On The Wrist: TW Steel Slimline

Tw steel were very kind to loan me a watch from their latest slimline collection to wear and review. I chose the gold because people are always telling me that rose gold watches suit my skin tone and I chose the silver dial because the date window doesn't stick out like Ryugyong hotel. (Google it. Personally I quite like it. The building that is. Very sci-fi.)

The first impressions are good. The watch is still very solid as I've come to expect AND a lot thinner than I'd expected. I do wish the hands were thinner and perhaps to match the elegant elongated indices in shape. The croco grain strap is a nice dressy touch but should lose the rivets as it's more of a pilot watch styling cue. But I guess it's to reiterate the TW Steel logo? Also the croco grain is a thin pattern stitched and glued onto the calf strap and I feel that over time it'll start to fray and come apart on the edges especially if it's put on and taken off daily, as the edge will continue to rub against the buckle.

Speaking of the buckle I like it. Looks like someone put a little effort into designing it. Some pricier brands should take note. Even the pin for the buckle is really well made. There is really no excuse for anyone else to still make them on the cheap. I'm sure the price difference is negligible.

I know a lot of watch enthusiasts turn their noses up at TW Steel but these watches are genuinely well made. Apart from the aesthetics which is a very subjective matter, construction wise truly impressive, especially for the price. I'd even go as far and say they're better built than some of the bigger names in fashion watches. Granted if you're dropping 5 figures on watches without blinking this is obviously not the watch for you, but for less than the price of an alligator strap from one of the major Swiss brands it's actually a really good watch! You need something to wear whilst waiting for that 5 figure watch to return from the 6 month long service in Switzerland right? Plus the watch is made from 316L grade stainless steel. This is the same sort of steel as used by the majority of the luxury watch industry. Not Rolex of course they use a different grade called 904L. Whether or not it's better or just different depends on who you ask and what you believe.

Now I don't think people generally go this sort of detail  for a quartz watch but I noticed the case back is screwed in rather than a snap-on. I prefer screwed in and personally I think this is a sign of quality. I'm tempted to open it up to see what makes it tick. Let's see if I can manage it...

(5 minutes later...)

Were you expecting something more interesting? 99.9% of the clientele isn't going to do what I did. And quite frankly this is not unexpected. Open up any quartz watch and you'll likely see something similar. The shape and size of the movement might vary but that is it. And of course, 99.9% of the clientele won't care what the movement looks like as long as the watch keeps time. And it will. And it looks good. And it gets a lot of compliments  And the price ain't bad. (Just over $400 for the gold plated or just under for the steel version) And that's all it matters.

There is also a bracelet version and that would be the one to get. The bracelet looks great and you have the option and versatility to swap it onto the strap for a more formal look. It's like having two watches for the price of one. Overall count me impressed. TW Steel in their Slim line collection has managed to move away from a me-too style to something of their own. It's an evolutionary step in the right direction and still in keeping with the TW Steel identity.