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I’m considering (a new) PRS 21 Voyager and would appreciate some ownership experiences (easy to wear?, Good lume, how the bead blasting stands up to daily wear cosmetically etc).
Any observations (warts and all) and photo’s would be much appreciated.
I think it's a great watch.
Legible, good lume and with a nice presence on the wrist.
I've found it to be as tough as old boots, so it's become my go-to watch for both diving and travelling (as such it gets photgraphed a lot).
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R
Cracking watch - wear it loads. Used to be my go to watch when working offshore - tough as nails and super legible. The rubber that comes with it may seem a bit meh, but it's very comfortable. Also a NATO monster.
I've started wearing mine back on the bracelet, which I've been enjoying, so may stay with it for a while. The clasp can get a bit beaten up but otherwise no issues at all with the bracelet and watch itself. The pip on my watch also got dislodged somehow - I think that has happened to a few folk. Not really bothered me however.
I’ve been wearing mine this week.
Bead blasting stands up very well to daily use.
Lume is very good and lasts a long time. The orange lume on the outer 12 marker is a very nice touch.
My only slight ‘neutral’ (not negative) comment Is that for the rest of the markers the lume is on the inner ones only - so these are comparatively quite small. However, they shine bright and are still clearly visible at night.
It’s is extremely easy to tell the time by just ‘glancing’ at it.
The design is very unique and it’s a great watch to have in your collection.
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I love the look of it very much and I would defo buy a new one in a heartbeat but I can't get over the "Office GMT", I would far far rather have a "Traveler's GMT" [emoji25]
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Hmmm 樂- but an advantage of a GMT is that the 24 hour hand makes it easier to use as a Compass - and to do that you'd want the 24 hour hand set to local time.Quote:
Originally Posted by Arcam
As you suggest - the 24 hour hand doesn't hack the Seconds hand on the Voyager.
Having said that - a lot of people with non-GMT watches appear to want movements that hack - and manage to use them quite successfully going on holiday - so to be honest I can't really see it as such a major issue if its the 12-hour or 24-hour hand that hacks the seconds.
It is the hour hand that rapid sets on a Traveler GMT and the second hand hacks on both versions AFAIK.Quote:
Originally Posted by KAS118
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I'm not sure exactly what you mean?Quote:
Originally Posted by Arcam
On the other PRS21 thread it was said that a so called Traveller GMT didn't hack when the 'normal' hour hand was altered - but did when the GMT was changed - but with a 'Office' GMT didn't hack when the GMT was altered - but did when the 'normal' hour hand was changed.
It was said that the Traveller was better when you were Travelling, and the Office was better when you were stuck in an office wanting to track a 2nd Office's Timezone.
I believe it was said that the Rolex is of the so called Traveller version.
If you want my honest option - this is just the 'Rolex' types trying to justify that their type of GMT is for the real hardy type who travel around the world - whereas the non-Rolex version is just for those who sit in the Office.
Well in my humble opinion - he exact opposite is true - for the following reasons:
- As stated earlier, its a lot easier to use a 24-hour hand, set to local time, as a compass
- Raketa make 24 hour watches for Cosmonauts - as you lose track of AM/PM - and you can';t get much more exotic travel than that
- Likewise that make amphibios 24-hour watches for submarine crews for the same reason
- Similarly, their 24-hour Polar watches are made because in polar regions its hard to tell AM from PM
So there are rather adventurous reasons as to why you want your 24 hour GMT hand set to local time.
Perhaps, rather tag Rolex fans describing their GMT as a Traveller and the other version as an 'Office' - it would be more appropriate for the Rolex method to be described as 'Tourist' and the other type as 'Adventurer'?
Just a thought.
It only takes a minute to set a watch anyway, so what's the big deal about "office" and "traveller". If you get one and wear it on rubber then be sure to apply threadlock to the bars. I didn't but had a lucky escape . . .
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I wear it on Natos now, Eddie's deLuxe are top quality and a good weight for the watch, as are Havestons which sit nice and low due to their sliding keeper and no bulky tucking in of the excess length. I've long fancied getting a Haveston canvas but I'm dubious about how durable they will be with daily wear and frequent washing (that's all canvas not just Haveston). My bracelet is sitting unworn in the box, still stickered, just too heavy for my taste but top notch quality. There are marks here and there on the case, but that goes for any watch with this finish. It's very legible, the lume holds up right through the night.
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It also looked good on a mid brown Hirsch Liberty, but I don't have a pic of that. There's one for sale on SC right now with a good lump off the new price.
I read your comments on the movement but using the GMT hand as a compass is not one that if of interest to me, but each to their own.Quote:
Originally Posted by KAS118
You may call the Traveler/Tourist/whatever it is really named the "Rolex" way, but in truth most "mid to higher end" GMTs tend to work like that and my Breitling Chronomat and the Grand Seiko also work this way and it is my preference to have the GMT set to home and to allow the hour hand to quick set without having to hack the watch.
The OP asked for comments on this particular watch and the point I raise about the GMT function is accurate.
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Sorry - but what exactly was the point you were trying to make.?Quote:
Originally Posted by Arcam
The OP was requesting for peoples experience with the Voyager - it appears you don't have any.
You've now adopted the Rolex Fanboy reason as to why 'their' GMT method is better - in truth it add's no advantage other than if you want to use the 12-hour hand to tell local time - what basically is that you watch may have the seconds hand stop for a little while whilst its adjusted.Given that we're talking about mechanical watches I'm not exactly sure why that is such a detriment.
However, its claimed 'advantage' is actually a detriment if you want to use the 24-hour as local time on your travels.
I've explained a number of reasons why using the 24-hour as Local Time on your travels may be preferable - i.e. that it is used to indicate AM/PM in locations where that may not be obvious (caving for instance), or as an easier aid to navigation. I'm not sure you've actually explained any advantage of using the 12-hour hand as Local time? The one that I can think of would be that the Date function (if there) usually changes with the 12-hour.
I would, however, accept that it is more unusual to set the 24 hour to Local Time - but that doesn't mean its a worse thing to do.
Frankly I find your attempt to belittle the 'non-Rolex method', as being at the lower end of the market, to be rather shortsighted. Firstly, I'm not sure how you've actually quantified your statement that 'most' high or mid-end use that method? Secondly, you seem to forget that up until very recently a lot of 'mid' and even some comparatively high end brands used ETA movements.I accept that you may personally prefer being able to move the 12-hour without hacking the seconds hands - but what has that got to do with the OP's query?
You have your option I have mine let's leave it there, this is bringing nothing to the thread.
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The OP asked for some ownership experiences...Quote:
Originally Posted by Arcam
Mine has been on my wrist to around 16 countries, numerous time zones and done about 500 dives - I would think that qualifies it a travellers GMT.
R
No argument from me with that score.Quote:
Originally Posted by ralphy
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Like Magirus, but unusually for me, I wear mine on a NATO (one of Eddie's black and orange ones that looks made for the Voyager).
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I've never tried it on the bracelet to be honest and the rubber is, as some else said a bit average, although certainly not BAD.
I tried it on a lovely soft black and orange leather NATO for a while (I think it was by Yellow Dog), but the head was too heavy for the supple strap and I ended up with the NATO it's on now.
Mine doesn't get a lot of wear, but I take it on foreign holidays where I expect to dive and it doesn't come off my wrist for the duration (except to wash and sleep, I don't do either in a watch, personally).
Wear wise I echo the comments about it being tough - Mine has no obvious marks, despite being clanged against cylinders and rusty metal around the world.
A great watch I think.
I must admit I haven't understood the Traveller vs Office GMT, all I need is something that tells me time at home and where I am, and it does that just fine.
This is one of only two watches a stranger has even commented on - I was in Santa Monica and a stall holder (Who claimed to be a design student) asked what it was and praised the design.
M
ETA I did lose the 12 O'Clock lume pip on the Bezel from mine, but Eddie replaced it for me - I noticed it was gone on a night dive in the Maldives, although I've no idea when it had actually gone astray - It appears to be missing when I took the above photo!
The simple fact is that most people use the 3 normal hands to track local time and the 4th 24-hr hand to indicate something else.
Looking at the 3 main hands is what we are taught as kids, and ignoring the normal hour hand to tell the time using the 24-hr one is not so intuitive, especially as it is on a different scale from normal.
Having a 24-hr indication at all times is all of KAS118s reasons 2-4 above, cosmonauts, sub crew and polar exploreres do not need a timezone because they cross so many all the time, they need a means of keeping to a daily cycle. so a 24-hr indication is better. None of them would even think of resetting their watch at any "local" time, they just travel under their own timezone.
This is not a "Rolex fanboy" point, nor is it Grand Seiko only, the humble Kinetic GMT from Seiko is also a "traveller" GMT. As is Tudor's GMT, as is Omega's. Omega have even added hour-hacking to other movements like the 8500, so that users can simply click between timezones without hacking the watch.
We need a way of distinguishing between the two types of GMT, and like it or not, Office and Traveller have become the accepted terms. Office indicates that it is easier to tell the time in remote locations with the GMT hand, as that is the one hand that clicks round in 1-hr increments without hacking the main time. Traveller indicates that it is the local time that can be hacked in 1-hr increments, so easier for the traveller to adjust to local time, similarly without hacking.
No-one is making judgements about the relative usefullness of the 2, and threre is no need to leap to the Voyager's defence, it is a very accomplished watch and does that all by itself.
Those are simply the accepted terms to distinguish between them. In itself it is not perjorative of either type. It is simply a means of telling the difference.
So whilst I am certain Ralphy's Voyager qualifies as a traveller's GMT, it is not a travellers' GMT.
D
Thanks for all the comments, much appreciated.
Another question, do you think its a watch that wears better on the rubber strap or the bracelet?
(I ask as I have a Seiko Tuna SBBN015 that wears better on an isofrane strap than on the bracelet that comes with it).
That depends on what you define as wearing 'better'. Most of the time mine's on it's bracelet but when I'm abroad I'll have a couple of straps with me and will change to them if doing repeated dives, primarily because I'll be taking the watch off underwater and want to just push it into a BCD pocket and that's not a good environment to have the bracelet moving against itself or the glass.Quote:
Originally Posted by ODP
R
PS Favourite strap is one of Eddies:
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ODP
I liked the rubber that Eddie supplied with it, and wore it on this for a long time, until the keeper split.I expect the grippiness of the rubber very slowly undid the threads of the bar over time, hindsight eh? Although the threads have now been treated with Loctite 222 I still check the bars regularly now. I looked around for something different in rubber for a change of style, but everything seemed to be very long and not amenable to be shortened easily, and that's why I moved to Natos. Whilst Eddies deLuxe Natos are the best material quality of what I have, the Havestons aren't far behind and are perfect for wearability with the sliding keeper and no bulky tuck in. The bracelet is marvellous, but the whole combo is just too heavy for my taste. I also lost the luminous triangle. There was a white residue left behind in the recess, so I removed this, cleaned the surface and roughed it with a sharp needle before I affixed the replacement with a little epoxy.
The point I was making is that there are 24 hour watches and there are very good reason why its preferable to use the 24-hour time to track local time.Quote:
Originally Posted by sweets
I'm afraid that the words used are slightly belittling (and I'm sorry you can't recognise that) - for the reasons set out in my earlier response - as indeed is the fact that the Rolex Fanboys also frequently refer that method as being a "True GMT'".
The difference between the 2 methods, as you correctly point out, is that one Hacks on the 24-hour hand; and the other Hacks on the 12-hour hand.
If you needed a neutral way of distinguishing between the 2, clearly you could describe 1 as a 24-hour hack, and the other as a 12-hour hack.
However, given that:
1) It is likely that you either want to track a 2nd Time Zone from your Office; or
2) will be in a foreign country
for a 'reasonable' period of time then in practical terms it is probable that the watch would in any event need synchronising to exact time by hacking the Seconds in any event before having to adjust the 12/24hour again.
So in practical terms it actually makes very little difference.
However, I do accept the proposition is that 'most' people are more familiar with reading a 12-hour watch - and than that raises the argument of merely having 2Nr 12-hour hands tracking different time - or a different way of showing the 2nd zone.
However, that's a subject matter of a different thread. The subject matter of this one was for people to give their experience of owning a Dreadnought Voyager - not a question on whether it was better to hack on the 12 hour hand or 24 hour hand.
Back on topic of this one - I've only ever worn mine on the bracelet - I just think its suits the nature of the watch. I find its comfortable - but like most bracelets it does noticeably increase the weight of the watch.
Where did you get the replacement bezel triangle?Quote:
Originally Posted by magirus
It was a goodwill gesture from the seller. ;-)Quote:
Originally Posted by Barton Red
I am a owner of the Dreadnought Voyager, the only thing i don't like is the sharp-edged crown.
if i drive with the motorbike, the crown are some times open lonely with the close of my motorcycle jacket.
This is the only thing that i don't like.
Best regards from Germany
Andi
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I do agree with your comment about the sharp crown - because I wear my watch on my right wrist having it on the bracelet can be a bit more comfortable than NATO.Quote:
Originally Posted by Andi
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