I like tritium watches, because when I wear one, I don't have to think about lume any more. It is always there. It always looks the same. No more obsession.
Epoch is one of the companies in China that have been making quartz tritium watches that look like normal field watches (another one is Carnival, which is more well known to us). Now Epoch has just launched a mechanical 40mm tritium watch. It looked pretty good and I had to buy it. And I received it today.
A few details of this watch:
Brand: Epoch
Item #: EP-7009GN
Movement: 21-jewel Miyota with date (not sure about model #)
Crystal: Sapphire (flat)
Case back: Display back
Case dia.: 40mm
Lug width: 20mm
Thickness: 11.8mm
Water resistance: 100mm
Crown: Screw-down crown, unbranded
Tritium tubes: 15 tubes, 3 colors.
Price: I paid USD196.38 for this watch (before shipping). On the high side for a Chinese made watch, and it would probably come down after some time, after the "new product" stage.
From the look of it, it seems to be very close to the "perfect affordable tritium watch" that I had wanted. Case size is perfect, mechanical movement, sapphire crystal, all brushed ss finish, screw-down crown & 100WR, simple design, simple bracelet, ... everything seems to scratch all my itches just right.
And, the most amazing thing about this watch is that it is thinner than I thought. The manufacturer was able to squeeze 3 tritium tube hands (all thicker than flat hands) and a mechanical movement (with date) into a 11.8mm thin case. I didn't know this was possible, but now I have one in my hands. But I guess it comes with sacrifice - the sapphire crystal is probably quite thin. I tabbed it with my finger nail, and it sounds a little more clicky than my other watches with sapphire crytal, but still different from the clink clink sound of mineral crystal.
Branding/marketing is not the strong suit of Chinese watch makers, this we all know. Epoch / Witness the Times probably sounds great if translated into Chinese, I guess, but it surely doesn't ring a bell as it is (edit: a joke Mad Max MEME is added to a post below). Well, I think I will just ignore the branding and use and appreciate the watch itself.
I will wear it for some time and monitor the accuracy of the unadjusted movement, and I will probably put on a leather strap to make it lighter and more comfortable. But from the first several hours of having this watch, I don't have any complaints yet.
So, if this watch has a slightly thicker (or maybe domed) sapphire crystal, and if it is made by a more well-known reputable watch maker, it would become my perfect affordable tritium watch. That said, this watch is very close to being perfect, so far.
Pros:
1. Perfect size.
2. Very thin.
3. 3-color tritium tubes.
4. Simple and elegant design.
5. Screw-down crown, 100m WR.
6. Sapphire crystal.
Cons:
1. Crown is a little small, and not easy to turn.
2. Sapphire crystal doesn't seem to have AR coating, and can be a little thicker.
3. Yellow tritium tubes are not as bright as the green ones.
Some pictures:
![]()
Screw-down crown released:
![]()
![]()
Epoch is one of the companies in China that have been making quartz tritium watches that look like normal field watches (another one is Carnival, which is more well known to us). Now Epoch has just launched a mechanical 40mm tritium watch. It looked pretty good and I had to buy it. And I received it today.
A few details of this watch:
Brand: Epoch
Item #: EP-7009GN
Movement: 21-jewel Miyota with date (not sure about model #)
Crystal: Sapphire (flat)
Case back: Display back
Case dia.: 40mm
Lug width: 20mm
Thickness: 11.8mm
Water resistance: 100mm
Crown: Screw-down crown, unbranded
Tritium tubes: 15 tubes, 3 colors.
Price: I paid USD196.38 for this watch (before shipping). On the high side for a Chinese made watch, and it would probably come down after some time, after the "new product" stage.
From the look of it, it seems to be very close to the "perfect affordable tritium watch" that I had wanted. Case size is perfect, mechanical movement, sapphire crystal, all brushed ss finish, screw-down crown & 100WR, simple design, simple bracelet, ... everything seems to scratch all my itches just right.
And, the most amazing thing about this watch is that it is thinner than I thought. The manufacturer was able to squeeze 3 tritium tube hands (all thicker than flat hands) and a mechanical movement (with date) into a 11.8mm thin case. I didn't know this was possible, but now I have one in my hands. But I guess it comes with sacrifice - the sapphire crystal is probably quite thin. I tabbed it with my finger nail, and it sounds a little more clicky than my other watches with sapphire crytal, but still different from the clink clink sound of mineral crystal.
Branding/marketing is not the strong suit of Chinese watch makers, this we all know. Epoch / Witness the Times probably sounds great if translated into Chinese, I guess, but it surely doesn't ring a bell as it is (edit: a joke Mad Max MEME is added to a post below). Well, I think I will just ignore the branding and use and appreciate the watch itself.
I will wear it for some time and monitor the accuracy of the unadjusted movement, and I will probably put on a leather strap to make it lighter and more comfortable. But from the first several hours of having this watch, I don't have any complaints yet.
So, if this watch has a slightly thicker (or maybe domed) sapphire crystal, and if it is made by a more well-known reputable watch maker, it would become my perfect affordable tritium watch. That said, this watch is very close to being perfect, so far.
Pros:
1. Perfect size.
2. Very thin.
3. 3-color tritium tubes.
4. Simple and elegant design.
5. Screw-down crown, 100m WR.
6. Sapphire crystal.
Cons:
1. Crown is a little small, and not easy to turn.
2. Sapphire crystal doesn't seem to have AR coating, and can be a little thicker.
3. Yellow tritium tubes are not as bright as the green ones.
Some pictures:
Screw-down crown released:
