Obris Morgan Infinity | Hands On Watch Review

Obris Morgan Infinity

 

Every time Obris Morgan releases a new model there is a frenzy to grab one. This time was no different with the Obris Morgan Infinity. A few months ago they released the Infinity on a preorder, but only 200 were released. Another 300 is set to be released shortly. The preorder sold out in minutes for those first 200 pieces. Why? Well, Obris at this point makes rugged looking classic divers with all the bells and whistles for a crazy price point. This one was $379 on the preorder and the rest will be $439, which is still a great deal, considering most watches in this range have a NH35  movement and the Infinity has an ETA 2824. That is quite the upgrade. With a watch at this price point, there are always a few little issues, but for the most part, this model is a home run.

Obris Morgan Infinity Specifications:

• 43mm Stainless Case
• 22mm Lug Width
• 50mm Lug to Lug
• 14.5mm Thick
• Domed Sapphire Crystal with AR
• Swiss Made ETA 2824-2 Elabore
• BGW9 Superluminova
• Steel Bracelet and Rubber Strap
• 300 Meters Water Resistant

Current Price $439 USD Including Shipping

http://www.obrismorgan.com/infinity.asp

 

Many microbrand companies are one man operations and a good portion try and do this venture full time. That is not the case with Obris Morgan. They release maybe 2 different models a year and at this stage of the game they seem to sell out very quickly. That is because on average the quality of the product is so good for the price you pay. It seems a good profit is not something they are concerned about and the same can be said about this Obris Morgan Infinity. It is what some might call in the forum community, a “tool diver”, I just prefer to call it a bad ass watch. Tool diver seems silly to me even though I have myself used that term in the past. Reality is all watches are tools so I am not sure how that particular nomenclature came to be. Whatever the case, the Infinity has that aggressive styling to it with its angular case and sharp lines. It has that look about it that it can handle anything you can throw at it. For the most part, that is true, but it still is just regular 316L stainless steel and while the first 200 watches had Incabloc shock protection, I would not call it a hard use watch, though it probably can withstand a good amount of abuse on land or sea.

The Obris Morgan Infinity comes in a few dial color choices, the sunray dial like you see here in my example, matte finish and even mother of pearl, if you like some bling on your dive watch. For me the sunray dial was the one that stood out to me immediately. I just loved how it is a charcoal grey dial but move it just a bit and it almost looks silver, and the other way now it is black. It is a fantastic sunray dial and while the indices are printed and not applied, it does not bother me in the least. I love the overall dial layout and the date window border and the colors of the hands are great too. I am not a fan of the text on the dial though. This is an area that is lacking with Obris Morgan, the font used just cheapens the look of the watch, I would rather just their logo and call it a day. At $439 it is not a deal breaker and one of the little issues I mentioned above.

The entire case of the Obris Morgan Infinity is finely brushed and overall the machining and finishing is above par for this price point. When it comes to the bracelet though, especially the clasp and parts of the back of the watch, specifically behind the lugs, you will find some sharp edges. Not sharp enough to cut you, but you can feel them when you run your hands on them. For the most part,you can not feel these sharp edges when wearing the watch, so even though I noticed it, it is kind of a wash. You can’t have everything for such a low price.

The bezel is a little hard to turn on this example, or should I say almost a pain to turn. I have always stated I do not personally use my bezel to time anything but if you do, be aware, this thing is tight. Maybe over extended use it will loosen up a bit. The good thing is that is probably won’t move from wherever you put it. The crown on the other hand was mechanically sound, smooth to wind and screw back down. Because of the thick case back, this is a watch where you can actually unscrew the crown and set it while on your wrist, something not always so easily done.

When it comes to sizing and wearability, for the most part everything is great. Sizing was a breeze and the Obris Morgan Ininity packaging includes the screwdriver to do it. One sized screws make everything a breeze, but a word of caution: Use loctite after you get the perfect size for the screws. I did notice 2 of them starting to back out a little and while you are at it, check all the other screws and loctite any you feel needs it. You do not want to have one come out and have the watch fall off your wrist. The bracelet is massive and locks down with the ratchet style dive clasp so you can use over a wet suit or for micro sizing as most of us desk divers do. I have not worn a dive watch like this in a bit and being honest I prefer straps these days, so because of the style of bracelet and the case back I am not in love with how it sits on the wrist but I know most will not have an issue. Just be aware this does not exactly wrap around your wrist.

Obris Morgan Infinity Lume

As you can see, while I have a few minor quiblles, there is really not much that I dont like or appreciate about the Obris Morgan Infinity. They have once again made a great bang for your buck watch, this one might the best yet. While dive watches can start to all look the same and this one is not radically different it does have that Fricker case vibe to it that many find appealing and normally watches with those cases start much higher than $439, so if you have always longed for that style but could not afford it, this would be a pretty good substitution. This model took quite a bit for Obris to release this year and it looks like it will be the only one they release for 2017. I hope to see something that can top this or at least similar in 2018.

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Erroyl Duke Melrose | Hands on Watch Review

Erroyl Duke Melrose

I’m not one for dress watches these days as I rarely put on the business attire. My tastes still tend to gravitate towards dive or field watches but a dress watch is nice to have in the lineup. I have never been overly fond of the traditional dress watch, you know; super thin, a thin bracelet or leather strap and a dial you can barely read with small hands and numbers. That is just not for me and lets be honest, most people do not follow the tradition when it comes to fashion and how we dress these days. If I am going to have a dress watch in the arsenal, the Erroyl Duke Melrose would be a good choice. It has a sporty aspect to the dial with the sword hands and Arabic numbers, yet it is still svelte enough to fit under a dress shirt if need be and would still look good with a pair of jeans, dress shirt and those oh so fashionable boots. Okay, Project Runway talk is over, lets get into the good and bad of this new model from Erroyl.

Erroyl Duke Melrose Specifications:

• MOVEMENT: Swiss ETA 2824-2 movement with date complication
• POWER RESERVE: More than 40 hours (manufacturer’s specifications)
• CASE: 316L Stainless Steel (surgical grade)
• CASE DIAMETER: 39mm (33.5mm dial opening)
• CASE THICKNESS: 11mm (excluding double domed sapphire crystal)
• LUG WIDTH: 20mm
• LUG TO LUG LENGTH: 44mm
• CRYSTAL: Double Domed Sapphire Crystal with AR coating underneath
• DIAL: Dark Grey with partial sunray effect with BGW9 lume
• HANDS: Dauphine Hands with BGW9 lume
• BAND: 316L Stainless Steel Jubilee Bracelet
• WATER RESISTANCE: 10ATM (100m)
• WEIGHT: 133 grams

Price: $688.66 USD

https://www.erroyl.com/products/duke-melrose

There are quite a few things that aggravate me about most dress watches, and one of them is the lack of readability. Hands that have no enamel or lume applied to them and tiny little dot markers are not for me. Beyond all the flash, the glam and the complications we like about watches, the basic function is to tell the time, and If I can not read it quickly at a glance, it does not deserve a spot in my watch box. The Erroyl Duke Melrose takes care of all of that and not only does it have large Arabic numbers but it also made hands large enough so that you can read the time quickly. I do not consider them oversize and feel they fit perfectly within the dial. Speaking of the dial, check out the circular Guilloché pattern in the middle. Just enough dial texture to give it that something extra without overdoing it.

Another thing that grinds my gears when it comes to most dress watches is the lack of water resistance. If I am going to shell out money for a watch that I am going to wear when all decked out, I would like that if I have to wash my hands after having that posh dinner that my watch stops working because it has a very low water resistance. Even though the Erroyl Duke Melrose has a push/pull crown it is rated to 100 meters, so rain, snow and even an accidental dunk in the sink should be no issue at all. While the crown is protected from water, I wish it was a little larger for my hands. I did find it somewhat difficult to grasp and pull it out, but once done I was able to turn and set the time with ease. When you have a watch such as this, large crowns are not the norm, and I get that. It is a very elegant looking signed crown though, as you can see below.

Powering the Erroyl Duke Melrose is the ETA 2824 automatic movement with còtes de Genève rotor, visible through the sapphire case back. It is not a decorated elaborate movement but it is nice to see a Swiss caliber movement inside a watch of this price point from a microbrand. I am sure most reading this know it is a workhorse of a movement and well regarded for a base Swiss movement.

While a dress style watch normally does not have lume, Erroyl says, “Why not?” The Duke Melrose has BGW9 Superluminova applied and while it will not light up the room like a Seiko Monster or most dive or pilot watches, it gets the job done and more importantly it looks to be very evenly applied.

All this praise, surely Don, you had to have found something wrong with it, right?  I am betting you are asking yourself that right now. Well, the answer is, yes and no. My one and only real gripe is the size of the Jubilee bracelet. Before I get to that, let me just say that the bracelet in terms of looks, finish and fluidity are all on par. It drapes right around my wrist and all links are separate instead of some cheaper bracelets that have pieces molded together. Why do I have an issue with the size? It is because it just fits my wrist out of the box. I have just about a 7 1/2 inch wrist and I do not remember the last time I did not have to remove any links for a watch to fit me properly. I also do not consider my wrist to be in the large camp, so it makes me wonder why the bracelet is so short. I know the diameter of 39mm is on the small side but I imagine there are guys out there with 8 inch wrists who would like to wear this piece. If that is the case, you are either out of luck or will have to email Erroyl to see if you can get extra links added on before you order.

If you are familiar with Erroyl, you know they hit the market with something different. What I mean is, they are not making dive watches, pilot watches, field watches etc. Obviously nothing wrong with any of those and I myself stated earlier that is what I gravitate to. Erroyl’s collections tend to walk the line between dress and casual and from what I have seen, it is working. It is not easy to enter the watch world and be different, as we all know there is so much competition these days. Erroyl pays attention to quality and details though and even for someone like me that does not gravitate towards this style of watch, I can see the appeal. I’m betting Erroyl hopes you do as well. Bracelet size aside, they make a great watch, at really great price point that comes with a 2 year warranty and free shipping as well. With the way they are making watches, I think they will be around in the next 2 years if a warranty issue arises, and hopefully many more. While it is not exactly my style, it is refreshing to see something a little different.

 

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