WooooHOO! The first watch I've actually BOUGHT in well over six months.

Ricky Lee
August 14, 2011 03:49PM

Registered: April 2005
Posts: 14,265 (2011-09)

Sure sure, I'm excluding trades, barters, donations, gifts, and other non-cash-on-the-barrelhead deals. Smile

Granted there have been a goodly number of such this year... Innocent

And, yeah, you that know how to "read between the lines" probably already have a pretty good idea what it is. Laughing

For the rest Wink

, I'll offer some hints:

* Brand-new, but very inexpensive
* Diver-styled
* A brand name that you will instantly recognize
* I mentioned it in this (apparently controversial in some circles I am confused

) post less than a week ago

That last goes beyond "hint", and pretty much Let's The Cat Out Of The Bag. So without further ado, I present the..

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Speidel Inc.

Model 60-3306-00 "Desk Diver"
Yipee! Is Happy Day!

Modestly yet adequately and securely packaged..

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..the watch took 4 days to travel from eFlay seller glenspardello in Rhode Island to the backwoods of Mississippi. Fast service, thorough and complete communication, not to mention a Grrrrrrrrrr8 price, this seller earns an unqualified Thumbs up!

from me!

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One of the things that attracted me to this watch is the combination of a field watch-style dial with a diver-pattern case. Not something you see every day! I'm a big Field Watch Fan to begin with and, for me at least, this somewhat unusual jambalaya of styles works very well indeed.

The other main attraction was.. well, frankly, simply that it is a Speidel. I suspect that the overwhelming majority of us WIS have a Speidel Inc.

strap or six in our collection. But despite this, we may not fully appreciate just how recognized a name Speidel is to the Average Joe. Thanks to their massive advertising, particularly from the 1940's through the 1970's, most casual consumers over the age of 40 will instantly recognize the name, more so than perhaps any other watch or watch-related company with the exception of

. And if we limit it to watch accessory manufactures, I suspect that Speidel has NO equal in name recognition. Period.

No, it's no exaggeration..

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..to say that Speidel Inc.

is one of the Grande Olde Names in the watch biz. As such, I simply couldn't resist checking out what manner of watch they're putting their name on. Smile

In short, not a half bad one! Sure the case is plated base-metal, but it's nicely finished, being brushed on the face of the lugs, with the remainder mirror polished. The dial is crisply printed, with only the barest hint of patchiness on the chapter lume, and even there only evident under magnification. The hands are likewise quite crisp and well-formed, with a planform that seems a reasonable compromise between "diver" and "field watch". I could take or leave the cyclops, but at least this one does actually magnify the date, so that's a plus. I don't have an overwhelming urge to break out the tools and remove it, and in the end that's about the highest praise I can give a cyclops. Wink

The rotating bezel was quite a pleasant surprise. It's a 92-click (?!) uni-directional, with a smooth positive action that reveals only the barest hint of backlash. Close your eyes and operate the bezel, and while you'd never mistake it for a Very Rich Man's Watch!

on the order of a Submariner, you likely would think it a watch costing 10-times it's actual street price. The pip lines up spang-on at 12, too, which is something you can't necessarily take for granted even in a watch of 10 times the price.. as a few of you can testify. Laughing

The crown's a conventional push-pull, which is what I expected. The caseback..

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..was something of a surprise, as it proved to be a sure 'nough screwdown piece. But, again, with a 100M WR rating, I probably should have expected it. It's crisply etched (in relief, not just surface etched), with well-formed spanner notches. Lucky thing the latter, as from the factory the caseback was over-torqued to about twice what's reasonably needed. I liked to never have broke that sonofagun loose! I am angry!

But when I did, I found..

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..a Seiko-Epson VX32E. WIS Honeymoon

To say that..

..this is a stalwart movement is to do it an injustice. A legacy design, I seldom encounter a dead one but, OTOH, run across many that have been ticking merrily along for 2+ decades. I couldn't be happier with Speidel's use of VX32 power! Thumbs up!

The inside of the caseback is marked WSH CHINA. The gasket is a robust heavy-gauge O-ring, and I have little doubt that the 100M WR rating is honest. Overall a "clean build", with no dust/dirt/debris apparent either in the engine bay or..

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..the dial compartment. Clapping!

One very pleasant surprise was the strap. Now, Speidel is primarily known for their straps, right? So I expected that it would at least be decent. What I didn't expect is that it would be a true XL length, which fits me plus-sized wrist with plenty of room to spare. Smile

Indeed, it even passes the "Dave Murphy test", with the buckle being centered on the back of me wrist, exactly 180 degrees opposite the watch head. A classic S-wave style, it is made from a synthetic material which is soft and supple, yet doesn't feel "oily", and is in no way a dust-magnet Eek!

like some. The buckle is a very nice, heavy gauge solid SS affair marked, appropriately enough, STAINLESS STEEL CHINA on the underside. All in all a strap that wouldn't be a rip-off even at the full price I paid for the watch. Thumbs up!

One area that's less than world-class is..

..the lume. Now, it's better than that crappy photo Eek!

might lead you to believe. Apparently it just wasn't in the cards for me to shoot a good lume photo today. Blushing

That being said, the lume on the hands is quite a lot brighter and more long-lasting than the chapter markers. The hands themselves are actually quite good, with evenly-applied lume that goes for ~ 3 to 4 hours before fading. But the chapters markers are a bit splotchy, and fade-to-black in well under an hour.

So. Let's sum it up with a look at the specs:

* Speidel Model 60-3306-00
* Base metal bezel, SS screwdown back
* 40mm w/o crown, 46mm across lugs, 11mm thick, 20mm lugs
* 20mm XL synthetic resin strap, SS buckle
* 92-click uni-directional rotating bezel
* Luminous hands and dial
* Mineral crystal
* Seiko-Epson VX32E movement
* 100M WR rating
* US $23.99 shipped

But, you say, "What about the real bottom line, Ricky? Do you recommend this watch, or no?"

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For the price? You have got to be kidding. Not only "Yes" but "HELL yes!" Rolling on the floor laughing my a.. off

Rolling on the floor laughing my a.. off

With this caveat: prices for 3-hand (IOW non-chronograph) Speidel Inc.

-branded watches vary anywhere from US $16 to $70, depending on the seller. Obviously, while "Buy The Seller" still applies, you should avoid paying more than.. oh, say ~ US $40. But at the $24 shipped price which I paid, I consider this watch to be an outstanding value. Again, the strap alone is nearly worth that price! WIS Honeymoon

Despite what some naysayers would have you believe, I say that Speidel has long been, and continues to be a Name You Can Trust. Thumbs up!

But, of course, you base-metal Snob

s need not apply... Rolling on the floor laughing my a.. off

Thanks for readin' y'all!

Cheers!

-Ricky

Edit: D'oh! Oops!

The size is actually 40mm, not 42 as originally reported. Sorry! Blushing

"A man, like a watch, is to be valued for his manner of going." - William Penn

Messages In This Thread

WooooHOO! The first watch I've actually BOUGHT in well over six months.	Ricky Lee	180	August 14, 2011 03:49PM
At that price, you can't go wrong -and it looks much less "beater" than it is capable of being!	Nuvolari	15	August 15, 2011 10:41PM
I like the combination of Military style dial and Diver case, too bad the case isn't solid stainless steel.	Paul J Costa	20	August 15, 2011 05:31AM
I dunno. All things considered, I reckon they got it exactly right.	Ricky Lee	17	August 15, 2011 11:55AM
Would it be a nicer watch with a full SS case? Sure! But would it then appeal to the WIS market? Nope, the WIS would still shun it because it's quartz. If we're gonna go there, might as well wish for an automatic movement, too! No offense to you WIS s.. and you know I'm right. OTOH, the higher price necessitated by a full SS case would be a detriment to sales to the "casual consumer". And I'm pretty darned sure that's Speidel's target demographic. I doubt they're interested in selling 500 watches, or even 5,000. They're looking to move 50,000+.
For sure a very good deal! Enjoy it, Ricky! (n/t)	IF	17	August 15, 2011 04:22AM
Bro. Yannis. (n/t)	Ricky Lee	11	August 15, 2011 11:45AM
Very NiceBroRicky.....youve tempted me....but I did notice the price went to $29.99.....	dano0	20	August 14, 2011 10:10PM
WTH?!	Ricky Lee	15	August 15, 2011 11:45AM
Your not helping, bro Ricky!! (n/t)	dano0	14	August 15, 2011 05:49PM
Tsk! Though the review was well done. (n/t)	SAH407	16	August 14, 2011 09:43PM
	Ricky Lee	11	August 15, 2011 11:38AM
Enjoy it. BTW, the >>	Dave Murphy	20	August 14, 2011 09:27PM
Re: .."Dave Murphy test" is not simply the centering of the buckle, 180 degrees from the watch head.	Ricky Lee	17	August 15, 2011 11:36AM
RE: it'd take a 2XL for me to get there. >>	Dave Murphy	13	August 15, 2011 03:04PM
Whoa RL! Steppin' out buddy! Very nice score Congrats! (n/t)	Riddim Driven	16	August 14, 2011 08:58PM
brudda mon. (n/t)	Ricky Lee	12	August 15, 2011 11:31AM
Looks like a fine addition. Question - shouldna it come on a twist-o-flex bracelet?! (n/t)	Dre	17	August 14, 2011 08:56PM
You know, at some point I almost certainly will swap on a Twist-O-Flex™.	Ricky Lee	13	August 15, 2011 11:30AM
Cool review. Fun to read and share your passion (n/t)	JP	17	August 14, 2011 08:16PM
Bro. Jean-Paul.	Ricky Lee	11	August 15, 2011 11:27AM
I'm pretty certain I've owned that Speidel rubber strap in the past.	Chris L	20	August 14, 2011 08:12PM
Re: Wore it on my Seiko Atlas/Landshark one summer years ago.	Ricky Lee	14	August 15, 2011 11:26AM
You know, I was surprised that this strap does not bear the actual logo. Other than "STAINLESS STEEL CHINA" on the buckle, it's totally sterile. Still, I reckon you'd have to consider it a sure 'nough Speidel strap by default. And it is a nice strap...
Cool score for the money. (n/t)	Mark C.	17	August 14, 2011 05:55PM
Agreed 'tis important to keep the "for the money" aspect in mind.	Ricky Lee	17	August 14, 2011 07:10PM
Looks to be worth the price of admission! (n/t)	MCV	17	August 14, 2011 05:19PM
Bro. Marc. Mind you, it must be said..	Ricky Lee	16	August 14, 2011 07:07PM
Congratulations Ricky. ...	Jimmy50	28	August 14, 2011 05:07PM
Rebecca Black was right. It looks hot!
Mind you..	Ricky Lee	20	August 14, 2011 05:18PM
..I still haven't visited the Evil Soul-sucking Facebook Page. Somebody pop over there and tell me what their price is, at least.
There's not much of my soul left to suck Ricky... No way! ...	Jimmy50	27	August 14, 2011 05:55PM
Re: I think the dial on that Speidel sure looks a little like our Wenger S.A.K. dials.	Ricky Lee	15	August 14, 2011 07:03PM
My Speidy(el) sense told me you were buying one Congrats (n/t)	DRFP	18	August 14, 2011 04:03PM
Speidy sense! I like it!	Ricky Lee	17	August 14, 2011 04:21PM