UHR-222 - A quick review

[Omegary]

Thought I'd do a quick review of a UHR 222. Three reasons really:

1. I'd never really heard of UHR before seeing this example on the sales corner
2. There doesn't seem to that much info of customer reviews on the interweb. So hopefully this might be useful for the uninitiated or anyone considering buying one
3. IMHO they represent very good value for money

To begin this watch came from the sales corner, so it's not new and has some light marks which you'll see. The only thing I've done to the exterior of the watch is polished out a graze at 12 and given it a quick clean before taking the pics.

UHR seem to have a philosophy very similar to Eddies, i.e sell direct from the internet, no fancy packaging and no expensive ad campaigns, PR exercises or silly brand ambassadors. All of which keep their overheads down and that saving is passed on to the customer.

They're also similar in that a lot of their range are influenced by classic designs. in the case of the UHR-222 it's a Rolex Oysterdate.

The vital stats
Width without crown 38mm
With crown 40mm
Lug to lug 46mm
Lug width 20mm
Depth 11.5mm
Weight 118 grams

It's 2mm larger than the current Oysterdate or 4mm bigger than vintage models, so it has a little more wrist presence. Sounds daft but 2mm can make all the difference to how a watch feels on the wrist. I like the feel of the UHR-222 and I'm usually a bit of a purist when it comes to the modern trend of super sizing re-interpretations of classic watch designs.

The spec
Stainless steel case with screw down crown
Stainless steel bracelet with hollow end links
Deployment clasp
Mineral glass with cyclops
50m water resistance

The movement
ETA-2824-2 (base version)

Impressions

I've been wearing this for over a week solid now and I must admit I'm pretty impressed. The size is my sweet spot and I love the way it feels on my wrist. The case is very good quality with nicely polished bezel and sides and graining to the top. The bracelet feels well made and despite the hollow end links (which lets face it are perfectly good anyway) it doesn't rattle much.





The case sides are polished well and it has an unsigned crown




The dial is silver with a subtle linen texture to it. The applied indices a highly polished, as are the hands, and they catch the light really well. There's no trace of hair, lint or dust on the dial or under crystal so the quality control in this area is good. The dial is sterile, which sometimes looks a bit unbalanced on other watches, but it looks okay for some reason on this.





The movement is a base ETA 2824-2 which has an excellent reputation and is used by most watch manufacturers in the Swatch Group. The depth rating is 50m which is enough for most of us mere mortals.

The good
Very good case
Good bracelet
High quality control with the dial and hands
Good size

The not so good
Some marks and dust on the inside of the caseback
Some marks to the movement screws
The movement retainer ring on my example is broken near the crown
The cyclops has a pretty weak magnification

Most people will never crack open a case, so all of the above they'd never see and they're mainly cosmetic issues really. I get the impression that they're obviously built to a price, so assembly time has been heavily skewed towards the parts people will see and appreciate. Makes sense really.

I've left the very best bit about this watch until last. The price of all this German made watch, ETA equipped watch is a mere €189 (at time of writing), yes you read that right. And if that wasn't enough all their watches come with a 5 year guarantee! So if you're looking for a simply, elegant watch, I think you'd struggle to find anything better in the price range.

Finally a quick pic to show what it looks like on a 7" wrist


Thanks for reading and I hope it was useful. If I've missed anything or you want to know more just yell.

Cheers,
Gary

[Optimum]

Interesting read - thanks Gary.

[dkpw]

Thanks very much Gary for the most helpful review and photos.
You've just made certain UHR will sell another 222 in the near future.

Cheers

David

[tifosotony]

Great write-up with lovely pics. How the heck is it made and sold at that price!

Must resist delving deeper into this.........

[Omegary]

No problem at all David, I hope Santa is feeling generous ; )

Cheers,
Gary

[Red Steve]

Great write-up with lovely pics. How the heck is it made and sold at that price!

Must resist delving deeper into this.........

me too, but what the hell ; http://www.uhr.info/products/en/Thre...R/UHR-221.html

[Itsguy]

Thanks for an interesting review. I agree, the proportions and sizing are spot on, and I like the finish on the dial. The sterile look does indeed work well on this one, somehow it makes it a smart modern take on an iconic shape rather than a homage, and the finish on the dial is classy and distinctive. Really quite something at the price, it shows what's possible.

And just for reference, it certainly does remind me of something... These came in 36mm rather than 34mm, from 1967 - it certainly looks to be the inspiration, give or take a date.

[dkpw]

No problem at all David, I hope Santa is feeling generous ; )

Cheers,
Gary

He has proved to be a persuasive chap that Santa, as mine is on the way from Germany.
The was a slight stock hiccup during the order process site but this was resolved very helpful and speedily by Nils at UHR. So good looking watches and responsive customer service!

[Omegary]

Good to hear that their customer service is on the ball David, thanks for the update.

You do wonder why big companies can get it so wrong and yet little concerns like UHR get it right.

I noticed the last time I looked at their website that the silver dial models seem to out of stock now.

Cheers,
Gary

[dkpw]

Good to hear that their customer service is on the ball David, thanks for the update.

You do wonder why big companies can get it so wrong and yet little concerns like UHR get it right.

I noticed the last time I looked at their website that the silver dial models seem to out of stock now.

Cheers,
Gary

Yes, my hiccup was stock related, or possibly my confusion with the process. The way their site takes orders (via PayPal - IPN) meant that I had ordered and paid them but then saw in my shopping trolley that it was apparently out of stock. I e-mailed them yesterday and received a reply first thing this morning to say that the white dialled model was on the way, so I may have had the last one they had at the moment.

[esulp]

A very interesting review of an affordable watch. UHR was on my short list when making my last purchase and I'll be looking at them again next year.

[river27]

Thanks for the review Gary, most informative.

I've looked at their website off and on and this review may have tipped me over the edge!
I was wondering about the quality, considering the price point, but it looks good.

[olivier24]

thks, very interesting.

[IAmATeaf]

Good write up and review. I remember seeing this on SC and have to admit I was tempted but the sterile top half of the dial sort of put me off at the time, if that makes sense?

[dkpw]

My new UHR-222 arrived today from Germany and so far I'm very pleased with it.

My initial thoughts differ slightly from Gary's review in two minor respects.

I think I'd probably rate the bracelet slightly lower, as it does rattle and is made to the price point. This is in contrast to the case which feels as if it belongs to a much higher class of watch. To be fair though it is not at all bad and the clasp is extremely adjustable with SEVEN micro adjustment points, so achieving a perfect fit was easy. I removed one link from the bracelet, which uses split pins, and then put it on the smallest micro adjustment. It will therefore cope with a wide range of wrist sizes.

I think a dressy watch like the UHR-222 is best partnered by a strap, so while resizing the bracelet I laid the head between some of my straps to see which looked the most attractive. My favourite was a light tan RIOS shell cordovan but I suspect something darker would be even better, possibly a dark brown or glossy black strap would provide the most contrast with the white face.

The cyclops while not up with a Rolex's 2.5x magnification, is better than I had thought.

I was initially a little taken aback by the size of the watch, which feels smaller than I remember a 38 mm being, but that may be in part because I wore it straight after wearing my Speedy Pro at 42 mm. After wearing it for a period of about 7 hours it felt much more natural. It's size is reminiscent of a previously owned Seiko SARB033 but the UHR-222 has a lower profile at 11.5 mm and less steeply angled lugs, both positives in my book. The lug to lug distance is 46mm which is a good fit for my 6.75" wrist.

I know exactly what IAmATeaf means in regard to sterile dials. One of the reasons I quickly flipped a MKII Vantage, was that I felt it's dial was too empty, even though it's nowhere near as sterile as the UHR-222. However, Gary's got it spot on in this instance, as the hands, markers and dial texture don't make the dial sterility an issue - well not for me.

Overall it represents outstanding value for money (£150 ish inc. delivery and VAT) and it makes a pleasant change for me to have a white dialled, dress watch in my collection.

Thanks again to Gary for tipping me over the edge!