Reply With QuoteActually doesn't look half bad. Unfortunate that quality doesn't seem to match the looks.
Guys, anyone seen one of these in the flesh?
A bit of background: Mercer are a small US brand. They had a kickstarter thingy to raise funding for a while. I don't even remember clicking 'support' but apparently I did because yesterday a brown cardboard box fresh from the US plopped onto my doorstep.
I honestly had no recollection of ordering one of these things!
Wrist shot last night:
(Note: I had to put it on an Isofrane strap as the one that came with it was too small).
Anyway, what can I say?
The watch comes in a cheapo grey-blue plastic box. 'Shenzen special' by the looks of it. Inside, there's a little manual and a swing tag that is nasty just like the box. Not a great start....
My watch came with a so-so rubber dive strap which has been removed: (pic from Mercer facebook page)
The strap spring bars were not that robust so they were upgraded when I put it on an Isofrane rubber dive strap.
It also came with a steel mesh strap, and that will stay in the box too as it is just awful. (Pic from Mercer where it looks nice - in the metal it is very disappointing)
The watch, however, is.......... a bit surprising.
The specs as detailed on their website are:
42mm diameter 316L stainless steel case
13.5mm thick
Seiko NH36 automatic movement
Double-domed sapphire crystal with AR
Punch pressed case back
Sandwich style dial with BG-W9 Superluminova
22mm lug width
120 click unidirectional C3 lumed ceramic bezel
Silicone rubber strap and signed buckle
20 ATMs water resistance (200 meters)
Signed, screw down crown
Two year limited warranty
Although its a 42mm case size it feels like 40mm and seems to wear small.
Leaving aside the cheesy packaging, IMHO this looks and feels like a more expensive watch.
The Seiko movement should be super-reliable obviously and it seems to be running to about +4 seconds at the moment, so not bad.
The dial/hands/bezel combo is very legible and I like the 05 - 60 black rehaut. The sandwich dial is nice and the bezel action is very smooth.
Not sure I like the two different colour lumes.
The case is lightly brushed and quite well finished given the price point.
These now sell for $469 (£360) although I paid $369 (£285) all-in). If they were to save on the packaging and instead upgrade the strap and strap hardware it would be a good watch for the money.
The only other similar watch I have is a Scurfa 'Bell Diver 1' which is a fair bit heftier.
Conclusion.
IMHO the Scurfa is better quality all round and costs the same. The Mercer is nice but lets itself down by having poor quality straps and flimsy spring bars. It is not finished to the same level and quality as the Scurfa, but it's not bad. If you don't mind swapping out a new strap and better spring bars then it is quite nice.
If you happen to want one, signing up to their mailing list on their website gets you a 10% reduction .
Mercer Watches is on facebook @mercerwatch and their website is: www.mercerwatch.com
Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app
Last edited by tom waring; 24th May 2017 at 09:50.
Actually doesn't look half bad. Unfortunate that quality doesn't seem to match the looks.
Yup: watch head pretty good. Everything that hangs off it is pretty average.Originally Posted by RAJEN
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