Smiths Caribbean 1000- Review
September 5th 2021 SMITHS PRS- 55 CARIBBEAN REVIEW
My first review for Timefactors last year seemed to have been surprisingly well received, so I am venturing a second for Mr. Eddie Platts. Had it been thought boring, you would not be reading me now as I have too much respect for Eddie, who is now selling his PRS-55, The Caribbean 1000 meter dive watch, in five perfect color choices.
I now own the all blue one as well as the yellow & blue one. Perks of the reviewer.
As my shockingly functional, very well pensioned and world traveling, Audi A4 Avant Allroad Sport driving, cocktail drinking, 72 looking but actually 88 year old mother would say, not knowing nearly the extent of my wrist watch collection, in an admonishing and guilt inducing tone, “So why do you need two more?”
Please keep reading for the answer. But you don’t have to. This is the type of review you may want to read if you are of a certain older age or are much younger and desire what we used to call “insight” into an era long past.
Having known Eddie for about 21 years, since his first Dreadnought and an inappropriate, accidental, and highly irritating 4AM phone call by me to him, I consider him a treasure. I lurk and do not participate in his forum, so I followed the gestation of the Caribbean watch without comment or opinion. We speak via phone and now email, as my expensive and fancy all inclusive internet, wifi, phone service, occasionally pixilated television, and couch colonoscopy service would charge me about $1000 per minute to actually speak to Eddie, as we have enjoyed in our past. I realize that I miss that very much, as Eddie is most extremely intelligent, experienced, humorous, and fun, and will attempt “real speech communication” with him, a rarity nowadays, in the near future. On any topic, I would rather have a discussion with Eddie than 95% of the people on this earth.
So much for progress, and understand that I had absolutely no input with regard to this perfect wristwatch. Sadly, as an opinionated and newly minted senior citizen, I would have had no viable suggestions anyway.
Eddie knows me to be no sycophant; I have criticised certain aspects of some of his designs and movement choices in the past and also very highly complimented many of his wonderful and world famous creations as well. No one likes a brown nose at all; not in school, not in one’s career, not in a friend, and certainly not in a watch review. As a fortunate owner of a perfectly kept, obsessively perfect, and perfectly vast wristwatch collection, my opinion may be seen as somehow relevant. This review shall use one word repeatedly, and I think it appropriate regardless, and I sort of like the repetition. As my next birthday is 60 years, I no longer refrain from expressing myself nor care how others think of me. By the way, I heard one can get senior discounts now at McDonalds?
It takes guts to be 60 or older:
What about the two PRS-55 watches?
Well, they are perfect and my amateur photos should enable the reader to arrive at the same conclusion.
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After spending two days with them and swimming in my pool, I have looked at them under many different lighting conditions, with professional dental magnification, and underwater. I have only one small issue, so I will get it out of the way right now, at the beginning of this review:
I like the logo for the Smiths brand very much, it is very well done. It is perfect. It is engraved or lasered on the clasp safety flip lock in a very subtle fashion and I wished it to have been much
“bolder”.
That’s it, my only issue, otherwise they are, yes, perfect.
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For some, the PRS-55 is a perfect time machine:
Where does it take me?
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It immediately transports me to the years 1969-1976, and my childhood travelling with my family to the Caribbean and Bermuda. Others would also include trips to Malta, Gibraltar, and some very hot and dusty Spanish islands. My parents were both elementary school teachers. They saved all year for some brief high end luxury not involving a caravan or motel.
It was a period where you traveled in a woolen jacket, paints, and tie, black socks and dress shoes, even to warm climates. People smoked profusely on airplanes and the stewardesses were distractingly gorgeous women. Terminals were not air conditioned, chaotic, and very hot. Parents dressed all their sons in the same plaid pants and double breasted blue blazers with rep neckties. Thunderbirds were go! You got in big trouble and, unlike today, were actually disciplined. Emma Peel had that alluring black catsuit! The Nehru jacket was cool, and you did not have one. Everyone knew who Peter Sellers was and we all wanted the Raleigh Chopper bike with gear lever! Parents always shut off unneeded lights in the house and let you know why! (come on…you know… they were not made of money!) No one wore bicycle safety helmets of any kind. Chitty Chitty, Bang Bang was sold by “Q” had Goldfinger as the fat king. The Prisoner got put back into that fake Venetian place! We all had a crush on Lady Penelope and did Parker imitations. Corduroy in the fall was a must. Is that ticket on the new, big 747? Roger Moore had his Saintly, British made, Volvo 1800 and a lovely pompadour. Your gardening tools were deadly. Window mounted air conditioning was only turned on if you could prove you were perspiring more than in a Japanese prison camp sweatbox. Dudley Moore was with Peter Cook, not Bo Derek. Christmas toys were ordered through the Sears or Monte Ward catalog. Everyone knew the name of the local butcher and mortician. One of my father’s record jackets had a naked girl covered in whipped cream! Monty Python members were poor and Tom Jones had a bulge in his pants on his LP cover.
On vacations, the eldest, yours truly, was always tasked with carrying the family’s s two largest, monkey arm stretchingly heavy, brick shithouse, 1950’s Samsonite blue and cream valises through airports and ship terminals. Sadly, in those days, as far as “luggage movement” was concerned, the wheel had yet to be invented. In retrospect, these now vintage, overly engineered, super heavy suitcases I trudged for many rash inducing, calf bruising, itchy - panted miles, make an SAS custom Pelican rifle box seem almost cardboard like.
I can not forget the memories and feelings of watching the first run, prior to theater opening, of “Get Carter”, shown on a reel to reel projector with small Tannoy, projected upon a white wall, whilst sitting on hard white wooden folding chairs in the lobby lounge of the Princess Hamilton Hotel, Bermuda, in 1971 on a stormy evening.
“Sit up straight and don’t slouch!”
At these holiday places, when not at the beach or poolside, the adults would invariably go shopping, and the kids followed behind collecting brochures and goofing off. Discount liquor, cigarettes, crystal, Wedgewood, cashmere, and yes, watches were what they were after. I only wanted Corgi Toys, which were heavily discounted in all British protectorates, and finding a dealer in these far off colonial locations was a delight. I could actually convince my parents of a bargain and the “educational benefits” of a highly detailed “Made in England” toy truck purchase.
There was a typical type of “shoppe” in these locations:
“Let’s walk from the hotel to the stores as the cabs are very expensive, it’s good exercise” ……………. “What?!!” ……………
“Yes boys, I know it is very hot, but you know how your father is.”
It was somewhat dark inside owing to the outside sunshine, smelling slightly of mold, whiskey, and locally made floral perfume. Dark wooden beams traversed the ceiling, and some past rainstorm water stains were present on the plaster. There was always a non - decipherable background “hum” of shoppers talking. There was always a very dusty wooden man- o -war model in a corner. You heard the occasional click of a cigarette lighter. It had many glass display cases smudged from tourist ‘s sunlotioned fingerprints, which smelled faintly of coconut.
They sold all the things tourists wanted. Sometimes all in the same store! One could get a discounted thick cashmere sweater and a half price fifth of fine scotch all in the same place. What drew the most attention? Watches. The brands that I remember were Jenny, Zodiac, Girard Perregaux, Tissot, Seiko, O&W, Cyma, Racine, Rado, and Omega. But, surprisingly, not Rolex. You may remember many others.
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The dials were very colorful and the prices low compared to home. Stock was plentiful. They were big business with tourists and hotel and cruise ship employees. They were not the staid, lizard strapped, flat and boring legacy “pie pan” dress watches of our grandfathers, which had to be removed to even wash one’s hands. No, these were outrageously colorful, water proof, and big! They had slick and shiny metal bracelets which looked like tank tracks or big metal hinged leaves with holes! They were seen everywhere. They were cool! They made statement!! They could be used underwater and they were bold! Our hotel waiter even had one!! All fathers on holiday got a watch and their sons got the brochure and, hopefully, a Corgi Holmes Wrecker #1142 Set with figures and bollards to go home with!
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The watch boxes were usually either gilt pressed paper & metal edged clamshell with a spring loaded, snap shut mechanism with velvet interior and holder ring, or, sadly, the boring old fashioned long coffin type. Who hasn’t used the spring loaded box to chomp on one’s brother’s fingers “back in the room”? No one cared about the box!! Put the watch on and do stuff!! Go to the beach! Have a cocktail! Do you have a light? What color did you get?
The boxes from the 1960’s for these watches were, as described above, very basic. Eddie has given us something which is dramatically much better than our memory serves. Its’ orange leatherette is supple and the whole case, brochure, and cloth match and reflect the colorful nature of this watch set. So nice, it could be a Jaguar car interior accessory. But again, I must repeat, the original boxes were very cheap affairs and Eddie has gone the extra mile and made us all feel even more special than our memories would allow. Thank you, Mr. Platts.
I wanted to create the environment that the PRS-55 personally brings me back to, and whilst your memories may be different, remember, I am soon to be sixty and my memories are what’s important for this review!
So get to it, what about the watch, old man?
(Please say in the same way Robert Shaw had in “From Russia With Love”)
Well here it is, but think of the locations it was sold in and the sounds, smells, and the lighting. Remember the feeling of 1969 or 1972 and ….don’t forget…… remember Britt Eklund!
“Excuse me, pay attention, it is proper etiquette to place your napkin in your lap, like this, before the food arrives…”
The PRS – 55 watch case and crown with the new Smiths logo, imaginatively nicknamed the boobie, and not for the bird I believe, is wonderful. Case and screw down crown are polished perfectly and there are no blemishes or steel casting striations to be seen whatsoever. Casting striations, post polishing, seen sometimes even in the vaunted Rolex stainless, are the watch equivalent of car paint orange peel. Both the PRS -55’s in my hands have none whatsoever, and that is a very big deal. The bezel itself reminds one of a much better version of the Omega ratcheted type. No play or poor alignment here. It has a nice and weighty solid feel, so pay attention Panerai. The side coin edge of the bezel is perfect. Under 4X magnification, it outshines many more expensive brand’s poorly polished facets.
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Can I take it into the ocean after my Tom Collins and cigarette?
“Stop throwing sand at the other kids from France!”
The water resistance of this watch is 1000 meters! Wow! A depth that means you have engineering overkill. Maybe it is not proper to say anymore, but all men like overkill, don’t we? Why? We don’t know, as we are all a bit stupid. But Eddie gives it to us, and we like it!
Notice the extra Viton gasket one can see on the tube when the crown is unscrewed and pulled out? This is what Rolex calls a Triplock seal, and this PRS-55 has a similar setup. This is real attention to water resistant detail and Eddie has outdone himself yet again. Many fancy dive watches I own do not have this appreciated redundancy. This is one more reason his PRS-55 is perfect. You can wash your hands as well as actually go deep scuba diving with it on!
The tanned, pouty, busty woman across the cruise ship dining table asks your father “what do those little numbers and marks mean” on the “turny thing” around the dial of his new orange watch? He quickly gets up to demonstrate like a salesman. … Your mother makes a sour face and you definitely know it is not related to the bruises on your brother’s fingers.
“Please do not embarrass us anymore with your noise making, water glass edge, circular rubbing with your finger in the dining room…. The soup is coming”
The bezel insert of the Caribbean appears three dimensional and I had to feel its complete smoothness to understand its’ quality. How did Eddie get to do this at this price point? Such depth and light reflection! Luminescence is an added surprise in a bezel which is an absolute gem in its’ own right. Did I mention the insert flushness with the bezel edge? I have never seen better in any dive watch. The bezel is not only perfect, but extraordinary. The thick and robust sapphire crystal has just the right amount of vintage doming and rise. No future plexiglass fogged scratch pad here, just a perfect vintage look and artistically done clear perfect crystal.
Can I see the dial with my dark tinted horn rimmed sunglasses after a few Highballs and a pack of Lucky Strikes?
“Do not make disgusting salt and pepper and sugar and mustard and butter water glass concoctions and dare you brother to drink it at my dining table young man!”
The dials of the PRS-55 come in many colors. You can choose, if you are lucky enough, from black, blue, yellow, orange, and bicolor yellow and blue! It is highly legible, even under water. The raised indicators and date frame lend a very expensive level of finish to this watch. The dial colors are the colors I remember in those shops! They are sunburst and radiant! The date wheel itself is also highly legible and number fonts are all wonderfully and artfully done. They vary to always completely fill the window, a trait few manufacturers barely care about. At any price. Real care and concern on the part of Mr. Platts and you know what – it’s perfect!
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The Hands:
“The hands, don’t forget put suntan lotion on your hands!” “Sun makes your hands look old
very fast.”
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“Hey, how come your brother has those bruises on his fingers?”
The handset – boy is this a very big deal!! I have looked, under magnification, at the handsets of many watches. Patek, Rolex, Audemars, JLC, Omega, IWC, Cartier, Grand Seiko, Panerai, and many, many others. Guess what? Many who have polished handsets have smudge marks or pitting. Sometimes the lume is chunky and not smooth. Fancy fingertip swirly polishing with asbestos grit and petrified dog shit by some old Kabuki master? Sorry, not as good as these are in the PRS-55. Some fancy brands, previously mentioned in this review, and associated long ago with Fascist carbonara and Peroni fed divers riding black torpedoes, openly admit to handsets which corrode and self- destruct over time. Not on this watch!
The handset and lume of the PRS-55? Smooth, crisp, faceted, of proper length, and aspirational for any high end brand. This handset should be used to teach technicians in the big watch houses how it should be done. This handset should be model for all others! It will look crisp and great 30 years from now.
It is perfect.
Perfect, on each of the two “completely unnecessary” Caribbean watches that I have, mother….. “Yes, I will call more often…..”
The strap:
“If you misbehave and clamp you brother’s fingers with that stupid box one more time, you will get the strap!”
The strap of the Caribbean is a color matched silicone with internal waffling on its underside for heat comfort, and topside, a lovely tropical vintage woven embossment. Did I say color matched? Perfect match and matte finish. As good as they come. Such effort went into the color choices by Eddie and it really shows in this regard. His concern for even the smallest detail of this project can be illustrated by the exact color match of the strap to watch dial. Not easy to do with manufacturers today. The buckle is also superb. It is so thoughtfully tasteful & custom, and crisp, with the Smith’s logo easily seen. It has a wonderful side profile as well. It again puts other manufacturer’s efforts to shame.
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The bracelet, ah the bracelet:
“I saw a gold bangle bracelet on the woman at dinner, you know, the one who asked about your new watch, so tomorrow we are going back into town to get the same one for me, and after three boys, I deserve it!” “Yes, of course dear…..”
“Why can’t we go deep sea fishing like the other boys?” “What is deep sea fishing anyway?”
The PRS-55 has what is called a beads of rice bracelet. What that means is it is composed of quite a large number of little links which resemble rice kernels which reflect light in a spectacular fashion and is very comfortable. Cheap watches do not have these bracelets, as they are very difficult to do well. Every piece needs individual casting and polishing, and smoothness is critical so that one’s wrist hairs are not pulled, then lots of difficult hand assembly. My reissue Omega Ploprof has one and it is a crude and rudimentary embarrassment for that brand. Why such a hurdle Mr. Platts? You already did a rubber strap. Well, I guess he likes a challenge, has seen the real vintage item, and is a bit stubborn. For our benefit of course.
This beads of rice bracelet is perfect. I am sorry if you tire of the word, but it is repetitively appropriate for the Timefactors Caribbean; it is perfect. The links are so smooth and lusterous. and fit together so precisely. At the watchcase, the solid end links also replicate the pattern very crisply. The screws which hold it together, which you remove for adjustment are, while small, Rolex like in their operation and precision. I adjusted my bracelets to reposition the clasp and it was extremely easy if one has the correct micro screwdriver. I would suggest a very high quality German Wiha brand driver to do this as they are specifically designed to “self -strip” and not strip the screwhead being tightened. A nice micro set is a good investment for the watch enthusiast. Very nice bracelet Eddie, I like it!
Remember to put you seat forward, wear your seatbelts, and make the clasp tight for takeoff:
“Did you hear me?” “Stop poking your brother over the seat or else I will tell the stewardess not to give any of you the crappy pilot’s wings!!” “How come the ashtray is so small on this big plane?”
The clasp is cast and has both an Omega like dual button spring catch and a flipper lock safety clasp as well. Its’ brushed finish is straight and subtle. It is high quality and it shows. Eddie lost money with this clasp and it is our gain. So very nice! It happily does not flip outward to catch clothing at its far end, especially when lots of bracelet is stored inside. This is a well designed solid clasp, which you will enjoy operating. Again, I wish the Smiths logo on the flipper lock was a bit bolder, but yes, I like it that much! Once more, the clasp is perfect.
The innards of the Caribbean, what makes it work?
“Stop that, do not blow bubbles with your straw, wait till we get home young man!”
Miyota is linked/owned by Citizen and they make some good stuff. Very good stuff.
Ever hear of Frederique Constant? Probably one of the biggest and most innovative Swiss manufacturer movement makers and absolute bargains on the market today. They are Citizen owned with Citizen/Miyota technology and invention. They have recently invented a new high frequency, flexible, silicon disc hairspring thing, for watch regulation, which is one of the biggest horological advancements in the last century. Few know about it or care. They should.
I advise anyone who has the interest to go onto the Miyota website and look up the 9015 movement contained in the PRS-55. It is a tough bird! Look at the breakdown and the components. This movement could be in any expensive watch, it is that good and reliable. At quick glance, it could be mistaken for a Tudor movement, except for its’ lack of bead blasted finish and lower power reserve. Way, way nicer and more robust than any of the original old vintage movements these watches had, it betters what we had in the past by a whole lot. Mr. Platts must have an oil well in his yard and a diamond mine in his basement, because he is not charging nearly enough for the PRS-55. This watch is an incredible bargain and the reader should try to buy at least one, should he be able.
Its sale price is way too low as it has so many expensive features, but the movement is, like the watch case, perfect.
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“The trip is over, we are home, I have gotten all of the mail from Cyril next door, we are unpacking, and doing washing, watch out for that sand, and shall I call mother or wait?”
“We are home now so you can not stay up late, need to get ready for school to start young man, and you must clean your entire plate of your meatloaf and those overcooked canned “French -cut” string beans!” “I don’t care what good stuff you ate on the trip!”
And so, like all holidays, this review also comes to an end.
If you are still here, the PRS -55, “The Caribbean”, in its glorious colors, is a big hit. Eddie has, yet again, done it for his customers and we should all be thankful. You may not get one if you dawdle. He has created small and very artistically done robust time machines for our wrists. In several colors! For relatively little cost.
Isn’t that amazing?
Remember when mother said, “it’s just a watch, and why do you need two?” Well, now you know very well why; each and every PRS-55 is a perfect watch for perfect memories.
In wonderous 1960’s widescreen Technicolor! Thank you Eddie.
If they cause you to recall anything nice and poignant at all from your past, hasn’t Mr. Platts done a wonderful thing?
I think so, old man……..
This review is respectfully submitted to TIMEFACTORS UK and Mr. EDDIE PLATTS to do whatever he wishes with it.
Thomas Tagliani DDS
