Ventus Mori Diver | Hands on Watch Review

Ventus Mori Diver

Ventus has released another version of the Mori Diver, this time in a gunmetal PVD steel and a stainless steel with blue. Previous versions of the Ventus Mori Diver only came in brass, so this is a variation for those who do not like brass or bronze watches. Ventus is what most call a budget or value brand, as the watches do offer a lot in terms of quality and materials for not a lot of coin. The Mori had a preorder period where it was available for $249, but even at the current price of $349, you are getting a lot of watch. The Mori comes in a wood box with a canvas travel roll and 3 straps to change up the look of your watch.

Ventus Mori Specifications:

• 41mm Gunmetal PVD Stainless Case
• 20mm Lug Width
• 48mm Lug to Lug
• Sapphire Crystal
• Seiko NH35 Automatic Movement
• 300m Water Resistant
• Aluminum Bezel Insert
• C3 Superluminova
• 3 Straps Included

Price $349 

*Unfortunately, at the time of publishing, the Gunmetal version is sold out. Elshan said he might have 1 or 2 pieces available, so email to check. The Stainless/blue version shows in stock as well as some brass versions.*

https://ventuswatches.com/collections/mori-diver

I am a sucker for a sandwich dial and I like how the Ventus Mori Diver is laid out with the indices and chose not to go numerals on this model. I will say that vintage lume or faux patina lume is starting to get a little over done, though it does go well with the gunmetal case. The blue model has white markers and hands for those that do not like the faux vintage look. One thing that is noticeable is that the hands are a different shade than the indices, I do not know if this was on purpose or an accident. The hour and minute hand are on the small side as well and could be beefier. What I do like is how Ventus incorporated the three arrows in the watch, as that is where this model gets its name from.  From the Ventus website:

“The legend of the three arrows” is a story about Mōri Motonari. In an effort to get his sons to work together, he gave them each an arrow to break. This was done easily, and he challenged his sons to repeat it with three arrows bound together. This proved to be unbreakable.”

While I like smaller watches these days, I do feel this is a small 41mm. It just wears small. To some, that is probably not a bad thing, but the Ventus Mori Diver feels dainty to me on the wrist, something that I obviously do not look for in a watch. Because of the thin profile and short lug to lug, it is of course comfortable on the wrist, almost to the point I did not realize it was on most of the time. When I wear a titanium watch, I expect that, but when I wear a steel watch I like it to be more noticeable. All three straps do have a nice length to them though and while they will not fit an 8 inch wrist, they work well on my 7 1/2 inch wrist.

Speaking of the straps, the Ventus Mori Diver does not come with 3 sub-par straps that were just thrown in the box, rather it comes with 3 good quality straps. The buckle does leave something to be desired, it is thin and the style really does not fit the watch, but the straps are great. The Horween leather and the tropic style rubber are my favorite of the bunch, but all are nice enough that if the Mori only came with one of them, I wouldn’t mind.

The case design reminds you of a vintage Tudor or Rolex, but nothing here that comes off as a copy or even homage. The aluminum bezel insert has that pebbled coating allowing the overall aesthetic to be subtle, nothing flashy here. The crown, which is really small, does function well, but it is hard to grasp with my fingers. I know they were going for a smaller watch here, but the Ventus Mori Diver really could use larger hands and a larger crown. If you are someone with small hands, it most likely will not be an issue for you.

I love that they chose to go with a stamped case back. The diver helmet, which we have seen many times before from other brands, just fits with a dive watch. This case back is clean, well machined and finished and gives the Ventus Mori Diver that little bit extra. They could have easily gone with just a plain etched case back and because of the price, I doubt many would complain. I love the finish used here as well, I also like that they went with a stainless back and left off the gunmetal coating. I do find it odd that they did not have new case backs made for the steel versions, as you can see below, it says brass. I understand that they could have made about 1000 case backs or more and needed to use them up, but that is a big oversight in my opinion.

Ventus Mori Lume

One of the most poplular budget microbrand models last year was the Dan Henry Diver, which was available in both 40 and 44mm sizes. I reviewed the original model here and it was a great super compressor style with a nice stamped case back as well, but had horrible lume and a mineral crystal. For just a little more money, the Ventus has a sapphire crystal, excellent lume, 3 different straps and uses the same movement. Granted, one of the biggest selling points of the Dan Henry was the design, but if are on a budget and want something of higher quality in a diver watch, the Ventus would not be a bad option. It is not my favorite because of the small hands and crown, but it is a good watch at a good price point.

 

 

 

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Andersmann Oceanmaster II | Hands on Watch Review

Andersmann Oceanmaster II

I have admired Andersmann Watches from afar since they hit the scene, which was about 2 years ago. I could tell these were high quality watches just from the pictures on the website. Then I started to see pictures on Instagram and other blogs and I KNEW they were high quality. Andersmann is not your typical microbrand, at least not in the way some have come to think of microbrands. It is not a sub $500 watch, it is not produced in Asia and because of the size, they are not going to be for everybody’s wrist. When Raymand Chan, owner of Andersmann reached out to me about doing a review, I figured it would be for the new Classic model that was recently released. Instead he asked if I would review the Andersmann Oceanmaster II. I hesitated to say yes at first, only because of the 47mm size. The Classic model is 44mm, a little more my speed these days. Even though not my first choice in size, which let’s face it, if I only reviewed watches with those parameters, not only would it get boring, but reviews would be few and far between. Fortunately, I said yes, and I am glad I did. The Oceanmaster II is a fantastic dive watch and while it may be large, it wears well on my wrist.

Andersmann Oceanmaster II Specifications:

• 47mm Stainless Steel Bead Blasted Case
• 56mm Lug to Lug
• 26mm Lug Width
• 17.6mm Thick
• Sapphire Crystals Front and Back
• ETA 2892 Automatic Movement
• Leather and Rubber Straps
• 1000 Meters Water Resistant

Price: $1535.00 USD

http://andersmann.com/product/oceanmaster-ii-1000m-ann0854/

Andersmann has released a few models in the past two years and a few variations of each. The Oceanmaster I and II, the Deep Ocean- a titanium beast, and now the new Classic as well. Instead of going over all the differences between models and variations, I will just concentrate on the one I have in hand. There are a few different second hand color options you can choose from though, so check out the website to see which is your favorite and all the other models as well. As I listed above in the specifications, the Oceanmaster II is 47mm wide, not including the crown and 56mm lug to lug. On paper, this watch sounds absolutely massive, and almost unwearable for me. In person, it is a different story.

As you can see above, it is probably my absolute limit when it comes to both width and lug to lug length, yet I do find it comfortable. The Andersmann Oceanmaster II is listed at 17mm thick, and it is, but because of the way the case and bezel are separated, it does not wear like a chunky watch, unlike the Boschett Cave Dweller as an example. It’s funny, many years ago, I wore watches larger than this, and I thought they looked good. Ah, youth. A great aspect of all Andersmann watches are the textured dials. I am not sure exactly how to describe it; Andermsann describes it as a leather texture. I guess if you are talking pebbled leather, that would make sense. It is a nice change from the usual matte or sunburst dials that so many brands use. It is also a signature look for Andersmann, at least so far. I also love that they went with a sandwich dial. Not every watch would benefit from this, but on a watch such as this, I love it. It adds depth and also makes the dial stand out even more. For this model, Andersmann chose to go with no date, making the dial nice and clean.

I really enjoy almost every aspect of the Andersmann Oceanmaster II, in both function and aesthetic. The brushed ceramic bezel insert, the DLC coated bezel, the knurling on both the bezel and the crown, and of course that super fine bead blasted case finish. I do wish the Oceanmaster had drilled lugs, it would just make strap changes easier and while the crown is fantastic in both look and function, I wish it was placed at the 4 o’clock position like the Deep Ocean model. With such a large watch and big crown, it does dig into my wrist. I understand they needed to make this model different and having the crown in the same place on both models would have been redundant.

I know not everyone loves a bead blasted finish, mainly because it is not a finish that you can buff out. I personally love them. Especially the finer blasting as seen on the Andersmann Oceanmaster II. It is a very subdued look, and if you are diving, it will not reflect as much light as the other finishes. I have stated many times I do not dive, and as any diver will point out, these days most use dive computers and a watch is a backup, or just being worn for nostalgia. Still, the bezel action is superb and I would not hesitate to recommend to anyone to take this into the water and use it as intended. I am pretty sure it can take whatever you can dish out.  This is not a poser watch, that is only a dive watch in looks. This IS a dive watch.

As one would expect with a watch such as this, the movement does not disappoint. Powering the Andersmann Oceanmaster II is the ETA 2892 automatic movement, which is a considerable upgrade from say the ETA 2824. This is where I usually say that because it is a dive watch, I just prefer a solid case back. I don’t know why to be honest, the front of all of our watches have a crystal and seals and gaskets keep water from getting in, so why would a case back be any different? Whatever my reasoning is for that, I do not mind seeing the decorated movement on the Andersmann one bit. They made sure that the movement was meant to be shown off, and it was. Take a look:

The Andersmann Oceanmaster II stays traditonal with the lume, meaning it has a lumed bezel pip, but not an entire lumed bezel as most microbrand dive watches do these days. While those can be neat to look at in the dark, they are gimmicky and serve no real purpose. And how is the lume? Pretty darn good. The dial cutouts could probably be a little bit larger to allow for a larger surface area of lume to show through, but I do not think anyone will have trouble seeing this watch in the dark.

It is pretty simple really. The Andersmann Oceanmaster II is a fantastic dive watch. Yes, it is on the larger side, and it is not inexpensive at $1500, but most of the time you do get what you pay for and the Oceanmaster delivers. It comes with 2 high quality straps, one rubber, one leather, in a Pelican Style watch box, and every bit of this watch is high quality. Some people seem to have the mentality that if a brand is new or not known, that they should price their watches accordingly. Well, just like anything else, not all watches are created equal. One of my favorite microbrands is Aegir, which is easy to see if you read my review on the CD-1. This Oceanmaster II is right on par with it in terms of quality and aesthetic. The only thing that could make me love it more would be if it was 44mm. Who knows what Andersmann will release in the future, and I still hope to get the Classic model in hand, but I do know that this one is a home run.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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