DELTAt NBS | Watch Review

DELTAt NBS

DELTAt NBS Specifications:

• 49mm diameter excluding crown
• 66mm from lug to lug
• 20.2mm thick
• 316L Stainless Steel
• Satin and Sandblast finishing
• Automatic Helium Escape Valve
• Carbon Fiber Dial with Lumed index
• 7.7mm diameter with cross-diagonal pattern screw-in Crown
• Sapphire Crystal with anti-reflection coating
• Japan Miyota Automatic Movement Cal. 8N24
• Water Resistant – 1,000m/3,300ft (100ATM) Water Resistant
• Straps – 22mm width / 5mm thick
• One set of 90/130mm fine genuine leather straps
• One set of 90/130mm unique canvas straps
• 316L Buckle and Loop

PRICE $1100.00 USD 

Are you ready for something extreme? Like me, many of you probably enjoy extreme sports, extremely hot foods, etc. I truly enjoy spicy hot food. I might actually have to whip up some extremely spicy Thai Curry later this evening. However, in this particular instance I am referring to an extreme watch. When I first noticed DELTAt Watches I was impressed with wide range of styles but the NBS model stood out as an oddball to me as it appeared to be ridiculously enormous. Well, I had to see the watch for myself so the company was kind enough to send over a sample so that WatchReport could share this watch with our readers. If you would like to read more about DELTAt follow the this link:

http://www.deltatwatch.com/

Let’s get the pricing issue out of the way right up front. Is this watch truly worth $1100 USD? Quite frankly I think after you read my review and watch the video provided there will be no doubt about the price point being appropriate.

The NBS is not for the limp wrist-ed. The watch is extremely heavy duty and has quite the industrial build. The case is both satin and sandblasted throughout, which is quite refined for such an industrial watch. The first time I saw some images on smaller Asian wrists I thought it looked quite gaudy and out of place. I was thinking to myself, how are these individuals wearing such a huge watch and why? In the end to each their own but in my humble opinion the NBS is most appropriate for people with wrists at 7 ½ inches in diameter and larger. The overhang of the lugs due to the extreme length could be too much for smaller wrists.

7 3/4 inch wrist for reference

The massive NBS weighs a whopping 235 grams on the canvas strap so seriously think about carrying ½ a pound around on your wrist for 8 hours or so a day. Besides the overall massive size, the actual appearance of the watch is going to place the NBS in one of two categories, simply put, love it or hate it. I’m not knocking the watch at all I’m just wanting readers to be well prepared for what to expect out of the NBS. I can truly say when the watch arrived I was impressed and I found some of my presumptions unwarranted.

I have reviewed hundreds of watches over the years and I could probably count on one hand other watches that came close to the build quality provided by the NBS. Of course the first aspect of the NBS besides the overall size that catches the eye are the enormous (3) three hex bolts starring you right in the face. The hex bolts might be the single most factor causing some to fall into the hate it category, however, the bolts are a very unique way of securing the watch case components together. The three bolts pass along the sides of the central part of the case connecting to smaller hex screws on the case back which provide an extreme level of water resistance. I have to admit, at first I really thought the bolts looked odd until I understood the design the company owner followed in having the NBS constructed. The company owner designed the NBS to look something like a nuclear reactor. Actually, the first time myself and one of my colleagues saw the NBS, we thought it looked very similar to the Flux-capacitor seen in Back to the Future, for those of you that may be familiar with those outstanding old movies. So actually the case design, bolts and dial work well together in bringing the owners vision to life.

Besides the unique case design, one of the features I enjoy about the NBS most of all is the design of the carbon fiber dial. The design provides a great view of the movement balance wheel and pallet fork. Overall a very artistic design unlike many other open heart type dial configurations. The perimeter of the dial is marked with applied round hour markers as well as some large polygon markers that I can’t recall ever seeing on any watch before now. Each of the markers contain a fair amount of lume and while not superluminova it does glow quite well. I was unable to find the exact lume composition noted in the specifications, however, based on surfing the web the material could possibly be “superlite” (forgive me if I have spelled incorrectly) which provides similar luminescence to that of C1 superluminova in my book. Overall, I do believe most people will be satisfied with the luminous properties.

Now, while I have grown quite fond of the NBS, could there be improvements? Of course, starting with the movement. While the Miyota 8N24 is a solid movement, it presents certain characteristics that many people tend to view as problematic. First, the lack of a hacking feature with this movement can present some problems achieving precise time setting. I can live with that like many others, however, the other characteristic, typical of 8000 series Miyota automatics, can be a bit annoying. The movement doesn’t provide quite as smooth of a sweep second hand as with the newer 9000 series Miyota automatics. So with the current movement, be prepared for the stuttering and sometimes almost quartz like ticking. I’m certain the movement alone will have many questioning the price tag. Personally, I would love to see the NBS house a Miyota 9015. I know there have been issues recently sourcing the 9015 and the wait time can also be lengthy but nonetheless would love to see it in the DELTAt NBS.

The one other feature that I find slightly out of place is the crown. Functionality is perfect and on most normal sized watches an almost 8mm crown would be more than appropriate. Due to the massive construction of the NBS, a 10mm plus crown would make for a perfect compliment with the rest of the watch. Maybe a crown with a similar size and design of the bolts on the bezel for instance?

If the watch by itself isn’t enough, the NBS comes with a plethora of goodies as well. Besides the fantastic canvas strap that comes standard with every NBS, the watch comes packaged in a huge pelican dive case along with an extra leather strap, all the tools for swapping out the incredible industrial buckle and keeper, tools for cracking open the case if needed, extra small hex bolts for the lugs and a huge chunk of steel noting some of the watch details. In this instance, the DELTAt NBS MKI–SCS comes with a gorgeous dark blue 5mm leather strap but I can’t imagine this beast on anything other than canvas strap. The canvas compliments the NBS so perfectly. The only potential hang up with the straps might be the stainless steel strap keeper. As you will see in the photos and in the video, if the wearer is much further down in the sizing holes the strap may not slip under the keeper very well if at all. If you have a bigger wrist than I and have some sort of spare leather or canvas keeper, sliding that on in front of the stainless keeper will definitely fix any issue.

Is the NBS ridiculous or insane? I will leave the answer to that question up to you. At first I thought yes but now not so much. Hopefully, I have provided each of you with enough information to make an informed decision on that question. The NBS is unquestionably the most massive, industrial, well built watch that I have ever had the pleasure of reviewing. If there is such as thing as an overbuilt watch then it is the NBS. The watch is packed with tons of great specifications from the patent pending case design, sapphire crystal, carbon fiber dial, great straps and buckle, extreme water resistance, mostly reliable Miyota automatic movement and down to the limited production of only 300 pieces. The $1100 price tag is quite appropriate in my book. I would like to thank each of you for reading and please enjoy the photos below of the DELTAt NBS.

 

 

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