Thanks Rev
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.
Thanks Rev
Very good review. Thank you. And Happy Birthday!
Last edited by gerrudd; 17th November 2021 at 16:50.
Great review. Totally agree on the quality and on the vintage feel. I'm delighted with mine.
It appears to me that the size is a sweet spot to fit most wrists - it may be your largest, but for me it's the smallest of my watches at 40mm (next smallest is 43mm), and the size of the bezel around the dial makes the watch look smaller still - adding to the vintage feel, but small enough to raise a brief pang of alarm when I opened the watch roll. But to my relief the heft of the case means it doesn't feel like a small watch on the wrist. Close to ideal I would say for a watch that while it certainly isn't 'small', it couldn't really be described as 'large' either in a modern context.
I've been playing with various straps too and liked it on a Bund (previously used on a Sinn 156 among other things) and with light brown suede, but I think it looks neatest and most 'vintage' on a black Nomos cordovan (that I previously used to wear with a Smiths 29B) and on a burgundy cordovan. (Not a fan of NATO-type straps).
A few iPhone snaps, apologies for the pic quality (I'm clearly no photographer) just trying to give a bit of a feel of the piece in my context at least.
^^ I like those straps! I might give that a go, where did you get the cordovan ones from?
If you look between the lugs, you will see that a small notch has been machined out of the bottom of the case so that straps don't rub on the case.
Eddie
Whole chunks of my life come under the heading "it seemed like a good idea at the time".
Is it a one in one out Ollie as it's not one you can easily say "you remember, I got this ages ago" unless you have a Lemania mil chrono already
The black one is Nomos OEM. The wine-coloured one I got from a German ebay seller years ago but Nomos do one similar now in brown. Absolute top quality, although I don't own a Nomos at the moment I'm a huge fan and their cordovan straps are a big part of that.
https://nomos-glashuette.com/en/store/straps?o=9
Spotted - really nice bit of design :)
I'm never too enthusiastic about military watches, but that is nice.
Suits the flat glass for sure - it completes what to me are 'ultra-clean lines'
Lovely review, Ollie.
And belated congrats.
Thanks for the review. Really good and we have also been very impressed with the quality of this watch which arrived yesterday. Thanks to Eddie for getting the black ones out so quickly.
I'd noticed that, it made fitting new Timefactors De Luxe Natos much easier due to their thickness.
Great review there, Ollie and I can't add anything to it, but I'll wave a flag for the cream dial with some pics!
It's a cracking watch, my first ever mono-pusher and it's so much easier to use as a result.
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
Looks an excellent watch, shame we missed out with issues with the web site rejecting my correct card details but always something else round the corner
Arrived this morning. A cracker. It’s a chunky monkey for sure but I’m used to a little height wearing a MM300 on my small wrists. Played around with a few nato straps but then tried my tired and redundant Heuerville. Wasn’t expecting it to work too well but actually looks really good in the flesh. Congrats on another winner Eddie.
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Here’s the Heuerville strap……
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That’s looks fantastic - especially on the NATO
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It looks gorgeous on the rally and mesh particularly. The height is a concern though I think i'd be happy to try one for size. I couldn't even try and get one on the day. Busy with the family.
Yes, it depends what you're used to. My mate slipped off his Ploprof-on-a-mesh, put the monopusher on and declared it practically a ladies' watch.
At first a vintage 34mm manual wind with 16mm lugs can look and feel tiny but wear it for a week and you adjust. I'm doing the same in the other direction with this watch.
The main issues should be practical: is it small enough to fit under the cuffs you wear? Is it large enough to be legible? Do you find it comfortable? Is it well-made, accurate, robust, reliable?
If yes, then the subjective comes into play: do you like it? Does it fit your "aesthetic" or style? Etc.
If yes again, proceed.
Remember, too, that some watches "wear" larger or smaller than their statistics suggest. I find white / light faces, small or no bezels and simple dials wear bigger; the monopusher, being the opposite of those, looks quite compact. But it sure feels its full 15mm depth.
I'm enjoying wearing it. I know it's still the honeymoon period and maybe it will settle down to take its place in the rotation (or worse) but I've had watches that straight away I had doubts about (or worse). This one I immediately loved; it went out of the box and on to the wrist in a matter seconds, where it has remained for the best part of a week. Ask me again in a month or a year but for now if you can get one, do. Which is the strongest recommendation I can make.
Oh, and more pics please!
Mine was delivered today.
I had reservations about the thickness but so far, very happy with it.
It’s early days, but I think this could be a keeper.
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Cracking write-up, Rev. Really pleased that it arrived on the big day.
M
Don't just do something, sit there. - TNH
Have to say, from someone who saw the first rendition in black - last week, and liked it....................
the 'white' face is a level above.
'just right'.
Not mine
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When the Smiths Jubilee bracelet goes on sale, I plan to grab 2. One for the monopusher and one for my Everest Expedition. The below shots seal the deal.
Worn it 24/7 this week (excuse the detritus) and decided it suits leather.
So I've ordered a Toshi for it.
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
I've been trying to get a shot of the blue steel flare that comes off the hands. I can only achieve it by butchering the rest of the shot, but it's one of my favourite bits of the white dial. Every so often the light catches just right and it looks great.
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I don’t know which I’m most impressed by, the watches or chunky jumpers guys!
Lol, it's that time of year!
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If it wasn’t for my fear of it being too large I’d try my hand at either. Both looking lovely. Enjoy them
'Big' is relative ... it's the smallest watch I own. For reference the Longines is only 43mm (=not actually in the 'giant' category) ... because of the relative bezel thicknesses there looks like a lot more than 3mm in it. Consequently, the Smiths actually wears quite small for its given dimensions.
Thanks. Really glad you could make the party, too. With your inevitable machine -- several people have told me how impressed they were with it.
It's very much a watch for chunky jumper.
I've just ordered a strap from John Keiller -- a nice thick one in dark brown leather (for the black dial, a combo I know works well.) Pics to follow . . . .
I've just listed the brand new white dial one on Sales Corner. We bought both and prefer the black. For sale at RRP plus RMSD delivery.
My wife bought the white one. I bought the black one.
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I love this thing
Last edited by fogar; 25th November 2021 at 11:11.