled lug of the first piece of the bracelet after the ones that are secured to the watch head. This does actually help to secure the head to your wrist, as it's almost like an extension of it across your wrist.
The case is beadblasted and doesn't seem to look too big on my wrist. As I've mentioned already though, it is pretty heavy. Whilst this does feel reassuring, it can pull the watch down on your wrist somewhat if, like me, your wrists aren't quite the right size for the adjusted links.
The back of the case carries a 'No Decompression Table' (NDL Table) on the back, along with the watches serial number engraved in. Whilst this has no use for my desk diving needs, I'm sure that it could be handy if you used the watch for diving. Certainly as a way of 'certifying' this watch as a 'proper' divers piece it's a nice touch!
The crown screws in and out very smoothly and unlike the Seiko's I've owned in the past, doesn't feel like it'd be easy to crossthread the screw (what a nightmare that'd be!
)The bezel matches the beadblasted case perfectly and the 5 minute interval markings are separated by black (probably plastic) inserts, which match the bracelet very nicely. I think that it's a 60-click uni-directional bezel, but it clicks nice & smoothly. It slopes away from the crystal slightly which helps to give the impression of the watch being slightly thinner than it actually is. It has a scalloped edge to it and is thick enough that I don't have any problem turning it by hand, though I can't say what this would be like whilst wearing gloves.
There is a luminous pip at the 12 o'clock position on the bezel, but this seems to glow faintly compared to the rest of the lume so I do wonder why it's there?
The watch glass claims to be 4.5mm scratch resistant sapphire crystal, and whilst that seems thick even by Eddie's standards, it certainly seems pretty resilient and has a nice 'blue' sheen to it when it catches the light. I'm not sure whether this is a 'feature' of thick or sapphire glass, but it is quite pleasing. One thing about the glass is that it does show up finger marks quite easily!
The hands and indices are very white and clear and make reading the time very easy to read. The date window is also easily readable with a black on white display. Lume is some of the best that I've seen on a watch. Whilst it's not quite up to the standards of a Seiko Monster, it's certainly easy enough to tell the time in the dark several hours after lights out, and that's with 'normal' charging of wearing around the house/office and the walk to & from work! The all red second hand is very striking and lines up perfectly with the minute markers too.
The watch face is relatively uncluttered, and the 'T3' logo isn't actually that obtrusive in the flesh. The '30 atmospheres' wording underneath the date window is a nice touch from the 'norm' of it being emblazoned across the middle of the face, as is the Christopher Ward logo and identification
Finally, the quartz accuracy of this watch is spot-on. Checking the Ronda website, the 715 battery should last at least 7 years, and as the watch was only released in around November/December 2007 it should last me a while yet. I wonder if the 715L battery (the 10 year version as featured in the PRS-18Q and other Precista watches I believe would fit when that time does come?)
Overall then, this is a nice divers watch that was great value for money. If I had to choose between buying the standard Kingfisher Pro or a PRS-18, I'd probably go with Eddie's offering. The T3 certainly looks pretty classy IMO and wears well with a suit as easily as t-shirt and jeans, but the PRS-18 just looks more like a tool watch that could put up with all sorts of scrapes and I love that! The slight ill-fitting of the T3 has also made me wonder about my preference for bracelets, but the rubber strap for it just looks quite ugly IMO and I don't like Natos, so for now I'll put up with what I've got.
As it was a Valentines present from the wife, this isn't a watch I'd flip easily (she actually likes it too, which is a very nice change!
), but as yet I haven't quite dampened my hankerings for a PRS-18Q. It will be interesting to see how the Christopher Ward brand develops in future, as they're affordable but quality watches well worth their cost (if not more!)Andy
