Obris Morgan Aegis | Video Review

Obris Morgan Aegis | Video Review

Here is the video of the Obris Morgan Aegis.

 

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Morgenwerk M1 | Video Review

Morgenwerk M1 | Video Review

 

Here is the video review of the Morgenwerk M1.

 

The post Morgenwerk M1 | Video Review appeared first on WatchReport.com | Real. Honest. Reviews. | Authentic Watch Reviews |.

Obris Morgan Aegis | Watch Review

Obris Morgan Aegis

Obris Morgan Aegis Specifications (DLC model):

• 28,800 BPH High Frequency Movement (Miyota Cal. 9015)
• 120 click Unidirectional Bezel
• Automatic Helium Escape Valve
• Sapphire Crystal w/ Anti-reflective Coating
• Super Engineer 5 links Bracelet
• Superluminova C1 Lumed Handsets
• Stainless Steel Movement Holder
• Triple Seal Screw-in Crown
• 42mm diameter
• 20mm lug width
• 219g net weight

$299 USD

Obris Morgan by now should almost certainly be considered a household name when it comes to micro brand dive watches. The products released by the company continue to impress me thoroughly. I wouldn’t consider myself a groupie but I am a huge fan especially of their latest release, the Obris Morgan Aegis. Like every other model I have seen, they have built another fantastic dive watch at what is definitely one of the best if not the best values for a micro brand watch company. While I may not mention it repeatedly throughout the review, the primary thrust of my message should represent the superb value of the Aegis model. Brushed and blasted models of the Aegis are also available at a slightly lower cost than DLC coated models.

First, the case on this is completely DLC (Diamond Like Coating) coated and measures a pedestrian 42mm in diameter and around 45mm with the crown. At 11.5mm the Obris Morgan Aegis happens to be the thinnest model to date released so far, as all the others have been 12mm or thicker. The thinner profile of the Aegis will make it even easier to slip under a dress shirt cuff if someone would want to dress this watch up for some reason or the other. However, the Aegis while not as chunky as some of its predecessors it is still a tool dive watch. The slightly curved lugs will add to the level of comfort the wearer will experience with the Aegis as it conforms to the wrist even with the substantial 53mm lug to lug measurement.

7 3/4 inch wrist for reference

One of the more outstanding features of the Aegis are the drilled lugs, a first for Obris Morgan, which utilize spring bars to connect a strap or bracelet rather than the lug bars of past models. In my personal opinion this design works best in minimizing scratches on the outer lug areas caused by screw drive slippage. An automatic helium release valve on one side of the case at the 9 and a large 7.5mm screw down crown situated between crown guards located at the 4 round out the case features of the Aegis. I’m always concerned about crown function when it comes to value watches. I can report the crown on the Aegis is quite possibly one of the stiffest I have encountered with no play or wiggle when engaged. Drilled lugs, DLC coating, helium release valve and screw down crown are already adding up to a fantastic value in my book.

Next, sitting atop the case is a 120 click unidirectional rotating bezel with 60 minute bezel insert including a lume pip at the 12. The bezel at times can be another area where value priced dive watches historically fail, typically rotating too freely due to an inadequate bezel spring. The spring on the Aegis bezel is stout resulting in precise clicks which will provide a level of confidence for the wearer when timing dives. What diver would want to go in the water without a level of confidence regarding timing? The sapphire crystal on the Aegis isn’t quite at thick as some past Obris Morgan models at 2.4mm, but should still be quite adequate toward withstanding the pressure rating of 200 meters.

Beneath the crystal is a sharp fully luminous white dial. I know I have mentioned it in past reviews, I am a sucker for full lume dials. The lume dial on the Aegis is no different. The C1 Superluminova utilized on the Aegis is adequate and has some staying power. However, the lume is far from perfect. The one suggestion I would have regarding the lume is that in later releases of lume dial watches to use a solid handset. In this particular instance, a solid black handset would have been ideal. Now, I’m not just stating this as a personal preference. When the lume fades on the handset, the hands themselves can be somewhat difficult to pick up at times due to a lack of black surface area. Regardless, I can overlook this particular aspect and really so should everyone else for the $299 cost. I just wouldn’t want anyone to be surprised or disappointed.

Obris Morgan gets it when It comes to a case back. Why so many companies must show off a Miyota 9015 automatic movement, I don’t know. While the Miyota 9015 isn’t entirely ugly like its predecessors, it isn’t exactly breath taking either. Thumbs up for the use of a solid and very bland case back on the Aegis. The movement itself has been functioning as anyone would expect with the Miyota 9015. The only head scratching quandary is why DLC coat the case back? More than likely if the watch movement needs servicing, the case back being a casualty as a result is somewhat likely.

The bracelet is the very comfortable 5 link engineer style bracelet with dive clasp. Tool diver with no extension? The lack of the extension actually will make the bracelet useless for any significant diving by many so be aware you may just have to break out the included rubber strap or slap an Isofrane on it. Anyhow, back to the bracelet. The bracelet has no rough edges and is super simple to size with the one sided screw bars. I’d recommend some loctite to keep these screws secure. The DLC coating on the bracelet is most certainly an area where some cost savings are evident. As shown in my photos you will see that the DLC coating appears to have taken place with the bracelet fully assembled rather than coated link by link.

As I believe I implied throughout the entire review, the Obris Morgan Aegis is an excellent value. It isn’t perfect but at $299 (DLC), besides other Obris Morgan dive watches, I not sure a better tool diver exists on the market. Value from top to bottom starting with the great DLC coated case, highly dependable Miyota 9015 automatic movement, sapphire crystal, solid link bracelet, rubber strap, tool, extra spring bars, all the way down to pelican style case. The other aspect making the Aegis a great value, as with every Obris Morgan timepiece, free shipping through FedEx. While it is evident prices in the micro brand watch market continue to rise, never fear as it appears Obris Morgan is going to continue to apply pressure through consistent value pricing. I’d highly suggest grabbing one as soon as the next batch is available.

Thank you for reading, please leave your comments in the field below the picture gallery.

For more info on the Aegis or other models, please visit their website HERE.

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Morgenwerk M1-3 | Watch Review

Morgenwerk M1-3 

Morgenwerk M1-3 Specifications:

• Solid titanium, Titanium Carbide coated
• 43mm case
• 15mm thick
• 53mm lug to lug
• 122 grams
• Movement: Morgenwerk Satellite Caliber
• Sapphire Crystal
• Black Rubber Strap
• Water Resistance 5 ATM

Price as of publishing, $1500-$1600 Euro, depending on conversion.

7 1/2 inch wrist for reference

When it comes to the standard “Smart Watches” that have been rising in popularity the past few years, I have to say, I am just not a fan. They are just not for me. The fact that they do not work independently of your phone,  and the look of the watches themselves does not excite me. So when I heard of Morgenwerk Satellite controlled watches, I was a little skeptical. Would it need to be charged like an Apple Watch does, would I need to sync it to my phone, is it going to be another gadget that will be obsolete in a few years? While some of my criticism of smart watches might sound harsh, I am not out to offend anyone who has one. It is just my opinion, and these were the questions running through my head about the Morgenwerk M1-3. I can easily state that my apprehension was put at ease once I got the Morgenwerk M1-3 out of the box and set it up with my timezone. Now, it would take a couple thousand words to sit here and go step by step about how to use the M1-3, and between the booklet that comes with it and their website, they have that covered.

What I will be going over is how it operates in general, its ease of use, and the my overall experience with the Morgenwerk M1-3.

Let’s get right to the gist of how the M1 operates. What you have is a custom made, lithium quartz powered movement, all made by Morgenwerk, that is rechargeable via the adapter that attaches to the back of the case while hooked up to a USB cable. Your maximum charging time is 2.5 hours, and how often you charge the watch varies. If you put it into power save mode,  you are looking at 8 months before charges. In regular mode, about every 2-3 months. When you get the watch, the first thing you want to do is take it outside or near a window, and then proceed to set your timezone, and DST on or off, (Daylight Savings Time), and then the hands will proceed to move around the dial and set it exactly to your current time. This is all done with a couple of pushes of the 3 buttons. (Shown in video review). On the outer track of the dial, you have the days of the month listed, which you can set with the push of two buttons. If you wish to just check the date, one push of the bottom button will do just that, and the second hand will point to it. If you do nothing, the hand will resume back to time keeping within ten seconds. If you prefer to have the hand pointing to the date all the time, just hold the button down for 2 seconds.

Now I am never going to sit here and say that I understand all the technology that goes into the Morgenwerk M1-3, but for those that are wondering what the glass panels are on the ends of the case, that would be the antennae, which are covered with hardened K1 mineral crystal, that allow the watch to sync up with 1 of 6 satellites. The M1-3 will then pick the strongest signal to set to. Everything is well presented in the instruction booklet on how the watch works and how to set it up, and is done so in multiple languages as well.

So what is the benefit of all this? Accuracy. Morgenwerk claims that their watches are accurate to +/- of 0.75 seconds a year! The use of thermo- compensated quartz oscillators, and a microprocessor that maps frequency is what is in play here. The processor  compares the atomic time signal from a GPS satellite during a time sync of the watch and a time given by the watches oscillators. From this difference, correcting parameters are calculated to compensate the quartz. By repeating this practice, the learning software is able to reach a maximum accuracy for each individual movement.

Hopefully I have explained in my own words, and some of Morgenwerk’s, how this watch operates. But what about the rest of the watch? The lume, the case construction, the rubber strap etc? Well, let’s get to it.

The case as noted is titanium with a titanium carbide coating, giving it that blasted dark grey look. I found no issues with the case construction as far as finishing, case edges or how the function buttons are integrated. Crystal is sapphire with a very good AR coating, which you would expect from a watch of this price point.

When it comes to the dial, especially the hands, you definitely get that German vibe, which makes sense considering that is where the watch is produced. Let’s just get it out of the way, and say they are somewhat Sinn like. You can consider that a negative, but I do not. I love the simple clean dial that Morgenwerk has presented, and you will see in the photo below that they did not slouch in the lume department either.

As is obvious, the rubber strap is proprietary, meaning you will not be changing out the strap for anything else. The rubber, as they call it on their website, is a Fluorocarbon-rubber, which they say is oil and gasoline resistant, along with temperature resistant, among other things. While that is all well and good, how is the comfort level? I feel it is right up there with other high end rubber straps, if not better. Another great feature is the cutout at the end of the strap which the keeper slides right into, meaning your keeper will not move from where you put it. And if rubber is not your thing, they have metal bracelet versions as well.

There is no denying that there might be some sticker shock when it comes to the price of the Morgenwerk M1-3. And being honest, $1500 is nothing to sneeze at when it comes to a brand you might not have heard of.  As I always say, I am not here to sell you a watch. I am here to present my findings, and of course, everything is subjective, even though I try and be as objective as possible. When you look at the watch as a whole, its components, materials, movement, and of course its functions and accuracy claims, it’s much easier to understand the price. Of course if you just say it’s a quartz, then $1500 sounds extremely high. But as I have tried to show, this is no ordinary quartz watch. And when comparing to some $700 Apple Watches, it starts to make even more sense. Of course you are not going to get message alerts or apps on the Morgenwerk M1-3, but I still very much consider it a smart watch. A smart watch for watch enthusiasts.  It wears a little large than its specifications state, but not massive, and if you are someone who wants what might be one of the most accurate watches in the world, but in a design that is much closer to the analog mechanical watches you normally wear, this might be a watch to look into further.

For even more info, please check out the Morgelnwerk website, where they have even more info about their movement, inspiration and technology that goes into each watch they produce.

Thank you for reading, be sure to check out the YouTube video above if you already haven’t, and leave your comments in the field below the picture gallery.

 

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