Scurfa Bell Diver | Hands on Watch Review

Scurfa Bell Diver

Some of you reading this may already be familiar with the Scurfa Bell Diver and it might seem like this review is a bit late. Yes, Paul from Scurfa came out with this watch over a year ago, and I have just recently got one in hand. For whatever reason, I never reviewed this watch when it originally debuted, and to be honest, I am glad that I didn’t, because now it comes with a solid link bracelet that perfectly matches with this chunky dive watch. Adding the bracelet did not add a crazy price increase either, as this beauty can be purchased for just about $460 USD and that includes the DHL shipping. I review a lot of watches here and I try and stay as objective as possible, but I have to say that Scurfa is definitely one of my favorite microbrands, and with good reason.

Scurfa Bell Diver Specifications:

• Case size 43mm Lug to Lug 51mm and 16mm thickness, 22mm bracelet size
• 8mm screw down crown with three gasket seals
• Working Heliox Escape Valve (tested by myself from 151m of decompression)
• Domed Sapphire Crystal with blue Anti Reflective coating on the underside
• 500m ~ 1640ft
• Grade A Super Luminova SL-BGW9 Blue on the dial, hands and bezel insert
• Ceramic bezel insert with matching Super Luminova SL-BGW9 markings
• Miyota cal. 9015 Automatic movement, beat rate 28,800 BPH, accuracy -10~+30 seconds a day
• Movement protected with a brass cover for the low levels of magnetism experienced offshore
• Matt grey dial with gloss black markers, gloss black hour and minute hands and gloss red second hand
• Raised gloss dial printing for Scurfa Watches and Bell Diver 1 logos
• Stainless steel bracelet with solid end links and a clasp with a ratchet type divers extension
• Fitted genuine rubber strap with the Bell Diver 1 logo also provided

Price $427 USD plus shipping 

https://www.scurfawatches.com/bell-diver-1-automatic-stainless-steel

Yes, I consider Paul to be somewhat of a friend at this point. I interacted with Paul many years ago before the Scurfa Brand was formed on various watch forums. Us forum goers saw some of the initial drawings and ideas of the first Scurfa model, the Diver One, and today he has a full line of new and improved Diver One models that seem to sell out quick and now two new releases of the Bell Diver, the one you see here and also a full DLC versions which also includes the bracelet.

As you can see from the specifications listed above, the Scurfa Bell Diver comes with all the bells and whistles most of us look for these days; hi-beat automatic movement, applied indices, domed sapphire crystal, solid end links and bracelet, screw down crown, high water resistance, etc. Many brands have these features as well, so these are not the things that set the Bell Diver apart. It is more about the design and the overall fit and assembly that matter here. Frankly speaking, if you are not into microbrand watches, or “inexpensive watches”, the Scurfa Bell Diver could convert you and take away all your preconceived notions about microbrands.

The Bell Diver is not a massive watch at 43mm, but it is a little on the chunky side at 16mm. Keep in mind, this is watch is rated to 500m and is manufactured to Pauls exact specifications. While of course at this price Paul is not manufacturing or assembling these watches himself in the UK, he seems to have a great factory that he deals with that not only produces a fantastic watch but seems to get it right when it comes to what he wants. The Bell Diver is not a catalog case or one that is an homage to another design, and while it is not revolutionary in design, hell you could call it even generic if just looking at it like any other dive watch, it is the little details that make it stand out to me.

The biggest standouts here are the grey dial and the choice of the multilink bracelet. Yes, the Scurfa is a damn well put together watch, you can see that in the video above. The grey dial is an interesting choice because it is the only choice. No black dials, no blue dials, no orange etc. Just grey. That has not changed with the latest release that now comes with the bracelets, the only dial color available-grey. That is a bold move and one I appreciate. Now, I may be biased, I LOVE grey dials. While I am not the biggest fan of red when it comes to watches, the red against the grey dial pops, is not overdone and just makes the Scurfa Bell Diver stand out.

On to the bracelet, the other star of the Bell Diver. This new bracelet is fantastic. At a quick glance, some might say it is similar to the 5 link or super engineer style bracelet we have seen on many dive watches such as the Boschett Cave Dweller or many others. It is not though. When you actually look at it instead of dismissing it, you will see it is much more a jubilee style bracelet, but a beefed-up jubilee style bracelet. The jubilee on steroids if you will.  The bracelet is long and should fit up to an 8 1/2 inch wrist out of the box and if you need a little more room, the ratchet extension clasp should help with that. Of course, if that is not enough and you have giant wrists, Paul should be able to get you a few more extra links, just ask when ordering. I would say my only real complaint about the bracelet is that it uses friction pins instead of screws. That is something of a personal preference of mine though and easy to overlook when this beauty drapes on the wrist.

7 1/2 inch wrist 

As I discuss in the video, the lume was a little bit of a letdown. Now, let me be clear here, the lume on the Scurfa Bell Diver is in no way poor or ill coated or anything like that. It is just not a strong as I was personally hoping for. The markers and hands light up nice and even, it is just not as bright as I would have wanted. It is above average for sure, it is just not a lume torch. Personally, lume is less and less of an importance to me these days, but I report on it here because I know so many others are interested. The lume here will still do the job with ease, just do not expect to read a book by it.

I think it is pretty clear that I am a fan of Scurfa Watches and the Bell Diver is no exception. The addition of the link bracelet takes it to another level and if you want to reduce the weight or are not a bracelet guy, it still comes with the fitted natural rubber strap which will mold to your wrist and feel great. Looking at the pic above, I think I am probably too harsh on the lume, I mean, it’s more than adequate, sometimes I think I am jaded as well and can expect too much. The Scurfa Bell Diver is not only a value but one hell of a dive watch that you should be able to take into the ocean or lake or river with ease. If you are like me, it is great at the desk as well or the occasional rain shower.  There is a lot of competition out there these days, but I will always say you can not go wrong with purchasing a Scurfa Watch. I will not tell you to buy one or say you will love it if you did, only that I love it and find it to be not just a great value, but a great watch, period.

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Votum Blue Ocean | Hands On Watch Review

Carpenter Brooklyn Field | Hands On Watch Review

Carpenter Brooklyn Field

Classic. Traditional. Vintage. These words are what comes to mind when I look at the Carpenter Brooklyn Field. It is a field watch that looks like something maybe my grandfather would have worn. At 40mm, it is probably a little larger than a true vintage piece, but 40mm is the new “it” size these days with a lot of brands. The trend seems to be smaller and more classic styling, and I feel there is nothing wrong with that. The Brooklyn Field was designed by Niel Carpenter, and you guessed it, he lives in Brooklyn, NY. The original watches were launched on Kickstarter about 2 years ago, but this model, the M2S, has a pretty nice upgrade; An ETA 2824 automatic movement. Limited to 50 pieces, it will probably sell out quickly, and while that sounds like marketing, check out their website and you can see, their watches just do not hang around long.

Carpenter Brooklyn Field Specifications:

• 40mm Width
• 48mm Lug to Lug
• 13mm Thick (Including Crystal)
• 20mm Lugs
• Domed Sapphire Crystal
• Screw Down Crown
• Exhibition Case Back
• ETA 2824 Automatic Movement
• Padded Leather Strap

Price $825

https://carpenterwatches.com/collections/carpenter-field/products/m2s-brooklyn-field

Carpenter Watches are popular, no doubt about it, but for me, I wish for a few changes. The biggest one would be the crystal. The Carpenter Brooklyn Field has a sapphire crystal front and back but the domed one on the front is my issue. This watch seems to be lacking a good AR coating, or it is just the dome itself. Now, I know MANY people who loved domed crystals, and on certain watches, I do myself. The problem here is the amount of reflection. You can see it in the photos here in this article and also in the video above.  The domed crystal also inhibits from seeing one of the nicest features of this field watch; The dial. The matte dial has a nice subtle texture to it that I love, but the problem is, you rarely see it. You really have to get the right angle to capture it. On the regular when glancing down to either admire or check the time, you’ll see just a black dial, or your reflection, and the reflection of everything else from your surroundings.

For me, a flat crystal with a good AR coating would have gone a long way for me to love this watch. Instead, it is in the like category. I do not dislike it, but it will never be my favorite. That is a shame, as the Carpenter Brooklyn Field Watch does have a great look and a lot to offer in terms of styling and comfort, but the simple truth is, it’s hard for me to get over the crystal. Many of you may think I am crazy, and you love this watch. For those that do, let’s get into some of the other details.

The size of the Brooklyn Field is going to be versatile on a lot of wrists, especially that 48mm lug to lug. This means that if you have small wrists, this watch should not be hanging off the edges like a larger watch would. If you were hoping for a thin watch though, this may not be it. Technically the case is 11mm thick, but when adding in the crystal, you are looking at 13mm, which makes it a little on the chunky side, at least on paper. On the wrist, it is not as noticeable, unless looking at it from an angle. I still think it should probably fit under a shirt cuff if that is your thing. It is summer here and I have not been wearing any long sleeve cuffed shirts lately. Below is a picture on my 7 1/2 inch wrist.

Traditionally, wired lugs may have been solid, and in some cases, like with Panerai, you have to remove screws from the case back to access the two-piece lug system, if you wanted to change the strap. With the Carpenter Brooklyn Field, underneath the strap is regular spring bars, so swapping out the strap will be the same as any other watch that uses spring bars. The padded suede strap looks good and is very comfortable and has a nice thin buckle as well.

The big upgrade here is the Swiss ETA 2824 movement. Past models of the Brooklyn Field used Miyota 8200 series movements, which I have stated many times are not my favorite, so for me, this is a welcome upgrade. A lot of watch enthusiasts love to see the movement, so Carpenter chose an exhibition case back to show off the movement and the engraved rotor.

The lume is nothing to write home about (anyone still writing home these days?), but it was better than I expected. The hands and numbers are thin of course, so it does not leave a lot of room for the lume to be applied, but the hands do glow fairly well. The numbers will fade off quickly though.

There is a lot to like with the Carpenter Brooklyn Field. As usual, I do not sugarcoat anything and I would love to see a future version with a flat crystal, or maybe a choice of either flat or domed- give the customer the option. Beyond the crystal, it is a well-finished watch, that arrives in tremendous packaging and with this version having an ETA 2824, a solid movement. I do not know if other dial colors with this movement will be available or not, but with about 2 years under their belt, I am looking forward a new model from Carpenter. I will have to keep my eye on them to see what the future holds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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