A Kitchern Table Review - Islander Wave
Hopefully you all know Islander Watch; it is the in house brand of (Long) Island Watch Co. and I must say they offer quite a bit of watch for the money. For instance, the links in the bracelet are held by screw pins, making adjustments easy and is a feature normally found on more expensive watches. Throw in a saphire cystal and you start to get the picture. The stainless steel case is rated to 200 meters, features a screw down crown, solid case back and rotatable bezel with ceramic insert. Power is provided by a Seiko NH36 movement and runs better than 2 other automatic Seikos I have. Go figure.
The dial is fully illuminated so the image of the tsunami wave is visible in the darkness, quite cool. Their are no numbers or markers on the dial so 1-12 on the bezel serves to mark the hours. I suppose you could use it as an ersatz GMT as long as you don't mind 12 not being at the top. The deployant clasp is of good quality and sharp edges are not the norm.
PS: This was my other purchase at WInd Up Watch Fair Chicago.
A Kitchern Table Review - Islander Wave
Yes
No
- That Tsunami Wave
- High value, lower cost - Affordable
- Screwed pins in the links
- Weight - It's hefty
- No illumination on hands
- Clasp seems inferior to the remainder of the watch
Love watches. Always have. At some price point, I have been collecting since the 1980’s starting with Fosil character watches. The other things I collect are vinyl records (and I suppose HiFi equipmen...
Great review. I’m hugely surprised by the quality of my Islander Southhold as well and wore it as my main beach/vacation watch this summer.
As the owner of an ISL-68, the mini turtle version of of the Great Wave dial, I agree about the weight and heft and it's one of the reasons why I don't wear it very often.
The clasp however is upgradeable. I changed my original clasp to the one with 6 micro adjustment holes and it's an OK clasp for those who like thick and heavy milled clasps. Unfortunately for me I found that it added heft and weight to a watch that was already not exactly blessed with slimness.