“I was pleasantly surprised by the quality control and the lume was excellent. The band is a bit short for me but that is not a criticism. For such a low price I feel as if I got a great product.”
“After mostly never wearing a watch and not paying attention to them, I got interested last year while amusing myself during the pandemic. I have been especially drawn to field watches, and first picked up a Bertucci DX3, then an entry-level G-shock square. I enjoy both of them but decided I also needed a mechanical watch. There are a lot of great options up to $250. I finally narrowed it down to Orient Defender, Seiko 5 Sport, Islander ISL-82, and Islander ISL-41 and went with the Islander ISL-82.
Here are my impressions after about one week, and being used to more budget watches previously. This seems to be an incredible value, with all the features that I wanted and not much extraneous stuff. The size is just about perfect for my wrist, which is about 7.4" in circumference. The overall look is clean, legible, and elegant. The selection of finishing, colors, fonts, hand sets, markers, and lume were very well thought out. It's very easy to see the time without distractions. The screw-down crown has a nice tactile feel to it. The sapphire crystal definitely looks more crystal-ly than the mineral on my other watches, and being able to see the movement working through the caseback is kind of thrilling. I like that the movement (NH38) is widely available, and not all that expensive should it need to be replaced. I prefer not having day or date complications on this kind of watch so I like that they have been omitted. The time appears to be about 46 seconds behind time.gov after setting it a week ago, which is in line with the specs if I am understanding correctly.
I like the included strap more than I thought I would after wearing it for a few days. It was somewhat stiff at first but it matches the watch nicely. I already knew I wanted to replace it with a one piece strap though. I went with a couple NATOs from Cincy Strap Co. One is a black "seat belt", which makes the watch look a bit dressy. The other is a green "SF1", with a more matte finish, which makes the watch look more like "everyday carry". The Toscana NATOs/Zulus from Long Island Watch look interesting too, but I couldn't find feedback on them.
So far, I can't-not recommend the Islander ISL-82 if you're looking for an automatic field watch on a budget. It's awesome! The only change I would ask for - if it would reduce the cost a bit - is an option to buy the watch without the strap and just a good set of spring bars.”
“My first Islander and I love it. I inspected the watch very closely, looking for any imperfections that might be signs of the affordability, and found none… It’s just killer for the price. Definitely won’t be my last Islander.”
“Absolutely beautiful watch. Getting 2 to 3 times the product for the money. Initially went to buy a seiko from longislandwach and started looking at the islanders and couldn't pass it up. Will not be my last islander.”
