|
Tidemaster
UK Moonphase Tide Watch Review
Produced by: Yachting
Instruments Ltd
Available at:
BellClocks.com
Movement: Quartz
MSRP: $199.99
- $225.00
Our overall rating:
8.5/10
- Fit - Finish
- Hand alignment: 8/10
- Bang for the buck: 7/10 (explained below)
The Tidemaster Moonphase is
a well known timepiece in the UK, where the Tidemaster line
(produced by Yachting Instruments Limited) has been sold for over 30
years with a good deal of success. Many strap selections are available,
including velcro, leather, or stainless bracelet.
Packaged in the Tidemaster black
plastic "egg" type box as with every Tidemaster model, the Moonphase
comes complete with instructions. The instructions
were straightforward, and easy to read.
Like the Tacticel, the Moonphase
features a stainless steel case, replacing the aluminum alloy case
in 2004. The stainless case increased the guaranteed working depth from
25 to 50 fathoms. The stainless case was of impressive quality -
especially considering some of it's UK competitors - stout, with
a flawless finish. The 2 color tidal
bezel is well fit, and easy to read, and has a glossy finish. The stem
operates easily, and is nested by the case.
While we did not test the "guaranteed
working depth" of 50 fathoms, our impression of the
casework suggests it to be well within tolerance.
The screw caseback is
polished stainless. The blue sharkskin strap was the first shark
strap we'd tested, and we liked it better than any leather strap we've
tried. Unlike most leather straps, it required no "break-in"
period to mold itself to the wrist, and was quite pliable and
comfortable right out of the box - almost soft in feel. The feel,
combined with the color, make this the perfect strap to compliment this
watch. There are many different straps available - from velcro to
stainless, dependent upon your taste and application.
We
tested the dark blue dial - a white dial was introduced in 2004. The
dial, featuring the moonphase window in the top 1/2 - is a TRUE
moonphase - not a 24 hour look alike. The moonphase display
features a royal blue background with stars, and the moon. As the moon
cycles through the month, the phases (1/4, 1/2, full) are
displayed, as well as neap tide information. The date window is at the
6 o'clock position. The watch hands are easy to see against the dark
face. There is no backlight, however, the hands, markers and high tide
bezel indicator are highly luminescent...and quite bright.
We tested the Moonphase for 60
days against our standard - the Oregon Scientific
RM-103A (radio controlled clock syncronized with the NIST atomic clock
signal from WWVB @60Hz). During our test period, the
Moonphase lost 17 seconds, which is quite respectable,
putting it on par with other more expensive quartz watch makes.
BOTTOM LINE:
Our favorite Tidemaster model, and one of our favorite watches of any
make. The Moonphase is unique in face design - it's easy to
use, fun to wear, and it's tough. There is nothing else like it on
the U.S. market.
To
explain our "bang for the buck" rating: While the price of the Moonphase
is currently inflated by about 35% due to the devaluation of the U. S.
Dollar against the British Pound - we still gave it high marks,
because of it's uniqueness in the marketplace.
|
