DELTAt Sora WWII
DELTAt Sora WWII Specifications:
44mm x 52mm stainless brushed case
10.8mm thick
22mm lug width
Seiko Automatic Movement Cal. NH35
10mm diameter pumpkin shaped crown
Sapphire Crystal with anti-reflection coating
Water Resistant: 200m/660ft (20ATM) Water Resistant
Tool-Less-strap-changing system
One set of WWII style genuine leather straps
One set of 90/130mm crazy horse genuine leather straps with removable base
Military Style Nylon Strap
Price $450 USD
Sometimes you just never know what to expect with a watch, especially from a brand that is new on the scene. While my colleague Michael Wolfe reviewed the NBS model about 2 months ago, I never saw that one personally. He said while it was extreme and funky, it was crazy well built. That was also their top model at about $1100, so I was not sure how a $450 model from DELTAt would stack up. Another crazy thing was the social media attention it received. Every time I posted a photo on Instagram or Facebook, the likes and comments poured in. I am not sure if it is because of the traditional and sterile look it has going, or just pilot watches are gaining more traction than dive watches, but people really seem to like this model.
And while many have not had this watch in hand, their enthusiasm is well warranted. Is the DELTAt Sora WWII reinventing the wheel when it comes to watches? Nope. Does it have any special functions over other pilot watches out on the market? Nope. Does it have an expensive movement? Not at all. So what is it that has people jonesing for this watch when we post about it? It is a just a damn good looking watch that is well built and under $500. That usually does it. It is an homage for sure. It is from a new brand that seemed to only pop up in the past year. There are not many talking about the brand either, and if they are, it seems to be negative due to the NBS model, because while it is very well constructed, the design and size is just not for everybody. The Sora is different. It is traditional, it has a clean dial, easy to read numbers, good lume and a huge crown that anyone should be able to manipulate easily.
The interesting thing to me, is that I can not find an issue with the Sora. It is a well built watch, the brush finishing is on par for a watch of this price range, the crown is obviously easy to grasp and screws securely into the case. It is a clean dial, actually it is a sterile dial with with your typical Flieger style numbers and markers. The crown, while large does not dig into the wrist as I initially expected, and does not have any sharp edges either.
The lume is the one area I will knock it, as it does glow, just not as bright. It gets the job done though. It is probably weaker because of the use of a vintage lume paint, as opposed to the much stronger C3 superluminova. I will say for the most part, it is not blotchy and is mostly evenly applied.
The DELTAt Sora WWII comes in a big pelican style box, which is usually reserved for dive style watches. I found this odd, but hey, maybe they got a good deal on these and decided to use them for all their watches. The crazy horse brown leather strap, sans the bund attachment, is fantastic. It is comfortable and a decent length, which is good news for those with large wrists. Also included is a nylon nato style strap and a black leather nato with a roller style buckle. Both of the leather straps have quick change pins as well, making switching straps a breeze. You can see both of these including the case in the Youtube video above.
The case back is a simple etching, but does not have any rough edges to annoy you while it sits on your wrist, and the etching goes along with the theme of the watch. One of the things I am having trouble with , is finding actual negatives to point out on this model. Frankly, the Sora WWII just doesn’t have many faults, and that is a rarity in today’s micro brand world.
As I said at the beginning, DELTAt is not reinventing the wheel here. This style has been done many times before. It is a great look though, so I can understand why. Most companies that homage this style, seem to use the diamond style crown, which I have never been a big fan of . While the large pumpkin crown might be too “in your face” for some, I personally love it. The NH35, while a lower beat than the Miyota 9015, is still a dependable automatic movement, and at this point, keeping cost down as we have all seen the Miyota 9100 series has skyrocketed in price and currently has a 6 month wait list. You can disagree with me and not like the style, but if you do like it, I think the DELTAt is a solid choice for this style of watch. As far as the company and how long they will be around? That is something that I can not answer. But they have at least proven, to me, that they can build a solid, good looking watch in a traditional style.
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The movement and case design provide so much to discuss about the Brigadier Chronograph and I probably could have rambled on about those aspects. However, I haven’t yet mentioned the domed sapphire crystal, the absolutely stunning dial, cool case back and nice strap. If I were to modify anything about the Brigadier in general one area would be the crystal and the other would be the strap. Don’t get me wrong the use of sapphire is exactly what everyone should want, however, I am not a fan of domed crystals regardless of the composition. The doming distorts the dial from certain angles which is my biggest beef. The doming can also make a watch difficult to photograph. When a watch has such a gorgeous dial a nice flat sapphire would just be more aesthetically pleasing.
