Borealis Seafarer II | Watch Review

Borealis Seafarer II

Borealis Seafarer II Specifications: 

• Case Size: 44mm x 53mm
• Screwed down crown with engraved B logo
• Slightly Domed Sapphire Crystal with A/R coating inside
• 120 clicks unidirectional sapphire lumed bezel with BGW9 lume applied to indexes and turbine style grip bezel finish
• Made in Japan Citizen Miyota 9015 Automatic Movement
• Automatic Helium Release Valve
• 316L Stainless Steel Case
• Lug Width: 24.00 mm
• Water Resistance: 4000 meters
• Case height: 15.70 mm
• Viton and tefzel gaskets
• 316L Stainless steel bracelet with precision adjustable buckle
• Swiss Made RC TRITEC BGW9 Superluminova applied to dial, watch hands and sapphire bezel
• Screwed Case Back with engraved mermaid

Price $450 USD

Borealis Website:

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Borealis continues to impress me with each new model, and the Borealis Seafarer II is no different. I have handled their past few releases, but this if the first new model I have received for review in a year or so. About two years ago, actually it might be over two years ago now, I reviewed the original Seafarer. It was an homage of sorts to the Rolex DSSD and had snowflake hands, a la Tudor. This time around, they have reduced the size in both length and thickness, improved the bracelet, a Seiko inspired dial and the brushing/polishing and finishing overall is improved in my opinion.

Borealis makes no bones about it, that they are for the most part an homage company. While there are many out there in the watch community who do not care for homages, there are just as many who are. And many like the fact that these homages are affordable while still having many quality components we look for. They have been around for just about 4 years or so, maybe a little more, but are still a new company. Maria, the owner, decided to start her own company after seeing her husband’s success with Prometheus Watch Company. These days they work on many things together, but are somewhat separate companies still. Borealis has had their hiccups and not every watch I would consider stellar or a home run in terms of fit and finish. The Seafarer II is a good example of striving to improve and listening to their customers. Still, with all the Borealis Seafarer II offers at its price point, there is one somewhat minor issue I have and of course some things I would have personally liked, but let’s get right into it.

First things first, this watch is a bear to photograph. The double domed sapphire crystal makes it very difficult to get a good shot of the dial. I could have done a few and shown some glamour/magazine style shots, but what does that really do for a review? The whole point of our reviews here at Watchreport is to let you see the watch for what it really is. The reality is, this is what the watch will look like when you get it. So with that said, do I compare this watch to its predecessor or look at it on its own. Looking back at my review of version I, they really are two completely different watches, that just happen to share the same model name. The design, size, and components are different, and in my opinion that is a good thing.

Lets start with the dial, which is clearly inspired by a Seiko SKX007, though it is not a one of one copy. They went with the upside down triangle and thin line extender at the 12 o’clock position, but instead of elongated markers at the 6 and 9, they went with large circles. And of course it is a date only, not a day date. So, can you really look at the dial and hands and say Seiko knock off? Not really. It is inspired, not copied. This version is the grey dial with black sapphire bezel insert, but you can also get it with a black and orange bezel and there are 2 other dial colors available, (black and blue), that have a few different bezel color options.

At 44mm , the stainless steel case wears as listed, and at almost 16mm thick, on paper it sounds quite large. But because of the separation of the bezel and case and the how it is configured, I did not feel like I was wearing a massive, chunky diver. Speaking of the bezel, the turbine as they call it, some may have seen this from another micro brand in recent years. And while it is true that another micro brand uses this bezel style on one of their popular models, they got the idea from a model no longer made, the Japy diver. (Seriously, I am not being non-PC or using racist slang, that was the name. Google it). The bezel is easy to turn, ratchets nicely and is quite attractive as well. No sharp or unfinished edges either. The one thing I did notice on my example is that the bezel has some up and down play. Not when you turn it, but if you were to press down on it, it is somewhat springy. Take a look at the video review to see what I mean.

The bracelet is pretty standard when it comes to micro brand dive watches these days, oyster link, thick and with a ratchet extension clasp. I know, I just made it sound mundane. I don’t mean for it to come off that way, just stating a fact. It does fit perfectly to the case, and uses one sided screw bars to hold the links together. One word of caution though, use loctite in the screws when sizing. This will prevent any screws from backing out. I removed 4 links for my 7 1/2 inch wrist.

So, lets get to the things I would have rather seen, and then we will get to the one issue I have with the Borealis Seafarer II. While I know many guys still want a larger watch, and I think this watch overall does look great, I think this watch would be great in a 42 to 43mm with about 14mm thickness max. That’s just my wish though. Another thing would be the use of high polish on the case. I am just not a big fan of high polish on tool style diver such as this. All brushed or blasted would have been more to my liking. But again, these are all just my personal takes and should not detract from the watch at all.

Well, I think you know what part of the watch I usually discuss at this point, so you probably already know what my issue is. Yep, the lume. Simply stated the lume on the hands and bezel is great, but with such big dial markers I was hoping this watch would hurt my eyes. Unfortunately, they must have not put enough lume compound on the markers, and why they still glow, you can see they are not as bright as the rest. I do love the BGW9 used though, that icy blue glow is a nice change.

While it might sound like I was overly critical in this review, It is not intended to be that way. In actuality, I feel the Borealis Seafarer II is a very nice dive watch for a good price. It is still under the $500 mark, has a classic diver look with some nice upgrades and if you like the medium/large size watches you will definitely love it. I am still amazed with how well it wore on my wrist. And if you are not a bracelet fan, a strap looks great on the Seafarer, as you can see in the pic below. The best part is, there are two sets of lug holes. One for the bracelet and one for a strap, so you will not have any gap showing if you go the strap route. I currently have it on a Drunk Art Canvas, but I am sure it would look good on rubber, leather or whatever else you want to try it on.

As I said, Borealis continues to improve and from what I have seen online, this watch has proved to be quite popular for them. As far as the lume, as I have always stated, it could have just been my example. I have not looked online yet to see if others had dim lume on the markers. Borealis has quite a few other models planned for this year, and they all look great, and we will be reviewing some of them here on Watchreport, so stay tuned! Also, you maybe be wondering why I didn’t talk about movement. Simply, I think many that have read any review I have done in the last two years have read about the Miyota 9015 movement, as it has been covered over and over. At this time, I feel unless I notice anything out of the ordinary as far as accuracy or winding etc, I just do not mention it. It is a great movement, the standard in the micro brand world.

Thank you for reading and please leave your comments in the field below.

The post Borealis Seafarer II | Watch Review appeared first on WatchReport.com | Real. Honest. Reviews. | Authentic Watch Reviews |.

Ventus Black Kite | Watch Review

Ventus Black Kite

Ventus Black Kite Specifications:

• 42mm case, 50mm lug to lug length and 22mm lug width
• 13.5mm thick Darkwood Carbon Fiber case with inner steel structure
• Darkwood Carbon Fiber 20mm buckle
• 63 Grams without straps
• Seiko NH35 Automatic Movement: 24 jewels, 21600 bph, hacking and winding
• Domed Sapphire Crystal with inner Anti-Reflective Coating. Hardest available glass to let you wear the watch without worry of scratches.
• Water Resistance of 100m with screw down crown
• Engraved logo on crown and case back
• Sandwich Dial
• BGW9 Superluminova or C1 (Vintage style)
• 1 Year International Warranty

Price $499.00 USD

http://ventuswatches.com/

Are you ready for some more carbon fiber excellence? I have had several opportunities to review carbon fiber watches in the past. However, the Ventus Black Kite B-02, which is the subject of this review, is my first opportunity to review a layered carbon fiber case watch. Most of the carbon fiber case watches on the market tend to have a hefty price point associated with them especially those housing an automatic movement. Well, I’m here to tell you that Ventus release of the Black Kite has provided an extremely affordable opportunity for consumers to snag a carbon fiber case watch with an automatic movement under $500 USD.

So what is it really that makes the Black Kite different from the other carbon fiber watches I have reviewed? Well, Ventus describes the Black Kite as having a Darkwood Carbon Fiber case. Best I can tell is that the use of this terminology is due to the wood-grain appearance of the layering of the case. If you are a visual person, then you may obtain a better understanding of the difference I am referring to by taking a quick look at the video included with this review. The other options would be to go look at my past reviews or search up the differences using a web search engine. The best way to put it in words is by identifying the past carbon fiber watches reviewed as having an almost granite or stone type appearance due to the carbon fiber being shredded. Initially, I thought I preferred the shredded appearance over the layered wood grain, but after having the Black Kite in hand I have to admit it is quite striking. Is one option better than the other? I believe we could debate that concept for some time. Besides the difference in appearance there is also a tactile difference in my humble opinion. Before I mention the tactile difference I want to be perfectly clear that just because I feel a difference doesn’t make one better than the other.

The Black Kite has an almost lightweight metal feel similar to titanium whereas the shredded carbon fiber case watches I have felt have an extremely lightweight feel to them almost like some sort of plastic. I was advised by companies using the shredded carbon fiber, there were concerns of separation of the layered carbon fiber. I can report the the layered carbon fiber appears to be quite solid. I will of course update any noted separation at a later date.

The layered appearance in the Ventus Black Kite case is not the only aspect of the case that I really find appealing. The other carbon fiber watches I have reviewed lacked integrated crown guards whereas the Black Kite does not. The crown guards add a level of protection to the crown that I feel is quite important. I do want to mention based on past experience regardless of whether the case is layered or shredded carbon fiber extra caution should be utilized when screwing down the crown. I have personally seen what too much torque can do a carbon fiber case and wouldn’t want anyone to over torque and end up with a cracked or separated case. Just be careful. I also like the subtle branding with the “V” logo on the crown face.

What else do I love about the Ventus Black Kite? Look no further than the dial sitting below the double domed sapphire crystal. I have to admit before I get to the dial, I am not a fan of the domed crystal as the doming always seems to distort the dial from certain angles. I would have rather seen the Black Kite with a flat sapphire crystal. Moving on to the dial, besides the dial being extremely sterile, which I absolutely love, the dial also is a sandwich design. The matte black dial is laid over top of a vintage lumed piece. So many companies clutter up their dials with various branding sometimes to the point of making the watch difficult to read. No difficulties telling the time on the Black Kite Vintage lume doesn’t always maintain great intensity which is the case with the Black Kite, but the lume is what I consider well above average. Don’t worry lume fanatics out there.

Another aspect found on most carbon fiber case watches are internal cores housing the movement. I have been advised on several occasions by a few companies that have produced carbon fiber cases that a core is essential because carbon fiber can be brittle thus screwing a case back directly into the carbon fiber is not a good idea. So, the other option is to seal the core within the carbon fiber. Some companies use stainless steel while others use titanium. Is one better than the other? Again, another aspect that would make for a good debate. The Black Kite utilized a stainless steel core so obviously the overall weight of the watch is going to be slightly greater than if titanium was utilized. Going back to the great $499 price of the  Ventus Black Kite, if titanium was used then obviously the cost would go up and be similar to the other higher priced carbon fiber watches on the market. Kudos to Ventus for opting for the steel core so a more affordable carbon fiber watch with an automatic movement can be present on the market.

The Black Kite houses a Seiko NH-35 automatic movement. I am more of a fan of the Miyota 9015 due to the slightly smoother sweep second hand, however, the NH-35 is a solid robust movement and has been extremely reliable. Of course the greatest issue with the Miyota 9015 is availability and wait time. Once again kudos to Ventus for going ahead and using a solid movement and bringing the lower cost carbon fiber watch to the consumer.

Last but not least the Black Kite comes with a fantastic strap for the most part. It seems lately that Asian based companies tend to utilize a shorter length with their straps. The strap is pretty darn short as you will see in the video and in my photos. On my 7 ¾ inch wrist I am in the last sizing hole. Thankfully, the fixed keeper has been placed very close to the buckle end of the strap so the strap tail will still secure nicely beneath it. If you have a much larger wrist than I be prepared to pick up an after market strap. The strap is finished off with an awesome carbon fiber buckle which has not been a common feature of other carbon fiber watches on the market. I absolutely love the carbon fiber buckle and I bet any of you reading would as well.

Do you have a carbon fiber watch in your collection? Have you been holding off due to the cost being a bit on the high side with most carbon fiber watches? No more excuses as the Ventus Black Kite delivers it all. The watch is packed with tons of great specifications from the layered carbon fiber case design, sapphire crystal, sandwich dial, sharp looking strap with an awesome carbon fiber buckle and a reliable Seiko NH-35 automatic movement. I highly recommend picking this one up in some variation.

Thank you for reading. Please leave your comments in the field below the photo gallery.

The post Ventus Black Kite | Watch Review appeared first on WatchReport.com | Real. Honest. Reviews. | Authentic Watch Reviews |.