Independents

I recently had the unexpected opportunity to wear my brother's Oak & Oscar Jackson chronograph for a few hours. I can't remember a discussion on this watch, so I wanted to contribute my impressions. Let me first say I am a bit skeptical of "startup" watch brands that don't originate as watchmakers. However, I have to give Oak & Oscar credit for producing a well designed and interesting watch with a great movement, at a really impressive price.

Design/wearing comfort:

I found the watch very comfortable, if a bit on the thick side at 14.5mm. Diameter is 40mm. The design, including the placement of the date, is very coherent. A cool detail: When the chronograph seconds hand is at 12, the balance end, with the logo, hovers precisely over the logo on the dial. I didn't get a picture of this, but it proves that some real thought went into the design. Thickness aside, a very comfortable, wearable, and attractive chronograph. 

My impressions of the movement:

This is where the watch really surprised me. The movement is a manually-wound Eterna 3916M. I was very impressed by the winding action (smooth and quiet, with pleasant tactile feedback from the click) and the nice feel of all the chronograph pushers. Start/stop/restart is quite short with a crisp break. Reset/flyback is also very good, though heavier as is common with flyback movements. Overall, I found the pusher feedback to be comparable to best-in-class movements like the Rolex 4130, JLC 75x and FP 1185. 

Some interesting movement features:

-Instantly jumping chronograph minutes counter

-Co-axial chronograph 30-minute and 12-hour counters

-60 hour power reserve