Watch Band Combos Revisited

I've been experimenting with different watch band combinations lately. It is interesting to me how the look of a watch can be completely changed with little more than a new band. The pictures above show the same three watches in various different guises. I picked these Debaufre/Steinhart models for three reasons. They are well built and affordable. Any one of them would be a perfect choice for someone who only wants one watch. (horrors!) Lastly, their looks really change quite a bit with the different bands.

The simplest and least expensive of these combinations is a nylon band. There are loads of online vendors for these styles. (I got the ones pictured here . These folks have a great selection too.) On watches like those pictured, a nylon band really creates a good military look. If you look through old watch catalogs, you will see a lot of sport and military watches with leather bands. It's not the most common of looks today but I think it merits consideration. A good leather band can give a diver or chrono a nice vintage style. Lastly, a stainless steel bracelet produces that modern sporty look and feel to say nothing of being very durable.

The best part of playing this game is the economy of it. While new watches can be pricey, watch bands are generally affordable. Get a nice watch for yourself and a few different bands to dress it up or down for whatever mood strikes you. Not a bad way for a watch collector to ride out hard economic times.

As an aside, my favorite source for watch bands is no more. Randy Nilsen, who's ebay shop I have mentioned many times in previous reviews has passed away. He was one of the good guys and will be missed indeed.

Debaufre Aircraft 8 Review

On a 26mm rubber diver's band for hot weather










A month or so ago, I was given a fake Bell & Ross Instrument watch. (Ed climbs up on soapbox) I will not wear a fake, (Defined by me as an item with a brand name that was not built by its real maker). I personally think that wearing fakes is really cheesy. So, off to my brother-in-law it went. (Yeah, I should have just trashed it but he liked it. So sue me.) Period. Hmmm....well, that being said, as absurd as I felt when I put the thing on, I have to admit that it looked really good. (As an aside, this fake was really amazing. All the markings, including those on the case back, were correct. Scary.) What to do? Enter the Debaufre Aircraft 8.

The Aircraft 8 is Debaufre's homage to aircraft instrument clocks. (An homage, again defined by me, is an ode to another design. It is art based on art without the rip-off. An homage is sold under its own name and, like the Aircraft 8, goes its own way with its detail execution.) The basic idea behind this watch is that it looks like the clocks found in an airplane cockpit, just smaller. As such, it fits in well with Debaufre's military and sport themed collection.

On to the Aircraft 8 itself. The watch is quite large, measuring 44mm on each side and 52mm from lug to lug. This might be an issue if your wrist is much below 6 3/4". (On the other hand, that size gives it it's striking looks.) It is 10mm thick and uses a sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective coating. As watch crystals go, this is about as good as they get, both in regards to scratch resistance and visibility. The leather band that ships with the Aircraft 8 merits special praise. It is a thick slab of leather that really compliments this watch perfectly. Measuring 26mm in width at the lugs, it is really very well done. The superluminova lume on the Aircraft 8 is pretty good. The hands glow very nicely for several hours in darkness. The numerals on the face are also lumed, but are not as bright as the hands. The Aircraft 8 has a large knurled crown with the Debaufre star etched into it that is very easy to grip for winding and setting. Lastly, the case is rated at 3atm water resistance, which is fine as this isn't a diver's watch.

Internally, ETA�s tried and true 2824 25 jewel automatic movement powers the Aircraft 8. (The 2824 is an ETA workhorse. It is rugged and accurate and any jeweler worth his salt should have no difficulty servicing it should the need arise in the future.) My example is running at +7 seconds so far which is perfectly acceptable. The watch can be hacked and hand wound, if those features matter to you.

Given its shape, you might be tempted to think that the Aircraft 8 wears like a stainless steel brick on the wrist. Fortunately, as the pictures above hopefully convey, the designers of this watch had the sense to build in a curve to the case back. The effect is similar to that of watches having curved lugs. It makes the watch sit more firmly and comfortably on the wrist than a flat case back model would.

In summary, if you like the cockpit instrument look but can't drop 3 grand for one, check out the Aircraft 8. The build quality is excellent, the movement is a proven winner and it looks terrific. Additionally, Debaufre sells several other versions of this watch, an all black PVD model and two models with luminous dials.

As an aside, photos of this watch really don't do justice to it. This is purely subjective on my part but I really think that the Aircraft 8 looks substantially better in person.

Addendum-One reader asked if it is possible to wear the Aircraft 8 with a dress shirt. A good question really as most large watches simply cannot fit under a shirt cuff. I didn't realize it but I answered this question for myself when I wore the Aircraft 8 to work while wearing such a shirt. The watch fit without the usual contortions involved in wearing a big watch. That's one of the advantages of a watch that is 10mm in thickness. To help illustrate this, I have attached below a side by side shot of the Aircraft 8 with a Seiko Monster. I hope it illustrates the point fairly well.

The Nato band

I've gotten a fair number of questions through the years about how to wear a Nato band. The pictures above illustrate how it should look when worn. The watch is a fairly typical Vostok Amphibia, the same watch seen below on a waterproof leather band (fully reviewed here), a good choice for a Nato as the stock Vostok bands and bracelets are not of the best quality.

The Nato style is a nice match for sport/military watches. It is adjustable for almost any size wrist and water can't harm it. It also has a unique look to say the least. It doesn't hurt that Nato bands are generally very affordable too. A good selection of reasonably priced models can be found here.

Incidentally, if you are curious about the origin of the Nato strap, see this thread on Watchuseek and this pdf file.

Waterproof Leather

I recently discovered waterproof leather bands. I don�t know how I managed to miss this before. Gotta tell you, if you have a heavy watch, like the divers above, and you want to make them more comfortable for daily wear, this is the way to go. You can still get things wet without worry but the whole package is lighter and easier to live with. I got this one at Central Watch band Stand but there are many vendors online with these bands. Google Hirsch Marine to find some of them.

The first watch shown btw is a Vostok Amphibia. The one below it is a Seiko SBBN007. The last one is a Debaufre Ocean One Classic Edition. The Classic Edition, in particular, really has an old time diver watch look with the leather band. Both are winning combinations in my opinion.

Adi Watch Review-IDF Ana-Digi Diver

When I first encountered the Adi IDF watch, my first thought was Breitling Pluton. As it turns out, I was close. Both watches use very similar Miyota analog/digital chronograph movements (see here for a database of these movements and this post on Watchuseek.com for a discussion of the Pluton) with the same functions, but their control layouts are slightly different. The watch seen here is designed for and used by Israeli soldiers. I have confirmed from a representative of Adi that this model is both issued by the Ministry of Defense and ordered by individual military units with their specific insignias. (As I understand it, they have several other styles that are also military issued as well. I'll post an update with that information when I get the details straight). Adi, as I discussed in the previous review below, is Israel�s only domestically produced watch. The factory is located on Kibbutz Yavne between Ashdod and Ashkelon, south of Tel Aviv. They make a number of different watches and I have now located an online dealer who proved both friendly and responsive to my inquiry about them. In addition, the folks at the factory have plans to augment their existing website with more English language content for those of us who aren't fluent in Hebrew.

The Adi IDF watch is an interesting piece of equipment. Visually, it�s a big watch, measuring 47mm in width (including the crown & pushers, 42mm without them) and 12mm in thickness. As style goes, The IDF has a purposeful, military look to it. (One poster on the Poor Man's Watch Forum said it looked Klingon :) It does exhibit that no-nonsense attitude). The watch uses an integrated rubber diver�s band that is secured by four pins with Seiko style collars. The case is advertised as being made of nickel-free stainless steel and has a matt finish on all but the screw-down case back. This Adi uses a domed mineral glass crystal that is protectively set below the level of a rotating bezel (as opposed to, say a Vostok Amphibia, whose crystal rises above the level of the bezel and can collect scratches more easily). The watch is rated at 200 meters water resistance, which is accomplished without using a screw-down crown. In terms of lume, this model uses what appears to be superluminova on its hands and face. (The lume on the hands lasted quite long in my experience but the face markers faded in a few hours. The lume is not in a Seiko diver's league, but its not a bad performance overall though.). If you like the feel of diver�s watches with rubber straps, you�ll like this watch. The case design is curved in such a way as to allow the watch to sit very firmly but comfortably on the wrist. Incidentally, the graphic on the face of this model is the emblem of the IDF paratroopers. Other unit insignias are available as well.

Internally, the Adi IDF is powered by a Miyota (Citizen) T201 quartz analog/digital chronograph movement. Accuracy is excellent, as is to be expected from a quartz movement, and the battery life is rated at three years. In terms of capability, there isn�t much that this watch can�t do, as timekeeping goes. The analog hands work predictably and the face includes a twenty-four hour scale should you need to track time that way. Where things get interesting is in the function of that digital display. The display includes a second time zone in either a 12 or 24 hour scale, the month, day and date, a chronograph timer (that is accurate to hundredths of a second), an alarm, an hourly chime and a display light. These various functions are controlled and set by the pushers on the sides of the watch and were not at all difficult to figure out. Lastly, the movement can be hacked if that feature is important to you.

The Adi IDF is an excellent field/diver watch. It is not hard to see why Adi markets this to the military. Its capabilities should prove quite useful in the field and it appears to be very rugged. Additionally, at less than $100, it won�t break the bank either. My one concern about this watch was the integrated band. Realistically, a rubber strap will need replacement after a few years. The folks at IsraeliProducts.com were helpful in providing me contact information directly to Adi where I learned that a replacement band could be obtained when the time comes without any issues. The people at Adi are apparently comfortable with providing that sort of service when it is required. Nice to see a company that stands behind its product. With that concern addressed, I have no problem recommending this watch for anyone who needs a solid sport/diver or is perhaps in the armed services as well.

ADI Watch Review

Update-I have located a U.S. online dealer for Adi watches. They are called IsraeliProducts.com. Look under Clothing & Accessories for their selection of Adi watches.

As reviews go, this one was not easy to write. Most watch companies make some effort to market themselves to the outside world. That process greatly eases the task of researching a watch company. Adi, on the other hand, seems completely content in limiting itself to its domestic market. That is a shame in my opinion because they have a number of interesting models that, I think, would do well beyond their home market.

Adi, you see, is the only manufacturer of watches in State of Israel.
To make things more interesting, they are not produced at just any factory. Instead, Adi watches are made on a kibbutz, a sort of hybrid between a commune and a collective farm. Some kibbutzim (the plural of kibbutz) have branched out into light industry. The Kibbutz that makes Adi watches, called Yavne, is one of those. It is located south of the city of Tel Aviv between the cities of Ashdod and Ashkelon. The company has a website that is entirely in Hebrew, unfortunately. Their watches are sold at some jewelery stores in Israel including one at Ben Gurion Airport where I found the example pictured above. As far as I can tell, the only sellers of Adi watches outside of Israel are online and appear to be sort of grey market in their approach. Update-I have found a US based dealer for ADI watches. They are called Israeli Products.com . I picked up the ADI IDF watch that I also reviewed there. No problems at all dealing with them. Good folks.

The Adi I picked up is one of their dress watches. Its design reminded me of a Nomos, at least stylistically. It measures 38 mm in width (40 mm including the crown) 8 mm in thickness and uses a 20 mm wide band. The case is stainless steel with a snap-on back and a black bezel ring. The crystal is domed mineral glass and the band has a signed buckle. Water resistance is rated at 5 atm and the hands and face have no lume. Internally, this Adi uses a Seiko quartz movement that has a date function and can be hacked. The stock band, also branded Adi, is croc grain leather of reasonable quality.

As you may have surmised by now, there is little about this particular watch that is remarkable. It is in all respects a typical modern quartz watch. It would make an excellent daily wearer for most people, which is really just fine. Adi does have some other, more interesting, models that are reputedly sold to the Israeli Army. (I have also read that Singapore's military has purchased 8000 watches from them as well. I had a link to an article about this but it went inactive I'm afraid).

All in all, I find this particular watch to be a well made men's dress watch that, like most quartz watches, should provide simple, trouble-free service for a long time. The only issue I have with Adi is their low profile. I think that there is a market for them outside of Israel that they should make some effort to reach. Even an ebay store would be a good start.

Debaufre Ocean 1 Classic Edition Review

On a Maratac Mil strap.




On a waterproof leather band

On a 22mm Nato for a change of pace



Lume shot

Have you ever had one of those moments when you make an annoying mistake in slow motion. Sort of like locking your keys in your car. You see the door closing, realize with panic what is happening, and then...clunk...the door claps shut with your keys locked inside. This is invariably followed by a few choice words and then with the feeling of resignation that you will now have to deal with the problem you just created.

You may be wondering about now what this has to do with the Debaufre Ocean 1 Classic Edition. Well, not long ago I acquired an Ocean 1 for a song before the Debaufre name change happened. It was a beautiful piece (note the use of past tense) and I regularly wore it when swimming with my kids. Well, one day my brother-in-law was over and he commented about how sweet the Ocean 1 was. That's when the car door went clunk. In a moment of brain lock I took off the watch, handed it to him and said, it's yours-enjoy it. (For those of you who know me from the Poor Man's Watch Forum, this is the same guy I gave my Seiko 009 to. At least I'm consistent). As he left my house, smiling at the new Swiss diver on his wrist, that little voice in the back of my head spoke up. You know the one; it says "IDIOT!! Why did you do that!!"

Well, since I really missed having a sub-homage diver, enter the Ocean 1 Classic Edition. As you can see from the pictures above, this is a really beautiful watch. The resemblance to a certain other diver of note is evident albeit with a few touches that differentiate them very nicely. The Classic Edition is an all stainless steel diver that is rated at 300 meters water resistance. Clearly water should never be a problem for this one. The crystal, which also includes a cyclops magnifier, is made of sapphire to ward off scratches and the lume is superluminova that remains visible in darkness for a few hours. (It's not in a Seiko diver's league but it is pretty good, better than the previous example that I had as a matter of fact). The Ocean 1's bracelet is a heavy solid-link design that includes solid end links (Hollow end-links are a pet peeve of mine as those of you who have read my other reviews already know. They are tinny and bend easily. It is amazing how many otherwise nice watches are ruined by them. Are they really that expensive to make?) In addition to the lume being improved on this model, the bracelet feels better too. The old Ocean 1 had a good but not great bracelet. The one on the Classic Edition is tighter and has a better clasp. The watch features a stylized screw-down crown with the Debaufre star logo cut into it. Lastly, the Ocean 1 features a unidirectional rotating bezel with an embedded luminous marker. (The reason a diver watch has a bezel that only spins counter-clockwise is for safety. If you are timing your dive, it is important that the bezel used to mark the safe limit of your available air not rotate clockwise if banged against something. That could confuse you into extending you dive time in a dangerous way).

Visually, the Ocean 1 is a big watch in keeping with today's trend toward large men's watches. It measures 42 mm in width (46 mm with the crown), is 13 mm in thickness, uses a 22 mm band lug width and weighs a tick under 7 ounces. The reason it is called the "Classic Edition" is because of the markers on the face. They are larger and more reminiscent of, ahem, a certain other diver.

Internally, the Ocean 1 Classic Edition is powered by a Sellita SW200 26 jewel automatic movement. For those of you who are scratching your heads and saying Sellita??, they are a Swiss movement company who provide movements to a number of watch manufacturers these days including Oris and Breitling among others. They also may represent the future of the non-Swatch Group movement suppliers. ETA, the division of the Swatch Group that supplied everyone and their uncle with movements up to now has decided to greatly restrict this practice. See: here for more details. This thread on Watchuseek.com also discusses this development. From a practical standpoint this matters little as the SW200 is a drop-in replacement for ETA's popular 2824-2 movement and its performance is apparently excellent. Service should not be any problem either. In terms of accuracy, my example is currently running at +8 seconds a day. Not bad at all for a mechanical watch right out of the box. Lastly, like the ETA 2824, the SW200 can be hacked and hand wound if those features matter to you.

In summary, the Ocean 1 Classic Edition is a very fine timepiece in all respects. It has a great looking "wrist presence" and is comfortable to wear, even after a full day. If, like me, you are realistically never going to own a certain other diver that looks similar to the Debaufre (alright-Rolex, there I said it) this one is a great way to go. With its heavy stainless steel construction and water resistance, everything about the Ocean 1 says first class. It really feels, and I know how fuzzy that word is, like a much more expensive piece than it is.

As an aside, the Classic Edition has only been produced in limited numbers according to the Debaufre website. If it is sold out, or you like one of the other Ocean 1 models available there, pretty much everything I've said here is equally applicable to them except for the style of the face markers.