Not long ago, I introduced my loyal Time Bum readers to Suj Krishnan's Melbourne Watch Company and
his debut model, the Flinders. From the specs and prototype photos, I
thought the watch looked quite promising, and legions of crowd funding
backers agreed. Once the watch made production, Suj sent a pair
stateside and I was lucky enough to get them for a hands-on review. Does
the real live, ready-for-prime-time Flinders live up to its
pre-production hype? I am pleased to report that it does.
The Flinders was designed as a dress
watch that could also see service on the weekends. Suj has accomplished
this with a clever balance of design elements, starting with the round,
stainless steel case. It is 40mm wide and 10.5mm thick, landing neatly
between tool watch wrist presence and dress watch discretion. As I
mentioned in the preview, the case displays three distinct sections in
profile: a brushed barrel, polished beveled bezel and bottom plate. With
the watch in hand, I could see the lugs and bottom section are one
piece, all polished. The variety of finishes looks fantastic, and also
makes the watch appear slimmer. It has flat sapphire crystals front and
rear, and is rated for 50m water resistance, which is in keeping with
its intended dress to dress-casual nature. It is not tool watch tough,
but more than sufficient to handle a night on the town.
The movement is a Miyota 9015, a
high beat (28.8k) hacking and hand winding automatic that is becoming
increasingly popular as an ETA 2892 alternative. A chunky, push-pull
crown sits at 3 o'clock. It is decorated with the Melbourne "M" and
looks great, but despite its size and texture, I found it difficult to
grip. There is no overhang, which means you must pull the crown by its
sides, without a way to lift beneath it. This arrangement might have
worked better with a diamond or onion shaped crown (although neither
would have looked right on this watch), but it is hard to operate with a
cylindrical crown. It was not an insurmountable problem. After a bit of
practice, I found the angle of attack that worked for my fingertips,
but a cut out just below the crown would have helped considerably.
The
large dial looked richly detailed in the pre-production photographs,
and those pictures did not lie. It is just damn lovely. The markers are
slim, polished, and applied. The recessed center section of the dial has
a vertical texture. A modest, printed index rings the dial. The date
window is at 3 o'clock. Text is limited to Melbourne logo and
brand at the top of the dial, and "Automatic" script below. The sweep
hand is decorated with an "M" on the tail. It is a particularly pleasing
design, brimming with eye catching detail. The effect is subtle on the
black dial and more pronounced on the white, which incidentally, is
actually a pale silver, adding yet another interesting dimension to the
face. The hands are polished on the black dial, and black on the white
dial. I found this decision curious. The black on white contrast does
make the white watch easy to read, but I would have preferred polished
hands to better coordinate with the markers as they do on the black
version. In keeping with its dress watch inclinations, there is no
illumination.
The supplied leather strap is 20mm
wide, with a polished and engraved buckle. The while dial comes on a
brown strap with contrasting white stitching. The black dial watch has
black leather with matching stitching. As with other elements on the
watch, the straps straddle the line between dress and casual, but in
this case they lean more to the casual side. If I were wearing the watch
with a suit, I might be inclined to try a padded and tapered crocodile
or gator print. Of course, I could also swap a brightly colored
regimental stripe NATO and wear it with a blazer and khakis. Such is the
chameleon like nature of the Flinders. Versatility is part of the package.
Forward thinking Indigogo backers
could have snagged a Flinders for under $320 US, which would have been a
steal. If you were not among them, fear not. You can still purchase one
for about $490 US at current exchange rates, which is right in line for
a watch of these specifications. This is a quality watch with an
exceptionally balanced and elegant design. In his independent watch
debut, Suj has produced an absolute winner.
Pro: A versatile watch and a visual treat.
Con: Tricky crown.
Sum: An impressive watch from a talented newcomer. The Time Bum approves, and can't wait to see what Melbourne will bring us next.
