Time's Up - Wrapping up the Aquamariner

Time and tide, or something like that.  The point being it's time to wrap-up the review of he Hager Aquamariner.

As previous readers may recall, I was somewhat taken with the clasp of the Aquamariner.  And not to bang on and on, but I have to share some realities about "telescoping" wet-suit extensions.  A lot of watch brands out there are incorporating them.  And many of them simply do not work.  The clasp incorporated into the Aquamariner is smooth, precise, and secure.  And as the aforementioned spill on the deck attests - pretty damn strong.

But, a watch is more than just the bracelet that holds it to your wrist.

The watch face is clear and well laid out.  and yes, that is a wee small bit of lint I did not get off the crystal - but this is real life, not a posh photo studio ; )  

The date is visible in in everyday life and the red second hand is easy to follow against the black dial. 

And unlike a lot of divers, the lume on the Aquamariner is actually quite good. 

 
The bezel is clearly marked and easy to operate.  It is unidirectional, marked for 60 minutes with a 15 minute countdown.  But with a twist - you will note in the image above the number 20 is in red.  Doesn't need to be, and honestly I don't know what the design motivation was - BUT I LIKE IT!  Now you may recall that I said that black dialed, black bezel divers are what the people want?  Well, I stand by that statement.  BUT - when you add an extra little something, like a red number 20 on the dive bezel?  It's like a little wink, it's just that little something that adds to the overall look and feel of the watch.  

The case back is solid, and smooth on the wrist without the obnoxious deep texture of a monumental motif. 

Simple, and effective in communicating the pertinent information.  

Rated to 300 meters / 1000 feet this is a watch for the briny deep.  There was no diving for yours truly.  But several trips to the pool were made, and the internals remained safe and dry.

The screw down crown is smooth in its operation and easy to use and set.   And nicely branded to boot!

So it is solid, comfortable, legible, and water resistant.  

Great, but does it tell the time?

Yes!  As with many brands, Hager has turned to the folks at Miyota for a dependable, highly accurate self-winding movement, the 8215.  The power reserve went for 43 hours (and some change).  And the time keeping was very, very good.  Miyota advertises a fairly broad range for accuracy, but the average over several weeks was + 8/9 seconds per day.  Really not too bad.

Here are the pertinents, direct from Hager:

Aquamariner
Black

41mm Stainless Steel

$450.00

Stainless steel case with a satin finished stainless steel bracelet equipped with a slidelock extension. Uni-directional rotating 60-minuted stainless steel engraved bezel with a black insert. Black dial with luminous silver-tone hands and luminescent dot hour markers. Minute markers around the outer rim.  Automatic movement with a 42 hour power reserve. Date Display at 3 o'clock. Scratch resistant sapphire crystal. Screw down crown with tube.  Solid case back.  Water resistant at 300 meters / 1000 feet. Functions: hour, minute, second.  Case diameter: 41 mm.  Case thickness: 12.75 mm. Lug to Lug: 50mm.  Band width: 22 mm.

So what's the verdict?

Let's view this from a place I like to live in, it's called reality.  At $450 this watch does exactly what it says on the box.  It works really well and looks really cool.  I realize that those are pretty basic comments, but in fairness this (or any basic diver for that matter) is a pretty basic watch.  And yes, gentle reader, that is a positive thing.  A dive watch should not challenge your intellect or abilities to set, wear, use and enjoy it.  It should have a bracelet that you can adjust yourself (and this one does).  It should look good, and this one does.  And overall, it should not represent a choice between a year of tuition for your child (state university with in state tuition).  The Aquamariner is a remarkably well-made watch at wonderfully reasonable price.  It is not a show pony or something to shove in the safe and wear only on special occasions.  This is a real watch to be worn by real guys and girls living real lives.  And quite honestly, if you feel that you need to spend more, then that is a personal choice (and one that I don't really get, but then again it is not up to me to get everything). 

But given the fact that Hager has now sold out of the black and the blue versions of the Aquamariner, and has only 10 of the burgundy bezel versions left?  

Well I think it is safe to say that I am not the only one with this opinion, and I personally might need to make a move on the burgundy bezel version before they're all gone!

Overtime Once Again...

With the Hager Aquamariner -

So apologies in advance, I clearly forgot the golden rule of
never starting a watch review just before BaselWorld.  Well, live and don't learn...

So now I am back, and have time to reflect not only on the Hager Aquamariner, but also on the watches that I saw in Basel's sparkling halls.  And ordinarily you might think that having seen everything that the big dog's have to offer, a "micro brand" might suffer by comparison.  Well, in the case of the Aquamariner you would be wrong.

I spend a lot of my free time not just reading about watches, but about fashion as well.  And one of my recent favorites was the (now) seminal tome on the vagaries of fashion - F*ck Yeah Men's Wear.  And it did have a brief section regarding watches.  And as so many before, it showed a wrist shot featuring a Rolex Submariner.  But what was interesting was that there were two wrists featured in this particular wrist shot.  On the other was an Ollech & Wajs.  And that got me thinking.  The look of what we consider to be the "classic" diver is pretty much universally held to be a black dial, uni-directional rotating bezel, stainless steel bracelet.  And if we are being really, really honest, this "look and feel" has been championed by several different brands both big and small for far longer than most of us have even been drawing breath.   

We have pretty much reached a point where you could almost call it a default "diver" style.  And if we are all being honest with each other, we're okay with that.  Olech & Wajs, Tag Heuer, Blancpain and others.  And it is clear that diver style watches with black dials and bezels are clearly what the buying public wants.

The Aquamariner is a good looking diver to be sure, but there are a lot of "pretty faces" out there in this particular category.  Where the Aquamariner truly differentiates itself is (at least in my opinion) in the price/performance proposition.  

So apologies for the "swirlies" on the clasp, but I will share with you that these were honestly come by over the course of the review.

 
And believe it or not, these marks serve to underscore the quality of the Hager Aquamariner.  

  

Although in theory, winter is supposed to be over by the time April rolls around, suffice it to say that when you live in the North East, your mileage may vary.  So it was a very unhappy morning that found me sprawled out on the driveway, metal thermos bottle in extreme disrepair, to say nothing of my un-gloved hands (hamburger is for eating, not for using as finger and thumb prints).  But a  very superficial swirl, not even a true scratch, was all the damage sustained but the spot where I literally landed, full force (and weight). 

Now I know that guys have this idea that a dive watch is a "bad ass" piece of "man gear" and that by putting the watch on they are going to be magically transformed  into the ultimate action hero and they'll be spending their spare time punching out Nazis on a Normandy beach.  The people buying these watches tend to bandy phrases like: "It's a beast!".  And it is there that it becomes painfully clear that the people marketing these watches fall into the same fallacy.  Let's be brutally honest - a dive watch is designed for, constructed for, and sold to customers for (spoiler alert) using to tell the time while under water.  

And to that end, Hager decided to add something that was ONE HELL OF A LOT MORE PRACTICAL than the usual "quadruple fold" dive suit extension which is typically as easy to use as the name might imply.
And that is a sliding wet suit extension that can be operated while wearing the watch using two push buttons on the clasp itself.  It is smooth and secure in its functions and offers a solution that several brands have done a half-ass job in implementing, but just not delivered on so far.  It is a REALLY great feature to find on a watch priced at the usurious level of $450. 

There is more to come, so stay tuned!

  

Seven Days with the Hager Aquamariner

Starts now.

 

Stay tuned!

The Shit That Killed Elvis 10 / 12

Courtesy of Hager

Now before you even say it, yes, these bear more than a passing resemblance to Tudor Subs (circa 90s), or even a hybrid of a Rolex Sub and a Black Bay.  But I think that what those comments do not take into account is the various different little aspects of them.  Note the RED 20 on the bezel above, for example.

Hager continues to make some really cool watches at very accessible price points.  And the Aquamariner continues that winning streak.  Ollech & Wajs seems to have petered out, so thankfully there is still Hager to offer the consumer something desirable at a competitive price point.

Courtesy of Hager

This was originally available in three flavors - Black, Blue, and Red (bezel), but the blue has sold out, and the black and the red appear to only have a handful left.  And having spent some time watching the interactions at a recent collectors event in Virginia, I can tell you that these watches were desired, appreciated, purchased and are certainly being worn.

Here are the pertinents -

Movement

---

Caliber:  Miyota 8215 automatic
Self-winding mechanical movement with metal movement holder
Functions: Quick correction of day and date, hours, minutes and seconds date display at 3 o'Clock
Total Diameter: 11.5 linge (25.6mm)
Height: 5.67mm
Jewels: 21 Jewels
Power Reserve: 42 Hours
Beat Rate: 3Hz/21'600 vibrations per hour/ Novodiac Shock Absorber
Accuracy: -20/+40 seconds per day

Technical Specifications

---

Material: 316L Marine grade stainless steel, polished and satin finished
Diameter: 41mm without crown
Height: 12.75 with solid back
Length: 50mm lug to lug
Lug Width: 22mm
Finish: Brushed with polished sides and beveled edges and satin finish
Water Resistance: Waterproof to 300 m (1000 ft)
Case Back: Solid steel screwed
Crystal: Domed, scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment inside

Dial:  Applied luminous indexes

Bezel: Unidirectional rotatable 60-minute graduated bezel with disc in matte midnight blue, matte black or matte burgundy anodized aluminum with engraved makers
Hands: Mercedes hands lumed with blue Superluminova
Crown: Screw-down winding crown, with HAGER logo and midnight blue, black or burgundy anodized aluminum winding crown tube
Bracelet: Stainless Steel with brushed screw links (instead of pins) and two button clasp and two button slidelock extension system (no need for half links)

The Hager Boutique

So this past weekend found me in the DC Metro area and as I was (somewhat) in the neighborhood, it seemed like a good opportunity to pop in on Hager Watches new boutique in Hagerstown, Maryland.

The outer entry to the Hager Watch Boutique

 Now I had the opportunity to review a Hager watch several months back, and spend some time speaking with Hager fans at the get together, but this was an opportunity to see something more.  An opportunity to see what a growing micro brand's vision is beyond just watches.

For those unaware, Hager Watch Company is the "third" child of Pierre Brown.  Founded in 2009, Hager has been steadily building up a following that many "big boy" brands would be envious of.

The Hager boutique is an interesting approach.  It is a repository for not just the previous and current models but the iconography that has helped shape them.

 The first thing to greet you when you enter is a spitfire, holding pride of place -

And to keep with the theme, it leads you right to the display holding the pilot / flieger models -

 

These are the previous models, and with luck there might be new versions to come.

 

There are a handful of these versions currently available.

A full-on flieger, and a more modern take -

So those are the watches, but back to the iconography -

One of the Hager owner's most prized possessions is the flight clock that resides next to the flieger's in the display case.

But Hager is more than just flieger watches and airplanes.  They are growing into more than the typical micro brand as they have a fairly diverse and expanding collection. 

More to come in part 2 -

The collection

The Aquamariner

From Hager 

Courtesy of Hager

This is a new series of divers from the folks at Hager.

Courtesy of Hager

These are currently available for pre-order at a very aggressive (and fair) price - $330.00 US.  You can secure yours with a 50% deposit.  Here is a link to that section of their website if you wish to check it out yourself -  http://www.hagerwatches.com/aquamariner

Courtesy of Hager

If these are half as good as the watch that I reviewed earlier this year, they are a steal at the regular price of  $450.  Here are the pertinents, direct from Hager -

Movement

---

Caliber:  Miyota 8215 automatic
Self-winding mechanical movement with metal movement holder
Functions: Quick correction of day and date, hours, minutes and seconds date display at 3 o'Clock
Total Diameter: 11.5 linge (25.6mm)
Height: 5.67mm
Jewels: 21 Jewels
Power Reserve: 42 Hours
Beat Rate: 3Hz/21'600 vibrations per hour/ Novodiac Shock Absorber
Accuracy: -20/+40 seconds per day

Technical Specifications

---

Material: 316L Marine grade stainless steel, polished and satin finished
Diameter: 41mm without crown
Height: 12.75 with solid back
Length: 50mm lug to lug
Lug Width: 22mm
Finish: Brushed with polished sides and beveled edges and satin finish
Water Resistance: Waterproof to 300 m (1000 ft)
Case Back: Solid steel screwed
Crystal: Domed, scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment inside

Dial:  Applied luminous indexes

Bezel: Unidirectional rotatable 60-minute graduated bezel with disc in matte midnight blue, matte black or matte burgundy anodized aluminum with engraved makers

Hands: Mercedes hands lumed with blue Superluminova

Crown: Screw-down winding crown, with HAGER logo and midnight blue, black or burgundy anodized aluminum winding crown tube

Bracelet: Stainless Steel with brushed screw links (instead of pins) and two button clasp and two button slidelock extension system (no need for half links)