Review: The truly terrible Cross WM01

Since lately there is a feeling that the reviews have devolved into a fluffy feel good comfort blanket for Prozac consuming watch enthusiasts, and as we know that overly happy people are extremely annoying, I decided that this the time to be bold and to write what I really think about my Cross WM01.

Please remember that this is not a fictitious watch and this review is for real and therefore it’s not an @Aurelian TrollDeep masterpiece. Also, I don’t want you to buy it, or to congratulate me to wear it in good health.

The WM01 was received as a gift sometime around the turn of the century and has since remained unworn in my collection. The reasons why it was kept and not thrown away are due to my self flagellating nature as I believe that everyone has a cross to bear and mine just happened to be the WM01.

The WM01 is a chronograph powered by a quartz movement because this was the norm during the late 90’s and Cross didn’t want to disappoint anyone. That didn’t prevent it from being a fat assed watch which is 13.5mm tall. Being tall is the least of its problems because it’s also one of the heaviest that I own, tipping the scales at 140gr, and this is after I removed about a third of the bracelet’s links in a failed attempt to size it to my 16.5cm wrist.

I have no ideas what is the movement inside, I guess that it might be a Ronda, but I could not find any mention that Ronda ever made a movement powered by a lead acid car battery because this is the only explanation that I have for this kind of weight and thickness in a quartz watch. But this is not the worst, oh no, far from it.

The case diameter is just 38mm large, which is a bit unusual for a watch that was sold during the “be large or begone” era in the watch industry, and yet Cross managed to achieve a miracle of engineering and bless it with a 64mm wingspan. This was done by using a bracelet which is unique because it’s more flexible outward than inward. The first link is fixed and quite long and it’s attached to another link which is pretty much static. I had to use pliers and bend one of them to get the bracelet to close around my wrist for taking a wrist-shot without fear that it will slide around my hand and fall. Yes, I do have anger management problems and this watch is one of the reasons why.

There is absolutely no way that this bracelet will fit anything looking remotely like a human wrist. I can’t even imagine that someone at Cross really looked at the finished product and though to himself that yes, this is EXACTLY what we intended to make, good job!

One might think that among this sea of negativity a single redeeming feature might be found, and one would be dead wrong. The case finish is basic and consist of a rough circular brushing on top, complemented by an equally rough vertical brushing on the sides. There are no chamfers, or polished highlights, or intricate edge lines anywhere. My frying pans have a better finish, and all I had to do is use a scouring pad and a bit of elbow grease.

The dial is a bit odd shaped and suffer from a lack of legibility caused by tiny indices that were relocated to the chapter’s ring edges and having silver hands over a silver dial. The hands are also thin and lack any useful lume.

The pushers are the typical mushy and imprecise buttons that are commonly found on quartz chronos, but those on my WM01 are also a bit sticky. Maybe a service would solve this issue but I somehow doubt that this will make the watch any better.

The crystal is a mineral glass dome which remained scratch free because I never wore the watch, and the clasp is everything you would expect from something that was stamped out of a unicorn meat tin can.

Why did a brand associated with high end fountain pens like Cross decide to sell this dreck is beyond me, it’s a terrible watch that doesn’t deserve to be remembered and I’m reviewing it now just to keep myself annoyed.