"we design, engineer and conduct some of the validation and testing in the united States ( Chamber testing is conducted overseas) some of our cases are manufactured at our supplier under our engineering supervision in China, Poland, and United States for pilot watches ( G.C.T ). Movements ( G.C.T united States Vintage collection ) and other parts such as HRV, HNBR seals from Germany, Luminescent material such as C3 Tritec TM, ETA movements are purchased from Switzerland.."
okay, so Joe is a standup guy, what about his watch?!? When I was reading up on the Nitrox, I made notes about why people bought it and likewise why people decided to let it go and the answers werre pretty the same to both questions: big, heavy, solid, beast...you get the idea
and yes I find these to be true, but there is more than these common descriptors to this particualr watch...where other micros skimp, Zinex paid attention to:
Some divers, the date window is an after-thought, very small, poor visibility, not very well defined....not so on this one. Rectangle shape with white border on the matte black dial really frames the window well and makes it easy to pick up and easy to read.
Keeping on the dial for a moment, the hands also are well executed...yes, the plonguer is everwhere, but at least these are painted all the way around and no bare or sloppy sides or edges.
Crown is intense - large, easy to grasp and turn. Crown has a double rubber gasket which I did not expect on a micro, just another nod to quality from Joe. A couple of notes here: 1) the movement info is part of the caseback, in this case an ETA 2824 adn 2) when setting the hands, there is a little play in the crown. I beleive this is due to the previous life and age fo the watch and not a design issue
As we move around the case we pick up on the crystal being slightly raised above the bezel that gives a nice halo effect when seen in differnt light and different angles. Also in this picture you can see the sharp edges of the bezel, obviously easy to grip and turn. Absolutley no play in the bezel and solid clicks when rotated.
The bezel has a matte finish with lumed numbers and indices. The lume is very consistent thru the night and easy to read. The bezel lume is green-ish and the dial lume has the vintage yellow-ish look to it. The lumed bezel and dial give it a very cool 3-D effect. NOTE: this shot is enhanced due to my poor camera abilities, but does show the diffrence in lume color.
The OEM bracelet is also heavy well made including solid end links and screws in the links. it intergrates into the case very well and looks like a natural piece of kit, not a last minute add-in. Also comes with diver's extension clasp and micro adjustments in the clasp...okay, just you don't think I'm Joe's bitch, here is a pain point for me....the clasp feels thin and is th eone piece that just doesn't fit with the strong and solid vibe of the watch.
Does it work and play well with other (straps) - yes. I thikn this is an attribute to a well designed watch and case, ala the U1 that it is very comfortable on rubber/leather/zulu, etc. Here it is on the Extreme rubber and TeddyHanna leather. I'll post pictures on zulu later, but trust me it looks just as good.
and "big" question - how does it wear on the wrist? well that is purely subjective, but for me, the lugs do not overhang my wrists and the height is substantial but not overpowering. The lugs are curved whaich also helps with how it wears and its confort. On the bracelet it is right on the line of being too heavy, but on rubber, leater, etc, the weight is not noticeable. Also, because it is a big watch, Joe did a great job of making the case brushed. if it were polished it would be garish, imho. the brushed finshed brings the eyes to the dial and not so much on the outer dimensions. here are a few wrist shots
