REVIEW : The perfect budget DIVE WATCH ( for me )

Hello fellow watches enthusasts

I am here joyfully to announce that I have found the perfect dive watch for me. And I want to share my discovery with all of you. So in the first part of this review I will only talk about material things and in the second part I will talk about my personal experience. So with that let's get on with it.

The watch is called the depth charge diver . It is unfortunately a UK exclusive as far as I know and as per my research it is only available on the website watchshop.com ...... The model I have is a limited edition which goes for a little bit more than the usual ones which go for around 110 pounds after discounts. My model specifically costs 145 pounds new and there are several new models released just recently costing between 200 and 250 pounds. In these segments specially the buyer may be very price conscious. Therefore I wanted to get this out of the way.

Now with the review,

I love the watch. I love not only that it is a specification sheet basher but it is overall good looking and a non homage watch design which is very hard to find in this segment. The only competition in this price range was Chinese brands on aliexpress which didn't suit me because I wasn't ready to take the gamble.

The specksheet goes -

200 m water resistant

Sapphire crystal

Automatic nh35 Seiko movement

Stainless steel body and bracelet

Screw down crown with logo stamped on

Screw down case back

Solid links and endings

Milled clasp with micro adjust holes

Divers extension

Impressive dive bezzel and lume

Variety of polished and brushed surfaces

Relatively moderate thickness of 13.5 mm

Now for the few cons, which in my opinion are nit picks considering the price -

Feels a little too hefty if you are not used to heavier watches

The bezzel is 90 click instead 120 which is the usual norm for professionals

The watch is currently only on sale in the UK, which means you might have to import it

The country of assembly is China which may cause some quality control issues

Because of the lack of popularity of the brand, it is very rare to see one which also intern means that you will be hard pressed to find guides or fixes online and for cheap.

There is no anti reflective coating on the sapphire so it might be hard to read, in direct sun light

The dial also lacks detail . It is a glossy dial with embossed logo and applied indices but the dial texture itself isn't much.

Now for the personal bit - a little bit of background

I am a resident of India and a college student so I am usually very tight on money so I found it amazing that I could get a value for money dive watch. As budget was tight I got mine on the used market from eBay UK for 85 pounds including shipping. One of my family members brought it on his trip back to India

When I got it it had a couple of faults but I took it to my local watch repair shop and they could fix it for literally no cost which was amazing news for me. I also got a rubber strap with this package deal. My specific model is the 43 mm. It was a limited edition and I think mine was an even earlier model without a date window as the one currently on sale which is very similar to me has a date complication. The only genuine grievance I had with my watch was that nobody knows about the brand . I got tired of explaining to people what it is and therefore started telling them that it was a micro brand which is easier to explain. My watch also had a slight backplay in the bezzel which causes slight mis alignment sometimes. The clasp my particular model also rattles a little but that may be due to constant usage . Another thing I noticed was that because the watch had to accommodate a diving bezzel and a Chunky case. The watch internally has a small face which must be about 38 mm and it looks little small but that is a problem all dive watches must face and it doesn't compromise legibility at all .All in all, I am deeply in love with this watch and I will cherish this forever.

If you were looking for my final advice I would tell you to close your eyes and pick up a model if this criteria which I explained suits you . To sum it in a few words I would say this is the most value for money non homage diver watch available on the market and I love it. The quality is top notch. The watch fits almost all wrist sizes and is remarkably priced.

((Please feel free to ask any questions if you wish or have any suggestions or think I missed anything))