WATCH REVIEW: ANDERSMANN OCEANMASTER II
27th Jul 2017
Time to Blog Watches
https://timetoblogwatches.com/2017/07/27/watch-review-andersmann-oceanmaster-ii/
Many people whom own dive watches won’t ever venture into depths of the ocean but that doesn’t hinder the magic that encompasses a dive watch, especially a dive watch that goes beyond the 300m mark. True lovers of dive watches know exactly what I am talking about. Not only does having a deep depth rating add to the appeal but also having a solid overall build also adds to it’s appeal, it’s magic. I will be exploring the Andersmann Oceanmaster II today and I will see if Raymond Chan has delivered more magic on this watch as he did with the Deep Ocean watch I reviewed a few months ago.
Upon opening up the box, the polished case really caught my eye. The polished case does give the Oceanmaster a dressier appearance, yet still maintains that rugged, “come beat me up” feeling. Not that you are going to purposely go out to beat up this watch, but it does give off that “I can handle it” badass feeling. The 47mm stainless steel case will surely scare off the weak of heart, but those who are not so easily scared off will truly appreciate it’s size. My personal opinion is a watch is only as big as you let it be. There isn’t a rule that says if you have a certain size wrist, you can only wear XXmm watches. I pull my bullshit card out on that. There are so many great watches out there for you to miss out on just because of the size. Trust me I know, I used to be a size snob.
The case combines both a brushed finish and a polished finish. As you can see in the pictures, the top of the lugs are brushed and the sides of the lugs & case are polished. The lugs are cut square on the ends which creates a nice clean look. The lugs are solid and are slightly curved allowing the Oceanmaster to sit nicely on the wrist. The screw down crown on this watch features some subtle details that go a long way: knurled grip, raised ‘A’ signed crown, and angled edges. As for operation of the crown, it functions flawlessly as you would expect. Smooth winding, easy to set the time and screws in/out without any problems. The crown is protected by the angled crown guards which are built right from the solid stainless steel case.
I was very impressed with the ceramic bezel on this watch. Under certain lighting you can see a nice little detail that I really like and that made this bezel a step above. That detail is what appears to be brushed finish, that detail can be seen in the picture above. This bezel not only looks nice but it also has a great mechanical click when rotating the bezel. The bezel can be easily gripped by the knurled edges of the bezel. This bezel is one of the easiest to grip/operate in the water. One thing I appreciate about Andersmann watches are how thick the bezels are, it makes a unique profile on the watch. What also is unique about the Oceanmaster is the exhibition case back, a detail not often found on dive watches with a deeper depth rating.
The caseback also allows you to see the reliable ETA 2892-A2 movement. Andersmann added some good amount of detail work to the movement. This gives you something interesting to look at instead just a standard stock movement as you can see from the picture below.
Flip the watch back over so we can take a look at the black grain sandwich dial. The black grain teamed with the sandwich layered dial adds a great deal of depth. The dial is so easy to read thanks to it’s generous size and also thanks to the double curved sapphire crystal. The crystal is 4mm thick & treated with an anti-reflective coating. The hands are quite lovely on the Oceanmaster. What makes them lovely is that they are proportioned just right to the dial itself. They reach where it makes sense, that aren’t too wide or too short. All three hands also have a generous amount of lume as well, making for optimal legiability in dim or dark situations. The hour, minute and lolipop style second hand are polished beautifully, all catch the light nicely.
The dial is very clean/sterile, no added BS here, just what you need. The text is kept to a minimum as well. No date to upset the numeral flow on the dial either. The simplicity of the Oceanmaster’s dial is a thing a beauty.
The straps for the Oceanmaster will not disappoint either.The Oceanmaster comes with 2 different straps. It includes a rubber dive strap and one leather strap. The rubber strap that comes on the Oceanmaster is extremely comfortable straight from the box, soft & pliable despite how thick it is. I have worn the Oceanmaster for well over 24+ hours straight and it remained comfortable that whole time. The same can be said for the leather strap, soft, comfortable and well made.
This is my second experience with an Andersmann watch and I can speak for their quality. I have said this before and it holds true for the Oceanmaster. With extreme confidence, I can say that this watch can compete with some well known names in the watch industry such as Tudor, Bremont, Breitling, Tag. I am not just saying this based on my Andersmann experience, I am saying this because I am a dive watch freak and I have owned/own watches from all those companies.
This watch will not disappoint fans of rugged, dive watches. The Oceanmaster comes in around the $1400 mark. Yes it is higher than other microbrands, but you have to look at why it is higher than others. It has a movement that has been trialed and tested throughout for a long time. The watch is constructed solid, from top to bottom, all of which was well planned out by Raymond Chan and his team of experts. Raymond himself is a huge dive watch aficionado, so he uses his vast experience with dive watches and infuses his watches with that passion. This passion is quite evident in his watches.
I would like to personally thank Raymond and each of you for reading my review.
MOVEMENT :
Swiss automatic movement ETA 2892-A2
FUNCTION :
Hours, minutes, seconds 42 hours power reserve
MATERIALS :
Brushed / polished 316L Stainless steel
CASE :
Diameter 47mm, screw-down winding crown
CASE LENGTH :
56mm
LUG WIDTH :
26mm
THICKNESS :
17.6mm
CRYSTAL :
Double curved sapphire 4mm thick with anti-reflective coating
BEZEL :
Anti-clockwise unidirectional rotating bezel in ceramic and brushed steel
BACK :
Flat smoked 4mm sapphire crystal
DIAL :
Black grained dial with luminous Arabic numerals and hour markers
WATER RESISTANCE :
1000m
STRAP :
ANDERSMANN personalized natural rubber strap
LIMITED PRODUCTION :
100 pieces
