Geckota Ocean Scout

I took a chance purchasing this watch without a ton of online reviews, so here’s my take on this piece for anyone else who might be considering this watch. I’ll avoid repeating stuff you can easily find on the spec sheet and just go over the things you can’t see unless in person. I’ll compare it side-by-side with my Seiko solar diver to provide some visual reference.

Fit and finish

To begin with, the size and fit of this watch is great for my roughly 6.5 inch wrist. The diameter of 38.5mm is a sweet spot, and the sharply downturned lugs help the 48mm lugs melt onto the wrist much better than the raw measurement would suggest. I typically prefer lug lengths of 46mm or below, but can make an exception in this case. These lugs also feature strap guides, which help shorten the distance between straps and the case sides. I can imagine this gap would be rather large and unsightly without them.

Additionally, the watch sits low on the wrist at just 11.8mm thick. At some angles this appears even slimmer due to the little black section between the midcase and the bezel. I’ve never seen this on any other watch, but it breaks up the silhouette of the sides and I personally like it. The black matches the bezel on this model and makes for a synchronized look, but I’m not sure how this would render on the other colorways. Overall, the perceived thinness is comparable to the Seiko Solar Diver, which is quartz.

As for the lume, it’s decent, well executed, but nothing too special. It won’t match up to the more heavily lumed Seikos and it doesn’t have a fully lumed bezel, but it gets the job done if lume isn’t a deciding factor.

One obscure note that speaks to the quality of the watch is the smoothness of the crown threads. Oftentimes with watches in the affordable range, it can take some fiddling to screw the crown back in. This one goes in super smoothly, which to me is a good sign of quality.

If I could change anything about the watch’s design, my checklist would be

1. Make the lugs less skinny

2. Brushed rather than polished sides

3. Change the hands to a broad arrow hand set

Movement

The miyota 9039 inside this watch has been running less than +10 sec/day over the course of a week, which is acceptable.

Availability

This specific colorway is limited to only 25 pieces, with mine marked as number 5/25 on the caseback. Most of the other colors are limited to 75 pieces. I’ve messaged Geckota over whether or not stock will be expanded in the future, but haven’t heard back.

Is this watch for you?

At $649 or £499, this watch is fairly pricey for a miyota 9 series diver. However, it has a uniqueness to it such that if the design and dimensions speak to you, it may be well worth the price.