First Impressions

What if I told you that you could get a dive watch that shares some design aesthetics with some very popular designs, but adds enough of its own personality to give it truly unique feel, all for right around the $500 price point? Add in that the brand is owned and the watches are designed in the great state of North Carolina, and you get the Monterey Watch Company Darkfathom. Today, we are going to discuss my first 24 hours with the piece.

Upon receiving the watch, you are greeted with a personalized thank-you card, a wonderful travel case that holds the watch, two bead bracelets, a logo microfiber cloth, and a second bracelet. It is more than you expect, but these are awesome touches that really make you feel appreciated and show that they care about their customers from the get-go. The case the watch is shipped in is a genuinely nice travel case. It holds the Darkfathom securely and is lined well enough to protect it, or any other watch you may use it to carry.

On the Wrist

Getting the watch out, you are greeted by a wonderful 42mm-diameter, 49mm lug-to-lug watch that features oversized indices on the dial, some nice polishing on the case, and a well-done bracelet. Sizing the bracelet is made easy by its push-pin design. Taking out the needed links to size it properly and then throwing it on my wrist made me instantly smile from ear to ear. The way the dial is set up makes this watch look and feel different on the wrist.

When setting the time, the crown is the right size to easily grab, screw, and unscrew, and it is comfortable to operate. The knurling gives you good grip without being overly aggressive or hurting your fingers. Once everything was set, it was time to run out the door, as my wife and I had an engagement to attend.

The watch sits flat on the wrist and is extremely comfortable. The edges are all cleaned up well and do not cause any hot spots or scraping while wearing it, which is excellent compared with some examples of watches I have tested lately.

Putting the Bezel to Work

To entertain myself in a social environment, I set the bezel to time how long it would take for someone to ask me how I am doing after my recent heart attack. This was purely for fun, as it seems to be a question I am asked in every social setting. The bezel action is smooth and has a good audible and tactile response. It does not feel too hard or too soft, and I would not consider it overly loud. The lockup is solid, with no noticeable back play. It took seven minutes for someone to ask me the question.

The watch slides easily under a thin quarter-sleeve shirt and does not sit off the wrist in a way that causes you to hit it against things. At the event, I had more people ask me about this watch than any other watch I have worn in the last year. That is both intriguing and a bit surprising, as I have worn plenty of watches that cost five times this amount during that time. This thing impresses and draws curious looks from people, which is awesome.

Legibility, Lume, and Accuracy

After the event, my wife and I headed home. While walking by the lake that we live on, the watch was easy to read even in bright sunlight. The AR coating they used on this watch works, and it works damn well.

On the flip side, being the nerdy watch guy that I am, I wanted to see the lume. When we got back to the house, I went straight for the darkest room to see how it glows. The dial and bezel glow in a phenomenal way. When it finally got dark, I was able to head outside and get a proper view of it. It lights up a pleasant blue that makes it extremely easy to read, just as it is in daylight. The lume lasts for a more-than-acceptable amount of time and will remain easy to read longer than the normal person would really need.

After checking the lume, I did the other nerdy thing I tend to do and checked how the watch was running on the timegrapher. They did an amazing job regulating the Miyota movement in my example. It is showing +4 seconds per day, which for my needs and my standards is beyond acceptable.

The Strap Change

I have stated it before, including in the other article I am posting today, that I have recently fallen even further away from bracelets. For me, I decided I wanted to swap this watch onto a NATO. The swap was a bit tougher than I expected at first.

The spring bars used are a nice, strong, sturdy set—strong enough that, while trying to get them to release, I ended up bending one metal spring-bar tool and snapping my Bergeon 3153. The bracelet cutout is just slightly too small to easily get the forked end of the tool in and work at the spring bars, so you are stuck using the pin side. After a little bit of messing around, I was able to get the spring bars to release.

Once I put the spring bars back in and got the watch onto the NATO, it really came alive. There is no other way of putting it: this watch is a strap monster and will fit with just about any strap you can think of.

The one thing I would like to see to make these strap changes easier would be drilled lugs. I can accept that there are reasons for not wanting to put drilled lugs in a watch, but the professional end user who uses their tools also does what it takes to maintain them and keep them well maintained, just as they would any other tool. There are sides to every argument, but our preference at Land Diver Society will always be to have drilled lugs.

After 24 Hours

Overall, my first 24 hours with this watch have been great. You can color me impressed, and I have no problem saying that it is blowing past some much more expensive watches. For $500, this thing has already earned a recommended slot when it comes to Land Diver Society.

This is by no means a full or final review of this watch. I will need more time for that, but at this point my sentiments are not likely to change. Tim and the team at Monty, I am very impressed. Keep up the great work!

ENDING NOTE

This watch was not provided by the manufacturer and was purchased with Land Diver Society funds. The manufacturer and Land Diver Society had no previous contact regarding this product or the fact that it was going to be featured or reviewed. L.D.S. has been, and will continue to be, unbiased in the evaluation of a product and will always say the good, bad, or ugly of a product regardless of any relationship.