My first automatic or even mechanical watch is a Stauer Dashtronic, which I got in January, for $100. Before getting this watch I did a bit of research, and the general feeling I got was that Stauer is a mediocre brand with a big advertising department selling cheaper watches. The Dashtronic fits the bill, but this watch is so different from anything else I could find by similarly priced brands that I got the Dashtronic. Interestingly enough, the one I got looks better than the advertising pictures that Stauer had put in magazines, with a better looking movement and better fitting (but not perfect) crystal.
After buying the watch I discovered that Alpha has a watch that is so similar that I think it is the same case, although the movement in the Stauer version looks much better than the pictures on the Alpha site. (Seen in the "Jump Hour" category on the Alpha site, one being here) This watch is labeled a "Jump Hour" watch, but it doesn't jump at all.
Face/dial: 9/10
This watch doesn't have a normal face. Instead of a minutes hand or hours hand, there is an hours dial and minutes dial, and a hairline under the crystal, so the time is always at the "12:00" position of the face. Since the minute numbers are in red, if you are out at night with a red flashlight, you can't read the minutes. There is no illumination in this watch, which kind of makes sense looking at the design. You could only charge about 2 hours worth of the hours dial before dark, and the minutes dial would be unevenly illuminated.
Since the crystal is such a small area of the face, the likely hood of even scratching the crystal is small. I already have several scratches on the stainless steel, which are fairly obvious, but I think that will give the watch "character" over time. I don't know what the crystal is made of, it might be just mineral glass.
Summary: It is different from most other watches, so very much a like it or hate it thing.
Case: 8/10
Most of this watch is case, moreso than most watches. There isn't a crown guard, but the stem on the crown is fairly big, and fits tightly into the case. The fase is brushed stainless steel, the bezel is mirror finish stainless steel, and the back is an exposition back with stainless steel. Stauer makes a gold colored version for the same price, but I was afraid that the plating might wear off, so I went for the solid stainless steel version.
The case is 38mm wide and long excluding the crown, 10mm tall and 22mm for the strap.
Fit and Finish: 7/10
The watch looks nice, but if you run a finger over the edges, the issues become apparent. The crystal is noticably higher on the right side than the left; it is flush with the stainless steel on the left, but sticks up a bit on the right. It is sealed, so it looks more like the face that the crystal is glued to isn't parallel to the face of the watch. Likewise, the machining on the case isn't perfect. The bottom and right edges of the face of my copy are "sharp", while the other two edges are much smoother. The back is nice, but the screws look partially stripped out, like a smaller screwdriver was used than should have been.
Summary: It looks nice, but don't let admirers touch it.
Movement: 9/10
My watch is a consistent +6 or +7 seconds a day, which is apparently pretty good for this price level. It hacks (for what that is worth on a watch without a seconds hand) and hand-winds, and looks fairly nice. If you look closely, issues appear. The name is just silk-screened on to the rotor. The machining around the balance wheel isn't that great, and the pattern on the metal isn't very deep. However, for the price it definitely looks very nice. I don't know what kind of movement it is, but it is a Chinese movement, and "15457" might be the serial number. It is 18,000 BPH movement without any complications.
Band: 8/10
The Stauer band is patterned leather with a cloth back and a bit of padding in between with a standard buckle.
Overall: 8/10 (Edit: 4/10, for durability)
This is a very different looking watch, I have already have one person ask "How do you read that watch?". The distinctive look is the main thing going for this watch, otherwise it is a very simple watch with some small finish issues.
The crystal is VERY weak, and a pen can break it easily. The back is much stronger, so it is a problem with the design.
After buying the watch I discovered that Alpha has a watch that is so similar that I think it is the same case, although the movement in the Stauer version looks much better than the pictures on the Alpha site. (Seen in the "Jump Hour" category on the Alpha site, one being here) This watch is labeled a "Jump Hour" watch, but it doesn't jump at all.
Face/dial: 9/10
This watch doesn't have a normal face. Instead of a minutes hand or hours hand, there is an hours dial and minutes dial, and a hairline under the crystal, so the time is always at the "12:00" position of the face. Since the minute numbers are in red, if you are out at night with a red flashlight, you can't read the minutes. There is no illumination in this watch, which kind of makes sense looking at the design. You could only charge about 2 hours worth of the hours dial before dark, and the minutes dial would be unevenly illuminated.
Since the crystal is such a small area of the face, the likely hood of even scratching the crystal is small. I already have several scratches on the stainless steel, which are fairly obvious, but I think that will give the watch "character" over time. I don't know what the crystal is made of, it might be just mineral glass.
Summary: It is different from most other watches, so very much a like it or hate it thing.
Case: 8/10
Most of this watch is case, moreso than most watches. There isn't a crown guard, but the stem on the crown is fairly big, and fits tightly into the case. The fase is brushed stainless steel, the bezel is mirror finish stainless steel, and the back is an exposition back with stainless steel. Stauer makes a gold colored version for the same price, but I was afraid that the plating might wear off, so I went for the solid stainless steel version.
The case is 38mm wide and long excluding the crown, 10mm tall and 22mm for the strap.
Fit and Finish: 7/10
The watch looks nice, but if you run a finger over the edges, the issues become apparent. The crystal is noticably higher on the right side than the left; it is flush with the stainless steel on the left, but sticks up a bit on the right. It is sealed, so it looks more like the face that the crystal is glued to isn't parallel to the face of the watch. Likewise, the machining on the case isn't perfect. The bottom and right edges of the face of my copy are "sharp", while the other two edges are much smoother. The back is nice, but the screws look partially stripped out, like a smaller screwdriver was used than should have been.
Summary: It looks nice, but don't let admirers touch it.
Movement: 9/10
My watch is a consistent +6 or +7 seconds a day, which is apparently pretty good for this price level. It hacks (for what that is worth on a watch without a seconds hand) and hand-winds, and looks fairly nice. If you look closely, issues appear. The name is just silk-screened on to the rotor. The machining around the balance wheel isn't that great, and the pattern on the metal isn't very deep. However, for the price it definitely looks very nice. I don't know what kind of movement it is, but it is a Chinese movement, and "15457" might be the serial number. It is 18,000 BPH movement without any complications.
Band: 8/10
The Stauer band is patterned leather with a cloth back and a bit of padding in between with a standard buckle.
Overall: 8/10 (Edit: 4/10, for durability)
This is a very different looking watch, I have already have one person ask "How do you read that watch?". The distinctive look is the main thing going for this watch, otherwise it is a very simple watch with some small finish issues.
The crystal is VERY weak, and a pen can break it easily. The back is much stronger, so it is a problem with the design.
