Horological Meandering

Mr.Gatsby
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Dear Michael

I’ve meant to respond to your post earlier. However I was too busy to unbox the watch and share my thoughts with you and members of the forum, until last night (when I purchased the Sous-Marine).

Here’s a photo (the green dial is very hard to capture, one really has to scrutinize the dial):


My initial thought was to swap out the striped nato strap for a black nato to try and “suss out” that green dial. To the untrained eye it can really come across as black due to the subtlety of that dark “murky” green. After the strap switch I was able to appreciate the dial color much better.

The fit and feel of the watch is wonderful. Tom has made the effort to retain most of the vintage proportions of the watch, with a slightly bigger case (from 37mm on the vintage to 38++mm on the reissue) and also broader lugs, while retaining the overall height of the case at ~14.5mm including the domed crystal. I think this is a nice update in terms of sizing. It is after all a modern remake of a vintage military piece.

The movement, well, truly no complains there with a La-Joux Perret AM1 that gives us a historically correct flyback chronograph. This is historically apt, and no compromise given here. I say a big thumbs up for this.

W.r.t the dial “elements” and bezel, really there’s nothing more to add except that this is exactly what it should be. Historically accurate and appropriate.

This is a watch priced accessibly for the watch community, especially for people who are looking to be exposed to vintage military timepieces but lack the time and understanding to purchase a true vintage. The problem with vintages is condition. On many of the older pieces the dial is tarnished, lume chipped and worst of all (to me) blackened — which kinda destroys the appearance. Therefore a reissue that is faithfully expressed in terms of its aesthetics allows the collector to enjoy a “vintage watch” that is “NOS” in the modern world.

I really am in love with this watch. The only complain really, is that the chronograph reset pusher isn’t as smooth as I would like it to be. But we must consider the price paid for the watch. Other than that this is a great watch for a vintage lover such as myself.

Best Regards
Gatsby