Depth Charge Watch Review - So Good They Upped The Price!
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In my 'Top 10 Dive Watches' roundup earlier in the year, I featured an obscure piece that seemingly nobody had heard of. To be honest, until a commenter mentioned it in January, I didn't know the brand existed myself!
I heeded their advice, headed to the WatchShop website, and first laid eyes on the Depth Charge automatic diver. While I disagree with the notion that it blew the significantly cheaper field watch in that video "out of the water", as the commenter put it, it did seem fairly stacked. The spec sheet boasted 200m of water resistance, a Seiko automatic movement, and sapphire crystal, amongst other things.
Additionally, the design was one I hadn't seen elsewhere, so I duly picked one up for the meager discounted price of just £107.40. Those are Aliexpress-rivaling specifications at Aliexpress-rivaling prices, given the latest taxes on UK imports. So, what exactly did this 'Depth Charge' have in store for me? Well, given it featured in a Top 10 list, you can probably guess where this is heading.
Packaging
The watch arrived in very substantial cuboid packaging, emblazoned with the Depth Charge logo. For those unaware, Depth Charge is a brand created by WatchShop, which is the UK's largest watch retailer. As far as I know, these are manufactured by a third-party contractor – possibly Rotary, given the visual similarities, but don't quote me on that.
Either way, it's solid packaging for a watch at this price. Thankfully, they haven't wasted too much money here while skimping on the watch itself.
Watch Case
This diver has a 316L stainless steel case, paired with a well-integrated solid link bracelet that includes solid end links and a milled clasp with a divers extension to boot. While this is comfortable and excellent overall, at the time of writing (August 2021), a design flaw prevents the clasp from clicking together when the third micro-adjustment hole is in use. Hopefully, they can rework this in future revisions of the watch; by the time you're reading this, it may have been fixed. It looks great and feels durable, which is of primary importance.
Dimensions
The standard version I have here comes in with a diameter of 41mm, a thickness of 13.4mm, and a lug to lug of 48mm, making it a good fit for those with average wrist sizes of between 17 and 19cm.
If you have particularly large wrists, they just came out with a 43mm limited edition version of the Depth Charge at a slightly higher price point. Outside of size, it appears to be identical, so the points from here ring true for both models.
Finishing
Case finishing on the unit I tried was great, though not as outstanding as something like a San Martin, which offers crazy accurate brushing for the money. Still, this Depth Charge competes with the likes of Seiko and Orient in this department, perhaps outdoing them even, which is all you can ask for from a new brand.
This execution extends to the ceramic bezel, which has decent alignment and well-machined notches that make rotations easy. Similar can be said about the screw-down crown, which functions as you'd expect, with user-friendly deep grooves that aid turning and winding. Due to the movement selection, there is a ghost position to be aware of, where the crown will turn without activating any visible function.
Movement
Hiding within is the venerable Seiko NH35, which facilitates hacking and hand-winding. This automatic movement typically facilitates a date complication, which this model foregoes. Perhaps other Depth Charge watches will end up featuring a visible wheel.
While the ghost position is a tad frustrating, I prefer the symmetry that no-date watches permit. However, my preference is partially influenced by my laziness in fiddling with dates when switching between different timepieces. As mentioned in the roundup video, I enjoy the aesthetics of this watch, with its chunky arrow hour hand and double marker at the 12 position. It certainly has a touch of Rolex Submariner thrown in there but does enough to forge its own identity when combined with the slightly different case shape.
Watch Style
I'm a big fan of all three colorways, which each look great on camera. The green version, in particular, looks miles better than the color-inaccurate stock images imply. All the indexes are applied, and with the hands, they exude a powerful luminescent glow in dark conditions, helping the watch remain highly legible. You'll notice that the tone of the rectangular markers is more in sync with the handset, with a brighter, bluer tone versus that radiating from the circular indices.
I'll leave it up to you whether or not you like the Depth Charge name or logo, personally, I don't mind it. The accuracy of the inked sections is reasonable, though you'll notice some cosmetic imperfections on the sapphire glass text. These aren't visible outside macro distances, but they do indicate that this is no luxury watch. Undoubtedly there's room for improvement; perhaps they could craft a symbol of an actual military depth charge in some shape or form.
Price
Nevertheless, for just over £100, I wasn't expecting anything like luxury watch quality, and in many regards, this watch over-delivered. So much so that the price of these has since bumped up. When I bought mine, the RRP was £143, and I used a time-limited code to take it down to the lower figure. The base price quickly ballooned to £179, which is a notable increase. Perhaps this was a penetrative pricing strategy to test the waters or get the brand off the ground. Or maybe demand encouraged this alteration?
At £179, I think it's still a solid watch; not the exceptional value that it was previously, but fair nonetheless. If you're cheap like me and are willing to wait, it may be worth holding out for the discount codes that crop up from time to time; for instance, at the time of writing, the larger 43mm versions have 25% off.
WatchShop recently started expanding its shipping locations, so if you live outside of the UK, you will likely be able to get hold of these Depth Charge watches, though it may come at an additional cost.
