Dan Henry 1970 Diver

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rockmastermike
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Dan Henry 1970 Diver

Post by rockmastermike » Tue Nov 22, 2016 7:24 am

Picked up this affordable ($250 retail) micro brand in a trade. Bottom line at the bottom for those who don't want to read it all.

Specs from the site https://danhenrywatch.com/products/1970

CASE

44mm stainless steel 316L
24mm lugs size
50.5mm lug to lug
2 o’clock crown operates the inner rotating bezel while the 4 o’clock crown adjusts the date and time
Screw-back case with Scaphtopus 3D medal
Sapphire coated double domed mineral glass with Anti-Reflective treatment

MOVEMENT

Automatic Seiko Caliber NH35 with 24 jewels
41-hours power reserve

DIAL

Mate black with date and 60-min inner rotating bezel
Swiss lumens
Orange minutes chapter ring

WATCH ROLL
1 Canvas and genuine leather roll with three watch slots
STRAPS
1 Tropic silicone band

Out of the box (or roll) - the roll is canvas/leather, 3 slots and embossed with Dan Henry on the lower right.

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There are 2 versions - mine is the muted orange chapter ring and second hand, the other has a grey chapter ring and second hand. They accomplished their mission of a cool retro vintage vibe look to the watch.

Dual Crowns, one for the internal bezel and the other for winding/date/time setting

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24mm tropic inspired rubber strap that is super soft and supple - pleasantly surprised with the strap

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44mm case that is all dial. But your attention is drawn to the super domed mineral crystal - Seriously Domed

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Nice case back, too. Deep 3D octopus creature. Again, pleasantly surprised

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Nice Deep Cross-Hatching on the Dual Crowns

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Lugs - faceted and go from brushed to polished to brushed again. Nice effort but a little sloppy when defining the edges under magnification.....Looks good to the eye on the wrist!

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The Case has nicer than expected design. No the "slab wall" that you normally see at this price. Again, it goes from brushed to polished to brushed. Nice feature when it catches the light

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Lugs slope down making it easier to wear. Don't worry about the size/wearability. Again, check out the serious dome

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Another little touch is raised minute markers on the rotating bezel. Nice subtle feature

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The Orange chapter ring shows number/numbers that are somewhat raised - not flat/painted on. Another little thing I did not expect

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Lume: Hands, hour markers and internal bezel. Strikingly/Surprisingly bright initially and while the bezel fades significantly, the hands/hour markers are definitely respectable.

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Bottom line:

$250 retail yields more than I expected.
Pros:
better than expected tropic style strap
crazy domed crystal
wears comfortable for 44mm
Subtle things like nice case back detail, deep cross hatch on the crowns

Cons:
I have read horror stories about CS - hey, it's a $250 watch (less on the used market) I wouldn't get to bent out shape
Last edited by rockmastermike on Tue Nov 22, 2016 8:25 am, edited 1 time in total.

justsellbrgs
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Re: Dan Henry 1970 Diver

Post by justsellbrgs » Tue Nov 22, 2016 7:30 am

we love ya Mike.... and as a die hard Buckeye fan I'd like to formally say -- WAR EAGLE!
"Go forth, my progeny, grab the world by the balls, squeeze hard and shake vigorously." J. Koch (aka "Swedefreak")

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rockmastermike
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Re: Dan Henry 1970 Diver

Post by rockmastermike » Tue Nov 22, 2016 8:25 am

justsellbrgs wrote:we love ya Mike.... and as a die hard Buckeye fan I'd like to formally say -- WAR EAGLE!
WDE! and thanks!

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toxicavenger
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Re: Dan Henry 1970 Diver

Post by toxicavenger » Tue Nov 22, 2016 8:31 am

Great review Mike. I really like the look of that watch also.

Like you I heard some of the QC issues. But that does happen.

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Jeep99dad
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Re: Dan Henry 1970 Diver

Post by Jeep99dad » Tue Nov 22, 2016 8:44 am

That's a beauty.
Love the design and use of orange.

What's the CS stories?? Isn't it a new brand ?
Do you know where he is based ?

Thanks for the review Mike


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Merde Alors! Et Vive Les Francais! :)

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rockmastermike
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Re: Dan Henry 1970 Diver

Post by rockmastermike » Tue Nov 22, 2016 10:47 am

Thanks, guys.

Brice, Not many, but a couple of comments I saw on WUS were about anywhere from springbars to the Seiko movement stopping.
Like all brands, the bad stories get press and not indicative of the brand as a whole.

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deepcdvr
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Re: Dan Henry 1970 Diver

Post by deepcdvr » Tue Nov 22, 2016 11:03 am

Very nice - I was looking at these recently after Don posted a picture. Really good price and I love internal bezels. Great score and review! :thumbsup:
VR/
Paul

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rockmastermike
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Re: Dan Henry 1970 Diver

Post by rockmastermike » Tue Nov 22, 2016 11:14 am

deepcdvr wrote:Very nice - I was looking at these recently after Don posted a picture. Really good price and I love internal bezels. Great score and review! :thumbsup:
Thank you, Paul.
Like I said, I was pleasantly surprised, I think you get more then expected for the price of admission

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HapaHapa
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Re: Dan Henry 1970 Diver

Post by HapaHapa » Tue Nov 22, 2016 1:00 pm

That's really nice. I don't know where to begin. Lots of great points. Crystal is sweet. Simple dial. Love the orange chapter ring. Reasonable lug to lug. Border around the date adds character. Skeleton effect hands are also cool
The Hapa

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aikiman44
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Re: Dan Henry 1970 Diver

Post by aikiman44 » Tue Nov 22, 2016 1:20 pm

Thanks for the review. These seem to be a great deal for the money.
I like the divers and pilot version.
"We'd better synchronize our watches."

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Re: Dan Henry 1970 Diver

Post by stonehead887 » Tue Nov 22, 2016 2:48 pm

Thanks for the review. I really like this watch and especially this version with the orange. Definitely one for consideration. Seems well proportioned. I think having 24mm lugs offsets the 44mm case very nicely and a well balanced feel. Love the dome as well. Was gonna blow some cash on an Armida A1 blue dial but this might win. I need a dual crown in the collection

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rockmastermike
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Re: Dan Henry 1970 Diver

Post by rockmastermike » Tue Nov 22, 2016 3:16 pm

stonehead887 wrote:Thanks for the review. I really like this watch and especially this version with the orange. Definitely one for consideration. Seems well proportioned. I think having 24mm lugs offsets the 44mm case very nicely and a well balanced feel. Love the dome as well. Was gonna blow some cash on an Armida A1 blue dial but this might win. I need a dual crown in the collection

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That's a good point about using 24mm lugs to balance things out. I find that to be accurate with this watch

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sinner
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Re: Dan Henry 1970 Diver

Post by sinner » Tue Nov 22, 2016 3:37 pm

Nice review; fantastic pics! Really tempting...
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stonehead887
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Re: Dan Henry 1970 Diver

Post by stonehead887 » Wed Nov 23, 2016 8:00 am

Is the inner rotating bezel uni or bi directional and smooth or click type action? Really liking this one more and more. 44mm my limit but looks very wearable anyway. It moved up a notch on the Christmas List!

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rockmastermike
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Re: Dan Henry 1970 Diver

Post by rockmastermike » Wed Nov 23, 2016 8:17 am

Jeremy - the internal rotating bezel is friction and firm enough so there isn't any wiggle or loose play in either direction. I can wear it for the day and the bezel stays in place. I've had a few internal bezels that will move if I just look at them.

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rafy11
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Re: Dan Henry 1970 Diver

Post by rafy11 » Wed Nov 30, 2016 9:48 am

Very nice review ;) And nice pictures by the way :) I am in love with your sublime macro photos!!

I very liked the back case too with its nice decoration, well done.

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Re: Dan Henry 1970 Diver

Post by stonehead887 » Wed Nov 30, 2016 11:04 am

rockmastermike wrote:Jeremy - the internal rotating bezel is friction and firm enough so there isn't any wiggle or loose play in either direction. I can wear it for the day and the bezel stays in place. I've had a few internal bezels that will move if I just look at them.
Thanks for the info. I am pleased to say this one is on its way thanks to a few hints at the wife and the planned arrival of Santa in a few weeks time. Really looking forward to this one. A few reviews popping up on youtube finally pushed me over the edge! Failed miserably on last year's resolution not to buy too many watches this year.

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amckiwi
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Re: Dan Henry 1970 Diver

Post by amckiwi » Thu Dec 01, 2016 2:09 am

I love it TY

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mfxr
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Re: Dan Henry 1970 Diver

Post by mfxr » Thu Dec 01, 2016 4:32 am

That is actually quite nice. Never heard of it before, so thanks :cheers:

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rockmastermike
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Re: Dan Henry 1970 Diver

Post by rockmastermike » Thu Dec 01, 2016 6:37 am

Glad to help/enable :salute:

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amckiwi
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Re: Dan Henry 1970 Diver

Post by amckiwi » Thu Dec 01, 2016 10:22 pm

Under serious consideration
Trying to not impulse buy
Waiting till Monday at least

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amckiwi
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Re: Dan Henry 1970 Diver

Post by amckiwi » Thu Dec 01, 2016 10:26 pm

Orange ISO might work on it

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Re: Dan Henry 1970 Diver

Post by mkell10 » Sun Feb 19, 2017 9:26 pm

Yea I have never heard of this either and it is a very nice selection.

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Re: Dan Henry 1970 Diver

Post by marcelmarian » Tue Oct 17, 2017 11:38 pm

One "small" problem with my new Dan Henry, hands not "align"
Image

I think they have a problem with quality control.

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Re: Dan Henry 1970 Diver

Post by CGSshorty » Wed Oct 18, 2017 6:15 am

marcelmarian wrote:One "small" problem with my new Dan Henry, hands not "align"
Image

I think they have a problem with quality control.
Have you spoken to them about it? I’ve heard that their CS is good.
"It's such a fine line between stupid, and clever."
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