Review of Damasko DA45 Black Automatic

Model # DA45

Brand/Model:  Damasko DA45 Black Automatic

Movement:  Swiss automatic

Material:  hardened stainless steel case with black Damest layer, leather strap

Complications:  day/date display

Price:  $1,550 USD

Plenty of photos follow the review.  Click on the pictures to enlarge.

This is one of those reviews I was looking forward to writing.  When I purchase a watch that exceeds my expectations and has such a unique look and set of features compared to other watches, I am happy and excited to write about it.  This is the case with the watch being reviewed here, the Damasko DA45 black automatic.

Damasko is a German company that makes a fairly wide range of technologically advanced, extremely well-built tool watches that are designed to withstand environmental extremes and hold up well during everyday wear.  The list of features that are built into Damasko’s watches reminds me of reading a Mercedes Benz catalog for one of their cars...loaded with useful, real technology that is not a lot of marketing puffery.  It’s technology that’s real, thoroughly engineered and it’s built into everyone of their watches.  It’s also pretty darn cool.

Damasko has been around since 1994.  Their engineers have spent a lot of time designing watch cases that can be hardened way beyond a watch case made of standard 316L stainless steel.  The stainless alloy that Damakso employs in their cases is entirely nickel free and is hardened to a value up to four times harder than any other watch case used in modern watch production.   The value is up to 800 Vickers.  The DA45’s case is ice hardened to 710 Vickers.

Damasko also has taken considerable lengths to design and patent a superior gasketing system for the screw down crown mechanism.  Their secret is a lubrication cell inside the crown tube and double Viton™ o-rings.  The screw down crown mechanism is also patented.

The DA45 also has a very high resistance to magnetic fields (due to an inner cage), a super durable black Damest coating on the case, superior design and construction of the bezel, etc.  I could go on and on, but let’s just say this is a very bad-ass watch and these technological advancements help place Damasko watches at a higher echelon than other watches.

There are also many other innovations that are featured in higher end models of Damasko watches (but not the model reviewed here), such as an oil-free escapement mechanism and a proprietary balance spring.  You can read more about all of these nifty design features in-depth at Damasko’s web site.

The DA45 black automatic has the super hard stainless steel Damest layer case that measures 40mm without the signed screwdown crown; 44.9mm crown inclusive.  Thickness is 12.3mm and lugs are the nice standard 20mm (which makes aftermarket strap shopping much easier).  The lugs are also drilled, which makes strap changes easier as well.  

The screwdown crown has small shoulders protecting it.  One note on the crown, despite the patented design with the lubrication cell, etc., the feel of the crown as it screws down should be smoother in my opinion.  It screws down fine, but to me, there is still a slightly gritty feel to it, which the design is supposed to take care of.  Not a huge nitpick (as long as the screwdown action continues to seal the crown properly and nothing strips out), but it definitely bears mentioning.

The caseback is fully Damest layer coated and is screwed down, with lots of information stamped into the caseback as it pertains to the features and performance of the watch, most of which is in German.  All in all, the look of the case and the evenness and smoothness of the black Damest layer is superb and it appears that it will stand the test of time.

The DA45 is factory rated for 100 meters of water resistance.

There were two reasons the DA45 appealed to me.  The first was the superior black case and the second was the white dial.  But wait, the dial is also fully luminous!  Most full-lume dials either have a slight translucency to them or have a greenish tint, telling you right away that they’re luminous.  Not so with the DA45.  Damasko had the foresight to use pure white Superluminova C1 to evenly and perfectly coat the entire dial.  So in normal light, the dial is a great stark white. Only in dim light or darkness does the dial reveal itself to be luminous, emitting a soft green glow.  Fantastic!

The dial is a study in simplicity and readability.  The sword-style hands are pure matte black and the seconds hand is red, with just a small part (near the attachment to the pinion) being matte black.  The markers are also screened matte black.  Everything shows up well against the luminous dial.  The marker at 12 is red to add a bit of style and the wording ‘Damasko’ appears just above the day/date display at 3.  There is also a small vertical line that runs from 12 to 6 and a horizontal line that runs from 9 to 3 on the dial.  Very subtle.  

Capping the dial is a flat sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on both sides.

A note about the day and date display.  The wheels are black on white (the day wheel is in English and German) but instead of being perfectly aligned at the 3 position, the windows are just slightly below, which is a unique and useful way to display the day and date on this watch. Just another detail that differentiates this watch from others.

The bezel on the DA45 rides on ceramic bearings and unlike most watches these days, the bezel is bi-directional.  This is a refreshing change.  The bezel is Damest layer black with white inset arabics every 5 minutes and white hash marks on the other minutes.  The bezel pip is a sealed pip that’s luminous (although faintly) and RED!  It looks super cool!  

The action of the bezel is one of the most precise, if not the most precise of any rotating bezel on a watch that I have ever experienced.  It has an absolutely positive, smooth and precise feel about it.  Just superb.  I wish more bezels had such a great feel and action as the Damasko DA45.

Inside the DA45 resides an ETA 2836-2 25-jewel Swiss automatic, with gold wash and a decorated rotor (you can’t see any of this because the caseback is not a display type, but the specs. say so).  The movement is a workhorse in the industry and beats at 28,800 bph.  Of course, it hacks and manually winds.  Power reserve is the expected 41 hours.  The movement winds, sets and performs as expected, with one major difference; it is extremely accurate!  This watch runs at an honest +1 second per day on or off the wrist.  I cannot fault this performance at all. Hats off to Damasko for taking the time to regulate their movements.

Even the strap on the DA45 goes above and beyond the normal.  It’s a nicely grained high quality slightly padded black leather with double colored stitching (white and red) that adds a bit of style without looking garish.  The buckle is of course signed and finished in black Damest to match the case on the watch.  

Two keepers are featured (one fixed, one floating) and a nifty extra tab of leather that sits under the buckle where it resides against your wrist.  A nice touch!  The strap measures 20mm at the lugs and tapers to 18.5mm at the buckle.

Presentation is a weak point, especially at this price point.  The box is a rather non-descript inner and outer pair that would better suit a $100 watch.  The instructions and documentation are also sub-par, being just color photocopies.  Please, Damasko, ramp up the presentation to better match the exclusivity and quality of your watches!

Damasko has other models similar to the DA45, with bead blasted cases instead of black, different dial colors, different bezel functions, various strap options, other accent colors, etc.  The selection is decent and should have something that appeals to everybody.

While the DA45 is not cheap by any means, it is a watch with a purpose.  It features real technology designed to increase the durability, performance and longevity of the watch.  You won’t see this watch everyday and it’s bound to attract attention because it looks like nothing else out there.  Congrats to Damasko for creating such a unique, robust and overall superb timepiece.

Pros:  great fit and finish, usable technology that’s not all hype, super smooth and durable black Damest coating, superb accuracy, Swiss engine, very nice strap, great bezel action

Cons:  could have a higher water resistance rating, despite lubrication, crown feels oddly gritty, presentation needs improvement

Verdict:  worth every penny, the Damasko DA45 black automatic is an engineering marvel that you wear on your wrist, with features above and beyond most watches on the market today.  A great look, great performance and high quality make this watch a real winner.

Thanks for reading and enjoy the pictures.

Excelsior!

-Marc

Review of Bremont Supermarine 500 Automatic Diver

Model # S500/BL

Brand/Model:  Bremont Supermarine 500

Movement:  Swiss automatic

Material:  stainless steel case and rubber strap or bracelet, depending on model

Complications:  day/date display

Price:  MSRP around $5,000 USD

Plenty of pictures follow the review.  Click on the pictures to enlarge.

Bremont would be classified as a high-end boutique brand, the company being founded by two chaps in England in 2002 and selling their uniquely designed watches since 2007.  Bremont has its watches made in Switzerland currently, but the company does have plans to begin making the watches in England at some point in the future. 

The company claims every watch in their standard range is COSC chronometer certified.  Sounds good on paper, but unfortunately, this has not been my experience.  More on this later.

Bremont puts on a good show with their thoroughly engineered designs that should suit those looking for diver-style or aviation-influenced pieces.  While definitely pricey, the watches can be found on the second hand market at considerably less than MSRP, but still beyond the reach of many collectors.

I was interested in seeing what the Bremont Supemarine had to offer, since there seems to be a good deal of enthusiasm for the brand in the WIS world.  Truth be told, I was somewhat let down when I finally added one to my collection.  To me, it just doesn’t feel like a several thousand dollar watch.

The Supermarine starts with a unique case construction of brushed and polished stainless steel with a visible black Faraday cage (inner part is soft iron) that gives the watch its high anti-magnetic properties.  Bremont refers to this three-piece case as ‘Trip Tick’ construction.  The case also carries a patented anti-shock movement mount.

Many a watch enthusiast sees the stylized case and oohs and aahs over it.  It does look pretty cool, but it is also quite thick, measuring 16.5mm, which is pretty much in Valjoux 7750 territory, but the Supermarine is not a chronograph.

The case measures 43mm without the screwdown logo signed crown located at the two position.  With the crown included, diameter is 46.4mm.  The screwdown satin finish caseback is heavily embossed with a raised and polished Bremont aviation logo.

Lug width is 22mm, with a helium escape valve (HEV) located in the center on the left side of the case.  The stylized crown guard is held in place by visible hex head screws, but the guard only protects the lower part of the crown.  Since the crown is located at the two position and is closer to the upper lug, I guess Bremont thinks this design will protect the top part of the crown.

The Supermarine is factory rated for 500 meters of water resistance.

The dial is fairly detailed, the color on my Supermarine being a dark blue.  Other Supermarine models come with black or silver dials and different colored bezels.  A new Supermarine 2000 has also been recently introduced.

The inner part of the dial has a circle with a seconds track surrounding vertical striping.  Outside this circle the dial is smooth and encompasses the round luminous applied markers.  A slightly raised chapter ring with minute dots and small arabics at each five minute mark complete the dial.

A quickset day/date window is located at the three position with a silver frame surrounding the window and a divider between the day and date.  The wheels are black on white, with the day reading in both English and French.  Alignment of the wheels inside the window is just okay, but could be slightly better to my eye, especially at this price point.

The hour and minute hands are silver with white inset lume (a welcome change from the garish green lume used on other Supermarine 500 models).  The seconds hand is a plain silver stick, with no lume, which raises questions at to the functionality of this watch if it is used for diving.

The name ‘Bremont’ appears in smaller text below the 12 position, while ‘Supermarine’ and ‘500M-1660ft.’ reside above the six position.

A nicely luminous 120-click unidirectional sapphire coated bezel is colored white for the first 20 minutes, then is dark blue for the remainder of the hour.  The bezel rotates easily (almost too easily) and doesn’t have an expensive sound or feel to it.  Along with the bezel, the lume quality of the dial is excellent and glows in the increasingly popular Superluminova blue color.

A slightly domed anti-reflective sapphire crystal covers the dial and is recessed a bit from the inside of the bezel.  Examination of the dial under my 8X loupe reveals a clean build devoid of dust or fingerprints.

Inside the Supermarine is a modified Swiss Made 25-jewel automatic movement beating at 28,800 bph that hacks and manually winds.  It’s referred to as Bremont Caliber BE-36AE, which I believe is an ETA base movement.  Since the watch has no display back, I cannot comment on what I hope is some nice decoration, at least according to the pictures on the Bremont web site.  The rotor is stated to be a ‘moulded and skeletonized decorated rotor.’  Too bad I can’t appreciate it.

Now back to my earlier comment about COSC accuracy.  Bremont states all their standard watches are COSC chronometer rated (-4 to +6 seconds daily rate) and my Supermarine runs at +10 seconds per day.  Not bad, but definitely not chronometer spec.  It would be a hassle to have to return the watch to Bremont for a regulation, so I have not done so.  Power reserve has been measured at 41.5 hours, pretty standard stuff.

The winding, setting and performance of the movement, other than being out of COSC spec has been okay, but another note, the crown action on this watch is very stiff and it’s hard to feel the detents for the quickset day/date and for the time setting.  I don’t know if this is an anomaly to this one particular piece or if all their crowns are overly stiff.

My Supermarine is currently fitted with a blue 22mm aftermarket leather strap which I feel compliments the blue dial perfectly.  The photos show this strap on the watch, albeit with the OEM signed buckle installed. 

The blue dial Supermarine comes standard with a ribbed dark blue rubber strap that has molded and curved ends to mimick a solid end link on a bracelet.  While giving the watch a more integrated appearance, this will also reduce the flexibility of the strap, making it harder to achieve a good fit if you have a smaller wrist.

Bremont also sells leather straps and a hefty stainless steel bracelet for the Supermarine as well.

Presentation is a rectangular black cardboard box with a lift-off top.  Inside is a dark brown leather roll wrap with a pocket for the watch and a buckle strap to close and secure the roll.  It’s a nice way to present this watch.

The big question is…is the Supermarine worth the price?  A lot of people apparently think so, but I really can’t say that it is, as I believe this watch is over-rated.  While the case design and finish work is top notch, the bezel action, crown feel and hand set fall short of a multi-thousand dollar piece.  If you want a brand that hardly anyone has heard of or a nifty looking case style, the Supermarine will do the trick, but in this case, the ‘Trip-Tick’ design was not enough to ‘tick’ all my boxes for an upper end diver.  An Omega Seamaster or Planet Ocean is a much better choice for about the same price.

Pros:  unique case design, strong lume, nicely embossed caseback, dark blue dial looks good

Cons:  poor bezel action and sound, stiff crown makes setting difficult, hand set just average, watch not running at COSC spec., quite pricey

Verdict: an interesting watch that’s not for everybody due to the price point, the Supermarine has its merits but maybe not enough of them to win us all over

Thanks for reading and enjoy the pictures.

Excelsior!

-Marc

Review of Victorinox Swiss Army Infantry Vintage Mechanical

Model # 241377 (discontinued)

Brand:  Victorinox Swiss Army
Model:  Infantry Vintage Mechanical
Material:  stainless steel case, leather strap
Complications:  none
Price:  MSRP  $925 USD

Plenty of photos follow the review.  Click on the pictures to enlarge.

It’s always a pleasure to review a watch that is simple and functional in its design, good looking and rugged.  The Victorinox Swiss Army (‘VSA’ for short) Infantry Vintage Mechanical certainly fits the bill.  Although this particular model is now discontinued, they can still be found new on the ‘net and at pretty good prices, too.

I have already reviewed the big brother to this watch, the VSA Infantry Vintage Mechanical Chronograph and gave that watch high marks.  The manual wind, non-complicated version is equally enjoyable.

The VSA Infantry Vintage Mechanical starts with a 44mm stainless steel case that sports a brushed and polished finish.  It’s nice that even though this watch sports a large-sized movement, VSA managed to keep the case diameter as small as they can.  Many watches that have the Unitas manual wind movement clock in at 45 or 46mm in size.  The shortness of the lugs on the watch also make it much more manageable on the wrist (lug-tip to lug-tip measures 50mm), so kudos to VSA for designing this piece to a usable size.

Case diameter with the signed crown is 47.4mm.  The screwdown caseback is brushed stainless steel and has a mineral crystal display window that shows off the minimally decorated but still attractive workhorse movement.

Thickness is 12mm and lugs are an odd 23mm.  The fixed bezel is stepped in its design and adds just the right amount of panache to this admittedly simple watch.  The VSA Infantry Vintage Mechanical is factory rated for 100 meters of water resistance.

Overall quality of the finish work and assembly is first-rate on this VSA.

The dial on this VSA is a real beauty.  The dial is one of the highlights of the chronograph version and the dial on the manual wind is pretty much the same design.  A black center circular section has a 13-24 hour track, which is surrounded by a slightly recessed and textured section that has the raised arabics on it.  

Thankfully, VSA has not ‘hacked off’ any of the numbers on the dial.  Instead of putting a half or third of a 5, 6 or 7 on the dial, the designers simply left these numbers off....way to go!  It always hacks me off when some dials have arabics that are so cut off that they are barely recognizable as a number...why not just leave it off?  That’s what VSA did here and it looks great.  

Another design element that works is the restraint VSA had when the decided how large to make the arabics on the dial.  Like many watches these days, they have made a couple of the arabics on the dial larger than the rest (the 3 and 9 are about 50-percent larger than the other arabics) but they are not clownishly large, which is good.  And given that the dial on this watch is larger to begin with, the slightly oversized arabics don't look out of place.

A chapter ring on the outer edge of the dial has lume dots at each five minute mark (pointer style marks at 12, 3 and 9) along with hash marks for minute markers and small arabics every five minutes.  The larger arabics on the dial are luminous as well as the hour, minute and seconds hand.  Lume quality is good.

The hour and minute hands are sword style, silver with inset lume.  The lume used on this watch is also the cream or ‘aged’ kind of Superluminova, which is in keeping with the vintage aspirations of this model.  It looks fantastic.

The subdial at 6 is perfectly sized to the overall proportions of this watch.  It has a slightly heavy silver ring around it and has an inner circular dial in black with a cream colored seconds track on the outside with arabics at each quarter minute and simple marks every five seconds.  The seconds hand is the same design as the main hands and features inset lume as well.

The dial is topped with a flat anti-reflective sapphire crystal.  The entire dial is well executed and makes this watch very easy to read.

Inside the VSA Infantry Vintage Mechanical is the long-running and well-regarded Swiss Unitas 6498 ‘six eater’ 17-jewel manual wind movement.  There are several grades of this movement available and this VSA sports the version with brushed plates, for a nicer look through the display back.  

The watch does not hack, but I have measured timekeeping accuracy at about +7/24 hours with a good 48.5 hour power reserve.  The watch winds and sets smoothly.   Absolutely no complaints from this tried and true workhorse of a movement.

The VSA Infantry Vintage Mechanical is equipped with a smooth black leather strap with a slightly coarse off-white contrast stitch.  The strap is moderately thick without any padding.  The strap measures 23mm at the lugs and tapers to 20.2mm at the buckle.  The signed buckle is brushed stainless steel.  The look of the strap fits the overall tone of this watch; nothing fancy, but totally purposeful and attractive.

As I stated at the start of this review, although this VSA model is discontinued, you can still find them brand new if you look hard enough and many places are discounting them, so they represent a very good value for a Unitas 6498-based watch that has high quality and an acceptable size.  The VSA Infantry Vintage Mechanical is a superb watch that shines through its simplicity.  If you enjoy the basic joy of a manual wind watch without any complications, you can’t do much better than this one.  Highly recommended.

Pros:  good fit and finish, very legible dial, basic and rugged Swiss manual wind movement, manageable size

Cons:  still a large watch, too simple for some?

Verdict:  VSA hits all the right notes with this one, the Infantry Vintage Mechanical is a great watch and can be easily appreciated for its classic/vintage style, quality and simplicity.

Thanks for reading and enjoy the pictures.

Excelsior!

-Marc