Smiths PRS-57 monopusher review
Just posted this over at the "another one for next year" but thought it deserved a thread of its own.
Smiths PRS-57 monopusher review
Opening the watch roll the first thing I saw was the dial. I have several old military watches, lots of vintage Smiths and some that are both so I think I'm qualified to say that it is really really good. The lume is pretty much the same colour as my radium GS De Luxe, a subtly aged shade of off-white. (Imho more successful than the nicotine of the PRS-82.) The glow is good without being a total "torch" and more than legible. The ground seems to be ever so slightly "tropical" (i.e. a very very dark brown rather than absolutely jet black). I might be wrong about that and it could well actually be black but either way it looks great.
Size: 40mm is about as big as I go (36-38mm is my ideal sweet spot but I wear 32-34mm; 30mm is too small; I'm aware that for others 40mm might be bang on or even a bit less than they are used to.) Any any rate it doesn't look wrong.
Taking it out of the packaging I was surprised -- and not entirely pleasantly so -- by the weight and thickness. As I said, I'm used to vintage watches which are generally manual wind and thinner. I put it on a perlon for a closer fit. I know that adds a tiny amount of extra height as the one-piece, pull-through strap passes underneath the head. However, with it being so tall and heavy (again, compared with what I'm used to) I didn't want any looseness or movement on the wrist. After a very short time I stopped noticing that I was even waring it, despite it being a pretty massive slab. (By my own standards it's a bit of a hockey puck but stopping to chat to a neighbour who wears a modern Omega chonograph -- a Planet Ocean, I think -- I realised that many people wear bigger, heavier watches all the time.)
The high profile of the bezel reduced slightly the angle at which the dial is visible, compared with flatter watches, but echoes or mirrors the bevel on the caseback (which is similar to the screw-on back of some vintage cases.)
Pusher and crown look well-executed and work beautifully. Good proportions, too. The signed crown is a nice touch.
The lugs are extremely pleasing; a perfect size and shape. I could imagine some manufacturers might have gone for beefier lugs but these taper down to quite fine ends which I like; the thin ends stops the watch appearing too fat (and goodness knows it's chunky enough as it is). Drilled holes for quick (and non-scratch) strap changes are a big plus for me, and again pick up some of the features and styling of vintage watches. I have a thing for 18mm lugs (and a large collection of 18mm straps) but 20mm looks right on a 40mm case and the extra strap width spreads the weight better. (One top tip for NATO and perlon fans is to use shoulderless spring bars; fabric straps can snag on standard ones and ping them out. On watches without drilled lugs that means cutting the bars if/when you want to remove them, which is another reason for preferring drilled lugs.)
The finishing on the case is flawless: sharp edges, even brushing. In an ideal world I've had preferred a case made in Europe rather than China but I can't argue with the quality, especially at this price point.
The movement has some rotor whirr and wobble but a lot less than the Miyota and isn't really noticeable. Timekeeping has been OK but I expect it to settle down once it's been run in.
What would I change about it? Nothing. I could see a manual wind version with acrylic crystal might work well and would be popular; it would also be lighter and even closer to the "original" spec.
All in all it's lovely piece. It arrived at 9am yesterday (by a happy coincidence my 50th birthday) and I wore it all day. Reaching for it again this morning reminded me of its sheer heft but once strapped securely on it simply has a good wrist presence without being overpowering. A very pleasing watch to wear: robust and legible with a vintage vibe that doesn't look fake or forced.
Recommended.
Smiths PRS-57 monopusher review
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Smiths PRS-57 monopusher review
I don’t know which I’m most impressed by, the watches or chunky jumpers guys!
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Smiths PRS-57 monopusher review