Ares Watch Company

[LOKNLOD]

Technical details aside, I think that's a pretty slick looking watch. I'd wear that.

[Arbninftry]

I figured I'd start a separate thread for this one. Up front, I think many here know that I'm friends with Matt. I have no connection with the company (other than being pre-order #9, and ribbing him about needing less Spec-Op, and more "arts n culture" in his alpha and beta test team...).

A bit on Matt's background, now that he's moved on from the agency. Matt went from FAMs to agency contract, spending 12 years there, the last 4 as OIC of firearms training for a group tasked with protective operations. It isn't hard to figure out what that group is.

So here's the deal on the watch company in Matt's words. He's told me that he intends to build a family-owned American watch company. It will take some time, but being a bit of a watch guy, I can see that he's got the right idea, based on our conversations. FYI:

Edit, re read it found the link

[Mark D]

I saw this watch on Instagram and like the design. My personal preference is an automatic movement, but I realize it's not everyone's cup of tea. I hope Matt is successful.

[HopetonBrown]

$700 for a quartz watch made in Hong Kong. I'm not seeing the appeal.

[That Guy]

$700 for a quartz watch made in Hong Kong. I'm not seeing the appeal.

Well, it is a quite handsome watch. I'd be tempted, if I weren't so chronically poor.

[vcdgrips]

700.00 for a quartz watch is quite high in the micro brand and small brand diving world. Steinhart is doing that type of watch with a bracelet for about the same price point using Swiss automatic movements, in TITANIUM.
https://www.steinhartwatches.de/en/p...0-premium.html

Watches abound coming in under 500 using Seiko and Miyota automatic movements.
http://helmwatches.com/vanuatu.html



Indeed, a Marathon quartz watch with tritium lume can be had for 720.00, under 500 if you can stomach a 36 mm case.


https://www.longislandwatch.com/Mara...w194007ngm.htm

https://www.longislandwatch.com/Mara...p/ww194027.htm


Lifetime warranty for a a new watch company only means so much. I would take a likely pass.

[Default.mp3]

700.00 for a quartz watch is quite high in the micro brand and small brand diving world. Steinhart is doing that type of watch with a bracelet for about the same price point using Swiss automatic movements, in TITANIUM.
https://www.steinhartwatches.de/en/p...0-premium.html

Watches abound coming in under 500 using Seiko and Miyota automatic movements.
http://helmwatches.com/vanuatu.html



Indeed, a Marathon quartz watch with tritium lume can be had for 720.00, under 500 if you can stomach a 36 mm case.


https://www.longislandwatch.com/Mara...w194007ngm.htm

https://www.longislandwatch.com/Mara...p/ww194027.htm


Lifetime warranty for a a new watch company only means so much. I would take a likely pass.

To be fair, the watch does have a bit more of a history behind it, if only because of the creator's previous career, enough to make folks be willing to buy it based off of that rather than any technical specs. I mean, there cheapest Resco Instruments are MSRPing at >1000 USD for a quartz watch, and folks seem to be happy to spend that, even though I think that's an incredibly poor value (not to mention that many of the designs look ugly as fuck to me).

[UNK]

I think the watch is pretty cool.
Asthetically I think it is tied togather perfectly.
I particularly like the 12 o'clock marker on the dial.
The flat metal bezel with lume is is very appealing.
The dimensions are very nice as are the bent lugs.

I would have preferred the edges of the bezel to be flat and knurled.
I can't for the life of me figure out why the crown is at ten instead of 4.
It should have been titanium.
It's not a premium movement.

For a Hong Kong watch and as a first offering the price should be much lower.

Here is a watch I recently posted about. I know it's not an apples to apples comparison more like ball park to ball park.
https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....l=1#post794634

[RJ]

Some constructive criticism. Full Disclosure: My normal everyday watch is a Rolex Submariner I've had for 20 years. I'm a PADI DM. For SCUBA, I generally prefer a Citizen; my last one was an original Aqualand.

1) Not sure why the entire bezel is luminous. That is puzzling to me. Having used dive watches, at night (e.g. Red Sea, Ras Muhammed), the only luminous part of the bezel I need is the pointer. Having the rest of the bezel be luminous seems extremely distracting.

2) If the bezel is uni-directional, I missed it in the ad copy. That small fact is pretty important to people who use watches for diving. Is it?

3) There is a lot of use of the term "hard-use". Without it being quantified, it reminds me of those ads for the plastic sunglasses "as used by our troops!" that get run over by a deuce and a half to prove how tough they are. This does not strike me as appealing to the target market, unless the target market are Starbucks drinkers in Issaquah WA.

4) I didn't see any reference to a water resistance standard like ISO 2281, other than the "300m" on the face. That seems like something I would expect to see at the $700 price point.

5) I would be very curious what the phrases "operational dive watch" and "mission-timer tool" mean.

I can't comment on the aesthetics because taste is per each individual. I can say "for me", I do not find it particularly attractive.

Having said all that I certainly wish the maker well, and hope they sell a bunch. We need more American-made (well, ok, assembled) products in this country.

[UNK]

Mission Timer sounds cool. That said Sinn has Mission Timer category.https://www.sinn.de/en/SINN_mission_timers.htm

Some constructive criticism. Full Disclosure: My normal everyday watch is a Rolex Submariner I've had for 20 years. I'm a PADI DM. For SCUBA, I generally prefer a Citizen; my last one was an original Aqualand.

1) Not sure why the entire bezel is luminous. That is puzzling to me. Having used dive watches, at night (e.g. Red Sea, Ras Muhammed), the only luminous part of the bezel I need is the pointer. Having the rest of the bezel be luminous seems extremely distracting.

2) If the bezel is uni-directional, I missed it in the ad copy. That small fact is pretty important to people who use watches for diving. Is it?

3) There is a lot of use of the term "hard-use". Without it being quantified, it reminds me of those ads for the plastic sunglasses "as used by our troops!" that get run over by a deuce and a half to prove how tough they are. This does not strike me as appealing to the target market, unless the target market are Starbucks drinkers in Issaquah WA.

4) I didn't see any reference to a water resistance standard like ISO 2281, other than the "300m" on the face. That seems like something I would expect to see at the $700 price point.

5) I would be very curious what the phrases "operational dive watch" and "mission-timer tool" mean.

I can't comment on the aesthetics because taste is per each individual. I can say "for me", I do not find it particularly attractive.

Having said all that I certainly wish the maker well, and hope they sell a bunch. We need more American-made (well, ok, assembled) products in this country.