Tawatec E.O.Diver, a review

INTRODUCTION

I fell in love with tritium vile watches a number of years ago, when I was introduced to contemporary Ball watches. Since this introduction, I have owned at least a dozen Ball watches, but none of these watches have been true “beaters”. By beater, I mean a watch you can wear through anything! Think G-shock! I would be devastated if my beloved SpaceMaster ever got trashed while mountain biking or by playing street hockey.

While I do have a couple of pretty cool G-Shocks, including the latest iteration of the Frogman, they are not always suitable for all occasions. So I started hunting for the perfect grab and go watch. A watch I would not worry about getting banged up. A watch I can set and forget. A watch that will also look cool and screams let’s see what you got!

At that time one of my coworkers, who wears a Suunto on a daily basis ordered a Luminox off the internet. I thought it looked kind of interesting, but I just could not get behind all the overhyped “Navy Seal” mumbo-jumbo they sell on their website. That is until I saw it in person. Impressive piece! The resin case and blacked out dial really worked on his watch!

I still had a hard time digesting their marketing, so I started digging for alternatives. I came across Traser and Nite, but they just did not tug at my heart strings enough to pull the trigger. Then I stumbled onto Tawatec. Their watches looked tougher than nails and unlike Luminox, they did not advertise about their relationship with the military, they just looked like the military should be wearing them.  You know how some guys walk around with their shoulders puffed out and act tough, while you know they really are not? And some other guys, without trying, just look like they can take care of themselves should anything happen. Tawatec was the latter kind of watch.

For under 300$ I could not pass it up. I took the plunge and contacted Jack at Tuffwriter.com and within a week, the Tawatec E.O.Diver had become my go to watch when the going gets tough. The following is my review of this watch.

 

CASE & BEZEL

Mat black, impact resistant, poly reinforced carbon fibre case is granted the following dimensions:

• Case diameter: 45mm

• Bezel diameter: 47mm

• Dial diameter: 33mm

• Case thickness: 11mm

• Lug to lug length: 51mm

• Lug width: 22mm

Those are some pretty generous numbers, apart from the thickness and overall length, which is why this is such a wearable watch.  You will also notice the bezel is 2mm larger than the case and for that reason, it is very easy to manipulate, even with gloves on. The markings on the latter are very well identified and clearly identify all 60 minutes around the dial. There is even a tritium tube placed at the 60 marker and it takes 60 solid clicks to go all the way around.

Unlike Luminox watches, the case back on my model is held down by 4 screws and is made of solid stainless steel. On the case back itself, you will find the manufacturer name, depth rating, which incidentally is 200m, and the standard MB-Microtec notations.  Despite its depth rating, the crown does not screw down, though the action is stiff and when it clicks into place it feels very solid and secure. Remember, it is not the screwing down that makes the case water tight, it is the gaskets.

This is my 1^st watch made with this case material and I must say I am quite impressed! So far, after over 6 months of abuse, it still looks exactly the same as when I open the box for the very first time. And yes, I did play sports and I did take a spill off my mountain bike. Heck, just today, I played ice hockey wearing my Tawatec! It is that light, comfortable and tough!

 

DIAL & CRYSTAL

The crystal on the E.O.Diver is made from K1 ultra-hardened mineral, which resists scratching admirably and does not heighten the cost, as a sapphire crystal would. It sits perfectly flush with the bezel, is flat and does not have any anti-reflective coating. Seriously, at this price point, were you expecting any?

The dial is also matt black, with H3 trigalight tritium GTLS tubes at all hour markers. Military style Octil stencil numerals demark 12 hours in white around the dial and smaller red numerals demark 12 to 24 hrs.  The hands are straight forward baton shaped, similar to many others, but do the trick just fine. Personally, I would have liked a white on black date wheel, though this would be too much to ask for at this price point.

 

MOVEMENT
 
The movement used in the EO Diver is a Ronda high-torque quartz, which means the added weight of the tritium tubes does not impede on the time keeping. In fact, I can detect absolutely no lag or bounce back on the second hand. This particular movement has a solid reputation for being tough. So far my Tawatec has survived everything I have thrown at it without losing a beat.

In the 6 months I have had the pleasure of owning this watch, it has gained a total of 10 seconds, which is perfectly acceptable. I could not be more pleased with its time keeping. For what this watch is, a quartz movement is perfect. I know I probably offended more than half the watch collectors that are reading this, but it’s true! It is tough, keeps great time and it is the very definition of set it and forget it.

Since I only wear this watch on weekends or when I plan on doing rough stuff, it is very nice to know I can just grab the Tawatec and go. I honestly would have chosen this quartz model even if a mechanical version was available.

 

BRACELET

The Tawatec EODiver comes with a rather stiff rubber strap, which features a very nice twin pronged PVD coated buckle. It is quite long and should fit guerrilla sized wrists. Unfortunately, I found it a tad too stiff got my 7” wrist, so I decided to try it on my 22mm ISOfrane rubber strap and the combination is magic!

 Of course it is a little silly that the strap I am using is worth more than half the price of the watch, but the thickness, suppleness and look just fit the Tawatec perfectly. I may eventually give the OEM strap a second chance one day, but right now, nothing fits this watch better than an ISOfrane strap. Of course, that is just my opinion. Your mileage may vary.

 

 

CONCLUSION

If you are looking for a light weight, extremely durable, impact resistant, attractive and AFFORDABLE tool watch, then you should look no further. Add in the GLS tritium illumination and you should now be foaming at the mouth. It is just an exceedingly well thought out and well executed watch.

In my humble opinion, EVERYONE should have one in their collection.

Thank you for reading,

 

Marc