Vaer C3 Korean Field Watch Review | Great Watch With One GLARING Issue…
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Let's start by looking at what this watch represents physically and metaphorically. On the caseback is a well-engraved relief of the Korean Peninsula and the poignant words “Korean War - Never Forgotten”. Sparked by political differences in 1950, the Korean War sadly resulted in 2-3 million people losing their lives. No official peace treaty has ever been signed between North and South Korea, so technically the war continues to this day. VAER decided to take this opportunity to pay tribute to those impacted by this war, remembering those who lost their lives or loved ones as a result.
Looking beyond the caseback, this watch continues the story: As the Korean War erupted, the UN urgently needed a local rear base and resupply route. Enter Japan which, following economic collapse after WWII, was perfectly situated to offer safe ground for the US and other UN countries to operate from. As a rear supply base, Japan’s manufacturing industry naturally rallied to support the war effort – offering ships, heavy machinery, mechanical and technological commodities. Production and innovation flourished, stimulating Japan's economic growth into a world power. As a case in point; by 1953 Seiko’s watch and clock manufacturing had exceeded pre-WWII volumes for the first time. It seems poignant then, that this US-designed and assembled watch, powered by a Japanese movement, pays its respects to a conflict that in many ways facilitated its very existence.
VAER C3 Korean Field Review
With 24 variations in VAER’s Field Watch collection alone (excluding strap variations!), it’s clear this genre is a favorite of theirs. If the C3 is anything to go by, that passion has been put to good use - attention to detail is high.
The C3 case has rounded flanks which are not as easy to manufacture as plain squared solutions. A well-integrated bezel and a flush-fitting crystal with subtle doming continue the case lines. The majority of the case is finely brushed with thin, accurately polished chamfers skirting lugs that flow gently from the main case. The case is curvy, almost organic - similar in some ways to a Rolex oyster case. Besides the crown, there are very few sharp edges or corners, reducing the risk of snagging the watch on sleeves, gloves, or gear – ideal for a watch to be used outdoors.
Design
At 36mm the C3 has a strong vintage aesthetic. “Historically accurate” is how VAER describes it, and I have to say, they are bang on the money. The Waltham Type A-17 was worn by US Air Force pilots during the Korean War and is the watch VAER highlights as inspiration for this quartz piece.
The case profile of the A-17 was similarly small and rounded, almost pebble-shaped. It's not hard to trace the case design evolution back to the days of round-cased pocket watches. VAER faithfully replicates the A-17's profile but modernizes it by removing the coined detailing of the old Waltham bezel and using a much more subtly domed sapphire crystal.
Dial
Hand shapes and dial text are also expertly recreated. Even the color of the faux patina used on the C3 lumed elements perfectly matches the original 50s Waltham. This is quite a brave choice as the Radium used by Waltham darkened over decades to a deep, almost tobacco brown. VAER has color-matched the old Radium lume and together with the classic sizing, this watch genuinely feels like it could be new old stock from the 1950s.
However, there are a few hints that this model is not a fragile heirloom and can keep up with the demands of a modern field watch. The lugs are cleverly profiled to appear thin, delicate, and era-appropriate from above, but they retain the full case depth, ensuring they remain strong and more resistant to bending than their slender width suggests. It's an effective design which I haven't seen before.
Specifications
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Case Diameter: |
36mm (measured 35.8mm) |
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Lug width: |
20mm |
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Lug-to-Lug: |
43mm |
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Case Thickness: |
11.4mm (incl. Crystal) |
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Water Resistance: |
100m (Warrantied by VAER) |
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RRP: |
$279 USD |
Water Resistance
The 10atm text on the dial is also not something you could expect from a 1950’s timepiece. VAER pride themselves on the water resistance of their products. All of their watches are 'ocean-ready' and guaranteed against water ingress from swimming, surfing and even diving.
Their confidence is the result of their watertight casebacks and screw-down crowns, as well as wet-testing all their products to the advertised depth. This type of testing is not something all manufacturers do. At this price range, most manufacturers will conduct dry (air) pressure testing only, which is cheaper, quicker, and more convenient - but not as accurate. This was the most obvious example of how their 'American Assembly' truly added value to their products.
Movement
The final, and most obvious difference between the 1950s Waltham and modern VAER is the telltale quartz ‘tick’ of the seconds hand. The solar charging Epson (Seiko) VS-22 movement is accurate to around +/- 1 seconds per day or less. It can be charged not only from high-luminosity sunlight but can also be charged from indoor fluorescent lamps and other light sources.
What’s remarkable to me is that just 2 minutes of sunshine will provide an entire day of charge. A full charge, achieved from 6 hours of sunshine, will last 6 entire months. The movement isn’t particularly fancy or advanced – there’s no regulation or thermal compensation. It's cheap and cheerful but it will run without any fuss (or battery changes) for years and years. A great solution for a field watch – especially if it's going to be used somewhere remote for extended periods.
Credit: Epson - Solar Series
Watch Strap
Strap options include a nylon NATO-style quick-release strap in desert sand color. This isn’t a full double pass Nato, but rather a two-piece fabric solution. Despite the military heritage of this watch, I'm glad VAER steered clear of a Nato option, as it would be too bulky for such a small watch. Also, technically the NATO strap wasn't developed until after the Korean War. Other strap options include two types of metal bracelets; an Oyster-style 3-link at $70, and a Jubilee-style 5-link at $100. There are also two colored leather straps (brown and black) but at $120 a piece, this seems excessive and you’d be better off sticking to the free nylon + excellent rubber option, and then buying aftermarket leather for half the price.
Personally, I think I’d go for the Oyster bracelet as you’d be hard-pressed to find an aftermarket steel bracelet for $70, and I’d happily switch between the metal bracelet and rubber strap to keep things fresh.
What I liked
'Fauxtina' can be quite divisive – artificially coloring modern lume to make it appear decades old doesn't sit well with some. However, in the field, the C3 felt less like it was trying to be something it's not, and more like the earthy tones were in keeping with the natural surroundings.
I like that the arabic hour numerals are fully lumed in addition to the square hour markers. Many field watches fall short here – opting for simple printed numerics with smaller lumed pips which disappoint at night. The C3 was easily visible in low light.
Knowing that this thing can literally run on sunshine, indefinitely, removes the range anxiety one can get from quartz movements. Perhaps not when fresh out of the box, but a couple of years down the line, when I can’t remember the last time the battery was changed and I have a lengthy trip planned, there’s often a little question mark in my mind. Especially if I’ll be out in the wilds for a bit, or worse, diving and I'll be reliant on my watch. Of course, most quartz movements these days will have a low battery indicator mode, but you wouldn’t want to see that tell-tale 2-second ‘tick’ the morning you head into the backcountry. If I’m wearing a quartz watch, I very much prefer it to be solar.
The complimentary rubber strap provided with the C3 appears to be a VAER-branded Barton Elite Silicone strap and includes Barton’s proprietary locking tab - to cleverly control the loose end of the strap. These straps are supremely comfortable, and feature-rich. I’m pleasantly surprised to see it included in this package. I like them so much, I’m currently wearing one on my Explorer II. VAER also sells these straps separately in a few different colors on their site.
What I didn’t like
Despite VAER claiming the C3 has an Anti-Reflective coating, and whilst I could see hints of blue filtered wavelengths, the crystal was annoyingly reflective – making it difficult to quickly check the time at a glance. I found I had to consciously adjust for an optimum wrist angle to be able to see the dial. This grew tedious and was easily the biggest disappointment of the watch. Admittedly, the problem is not limited to VAER’s C3, Hamilton Khaki models are also well known to be shiny beasts and it’s become quite a bugbear of mine. Field watches designed as tools for outdoor life should be highly legible, day or night. In the bitter cold, desert sun, or driving rain, you want to be able to quickly check the time and get back to what you’re doing. I’m lucky enough to visit family in the Canadian Rockies each winter, and I can tell you, every second your skin is exposed to -30C + windchill is a second too long. Messing around trying to find an angle that might facilitate telling the time is unacceptable. Other (larger) VAER models perform considerably better in this respect. So it’s unclear to me if the issue is purely VAER skimping on the coating for the C3, or if it’s something harder to remedy. Perhaps the smaller crystal diameter or reduced distance between the crystal and dial face compromises the effectiveness of the AR. Whatever it is, I found the C3’s crystal to be distinctly more reflective than other VAER models and quite frustrating to work with.
Most of the American assembly is focused on the dial build and casing, and it’s something VAER prides itself on. One would therefore assume the quality control would be top-notch. But I found severe misalignment of the seconds hand – with every “tick” falling directly between the seconds markers, rather than on them. For regular, day to day time-telling, it’s not a deal-breaker, but as a stickler for keeping my watches accurate, hacking and restarting the seconds, off-beat, cheapened the wearing experience. If this had been a watch I’d purchased privately, I’m sure VAER would have exchanged it without a hitch. But reading reviews on the VAER website, I see I’m not alone with this issue. I hope it’s something the guys can remedy quickly.
I was also disappointed by how chubby the little watch appeared despite VAER’s Technical Details claiming it to be a svelte 8.4mm slim. At first, I thought I must have misread the details online, and then I assumed the apparent chunkyness was an optical illusion. But eventually, curiosity got the better of me, I grabbed the calipers and found the C3 is actually 11.4mm thick including the crystal; 35% thicker than the website quoted. Of course, 11.4mm isn’t a thick case by any stretch of the imagination, but due to the smaller diameter of the C3, the ratio of 11.4mm tall x 36mm wide felt a touch bloated. I imagine the 40mm C5 wears this thickness much better.
The VS22 movement used by VAER has a date feature, but they chose to delete the date from the dial. However, a ghost crown position 1 remains. It’s quite disconcerting when you first find it and spin the crown to discover nothing happens. Over time, I grew used to it. At the price point, this is a minor gripe.
Whilst I was very pleased to learn the lug width was a nice round 20mm (meaning I could put it on any number of straps from my current collection), I did feel it might have been a little too wide for such a small case diameter. It detracted from the vintage vibes a little.
Alternatives
There are many field watches out there, but the two which stand out for me offering similar sizing and military aesthetics are:
The Marathon 36mm SSGPQ (Stainless Steel General Purpose Quartz). Described as their “officer’s” watch, it’s a much more utilitarian spin on the field watch concept. Designed based on military specifications, the SSGPQ has a very legible dial with tritium gas tubes in place of a traditional lume. It also has an interesting case design; hewn from a solid piece of steel for simplicity. Whilst far less elegant than the VAER, Marathon has arguably more military ties and legitimacy. The WR is half that of the VAER, at 5atm, but would still be more than enough for most real-world applications. RRP:$420USD
New on the scene, and definitely worth considering is the Hamilton Khaki Field Quartz, available in 33mm or 38mm and in several different colorways it’s sure to be a real hit at RRP:$395USD. Hamilton’s solid military associations, classic field watch layout, and muted earthy tones make this a fantastic watch for the outdoors. I always thought Hamilton's 50m WR was a little disappointing for a watch that lives for the outdoors. But in terms of brand reputation and cachet, the Hamilton has to be a serious consideration.
Objectively, I think VAER offer more value for money. At almost half the retail price, a solar-powered quartz Movement, with 100m WR and screw-down crown are significant benefits over the Marathon and Hamilton options. I don’t think there’s much in it in terms of the ‘Swiss Made’ vs. ‘US Assembled’ angle. Size-wise, I think the 36mm C3 is too small to read easily when out in the wilds and weather, the Hamilton 38mm would probably have the advantage there. Fortunately, VAER also offers the 40mm version of the Korean War model – the C5, which solves that issue. Subjectively, I have a soft spot for Hamilton who are very much a go-to in the field watch world and this latest quartz release is spot-on in terms of visual design and price-point. All things considered, I think the VAER would be my head’s choice, whilst my heart would long for the Hamilton. (And if there’s one thing I’ve learnt in my years of watch collecting, it’s to always follow your heart...)
Final Thoughts
Putting this watch on the wrist, the diminutive size and cheap nylon strap immediately felt very nostalgic. Like a pair of army standard issue thick plastic spectacles (BCGs), or an ill-fitting khaki flight-suit, the C3 had an incredibly 1950s US military vibe. I could easily imagine looking down at this watch before hopping into an early jetfighter and dog-fighting some MiG 15s. I wouldn’t have been able to read the time due to the awful glare coming off the crystal, but I would have been thankful for the 100m WR and solar-powered movement if shot down behind enemy lines!
As a modern field watch to be used outdoors, I found the 35.8mm diameter a touch too small to be legible and would have preferred the larger C5 purely for the practicality of having more dial to read the time from. Indoors, reflections were far less intrusive and as a daily-driver, this was a fun watch to wear. It complimented my relatively slender 6.5” wrist well – for once, I even had to consider if perhaps the case was too small for me. The lug-to-lug was nicely proportioned (something to watch out for on other field watch offerings) and the rounded case shape was pleasant and functional. I think this could be a great sports watch for those with wrists below 6.5”/16cm. The case finish and build quality were very good.
Despite having no actual military history of their own, by cleverly referencing American brand Waltham, VAER steer away from clone homage territory, and bring some legitimacy to their offerings. They are really taking the fight to Hamilton on the military-inspired field watch front. Hamilton’s latest Khaki Quartz releases are formidable opponents, but for almost half the price of the Hami, I think the C3 and C5 offer far better value for money. As an introduction to affordable field watches, VAER’s C3 Korean US Solar watch is a fantastic place to start.