H3 Traser P6500

[VA]

afternoon people

I' ve been doing some web surfing and came across the H3 P6500. I' ve heard and read quite a bit about these watches but on the way to enlightment I got lost.... :(

So, a few questions if I may :roll:

First of all what is the water resistance 30m, 100m, 200m? It looked to me like the same type of watch was rated diferently. And on the same note, does it have a screw back or a screw back plate (with the four little philips screws, I have a G-shock that has a screw back plate and is ratd 200m)

Next what are the dimensions, width, height, and lug space?

Thats all I can think of right now, and the ones that prevented my total enlightment, if I come up with anything else I' ll add it to this.

thanks in advance :)

VA

[Crusader]

Hello VA,

I have has the P6500 as my EDC watch for the second half of 2003. A wondeful thing. I have been totally fascinated by this watch. I put it on a 22mm Black Rhino from Eddie--a perfect combination. See my Black-Rhino review ( http://www.tz-uk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3056 ) in the review section of the forum. This watch that has surprised me most of all my watches, and it is one of my absolute favorites.

Here are some data:
Diameter 8-2: 42.5mm
Diameter over crown: 45mm
Height 10.5mm
lug-to-lug: 46mm
Weight: 30.5 grams without strap
lug width: 22mm
Back: 4 Phillips screws
Water resistance: Duifficult. Officially rated at 30m, but that appears to be due to the marketing agreement between Traser and Luminox. The P6500 has been aftermarket tested to over 100m, so there is no reason to assume that it is built anything different from the Luminox/Traser S3000 series rated at 200m (only dial and bezel are different from the P 6500).

Go for it! It is absolutely worth it. The lume is fantastic, and the Ronda movement is reasonably high quality too.

If you have any specific questions, please let me know.

Crusader

[VA]

Thanks for the info Crusader, exactly what I needed.

I' m not too fussed with the W.R. since this is going to be a beater for non-watery stuff (i.e. not a diver kind of beater). But in any case having a 30m watch brings about that anxiety of "is it going to get flooded at the first sign of sweat, heavy rain etc etc...."

thanks again :)

[Crusader]

I am usually very sensitive about WR myself, for much the same reasons. Not that I engage in water sports (or any sporty activities, for that matter), but I would rather not wreck a watch in an accidental wine spill or a fierce shower.

I had a lengthy conversation with the German lead distributor of the H3 series, and they had the service center test them to beyond 100m. I have no reason to disbelieve him. Besides delineating the Luminox and Traser lines of watches, giving it the 30m rating may have been done to promote the metal variants of this watch which sell for far more.

In a way, that is a pity because the black composite material is very distinctive, holds up as well as steel for daily wear, and the lightness is a definite plus. I also love the combined second time-zone/time-elapsed bezel. Very practical thing! I was sceptical about a "plastic watch", but having worn the Traser for a while I would love to see more watches use this kind of material.

An alternative would be to get a Marathon Navigator G-model ( http://www.marathonwatch.com/cgi-bin/sh ... t=WW194001 ) which is current issue for the US armed forces. The quality of neither the movement nor the overall workmanship is on par with the Traser, and there is no date version. On the other hand, the Marathon can be had (in North America) for ca. US$ 135-150, so it is cheaper than the Traser and it has a different (and to some extent nicer) dial.

I have both watches, and the Traser is at least one notch up on the Marathon.

Crusader