“First of all, top shelf buying experience from Watch Direct. I had questions before and after purchasing, and they were promptly and thoroughly answered.
After a few weeks of daily wear, it's running 15-20sec slow, which is annoying but not yet out of spec for the 4R36 movement.
The blacked-out coating, orange graphics, layout and syringe hands is a striking combination: discreet at a distance, but with a pop of colour and style up close. At 38mm case diameter, this is true to form for a military field watch, and I wasn't looking for a dinner plate or a flight deck instrument on my wrist. Other colorways (i.e. beige, khaki, green), case finishes (i.e. brushed or polished) and graphics (i.e. white on black, black on white, 1-12 Arabic numerals) did not scratch the itch. The gray on black for the 12hr scale is useless, but I knew that from the website photos before I bought the watch!
The strap looked like a perfect match while wearing it in a food service job: orange leather against the skin, with a nylon exterior for some splash and abrasion resistance . What could go wrong?
That strap is VERY stiff and NOT ideal for big wrists. I have an 8-inch/20-cm wrist give or take. With the small case size, the lug-to-lug doesn't span the width of my wrist. The strap sticks out straight like two planks of wood, and it doesn't start bending until the pin buckle holes. Either I wear it loose letting the watch flop about my wrist, or the strap becomes a tourniquet with one pin hole tighter.
No good.
I substituted some aftermarket silicone straps: black to match the case and an orange one to contrast against the case. After searching the Interwebs to confirm, the lug width is 20mm. NATO, leather, silicone and others should work infinitely better with this watch than the original strap. If you have the tool (and I suggest you get one), the drilled lugs make changes quick and easy.”
“First of all, top shelf buying experience from Watch Direct. I had questions before and after purchasing, and they were promptly and thoroughly answered.
After a few weeks of daily wear, it's running 15-20sec slow, which is annoying but not yet out of spec for the 4R36 movement.
The blacked-out coating, orange graphics, layout and syringe hands is a striking combination: discreet at a distance, but with a pop of colour and style up close. At 38mm case diameter, this is true to form for a military field watch, and I wasn't looking for a dinner plate or a flight deck instrument on my wrist. Other colorways (i.e. beige, khaki, green), case finishes (i.e. brushed or polished) and graphics (i.e. white on black, black on white, 1-12 Arabic numerals) did not scratch the itch. The gray on black for the 12hr scale is useless, but I knew that from the website photos before I bought the watch!
The strap looked like a perfect match while wearing it in a food service job: orange leather against the skin, with a nylon exterior for some splash and abrasion resistance . What could go wrong?
That strap is VERY stiff and NOT ideal for big wrists. I have an 8-inch/20-cm wrist give or take. With the small case size, the lug-to-lug doesn't span the width of my wrist. The strap sticks out straight like two planks of wood, and it doesn't start bending until the pin buckle holes. Either I wear it loose letting the watch flop about my wrist, or the strap becomes a tourniquet with one pin hole tighter.
No good.
I substituted some aftermarket silicone straps: black to match the case and an orange one to contrast against the case. After searching the Interwebs to confirm, the lug width is 20mm. NATO, leather, silicone and others should work infinitely better with this watch than the original strap. If you have the tool (and I suggest you get one), the drilled lugs make changes quick and easy.”
