Makara Watch
Steven
Love the watch but after a couple months of use the crown threads stripped. Months later and multiple attempts to get in contact with makara support they have yet to respond. Worst customer service. Would not recommend.
Maybe they are to busy! Microbrands usually are a 1-2 man operation + they had a new release so it could be a bit hard to reach them! Keep trying until you reach them or write to them on Instagram and facebook!
Funky tool dive watches will always have a home on worn&wound. There is something inexplicably charming about them. Sometimes they are too big, sometimes too clunky, but they are kind of always fun to test and try out. The biggest problem with them is variation. Many brands have nearly the same designs, sometimes suspiciously so, making them become tiresome and tedious. So, when a brand comes along with something unique, it tends to grab our attention.
The Sea Turtle comes in two flavors and either black, teal or maroon. There is the classic, just called the Sea Turtle, and a dressed up version call the Hawksbill. They share some elements and in the end give the watch a similar feel, but they do have some clear visual differences. The Sea Turtle has a primary index of large, printed markers with a classic dive style. There is a triangle at 12, rectangles at 3 and 9, dots for the other hours and a date window at 6. All of the markers are bold and oversized, but hold up against the mass of the case.
The Hawsbill has the same gilt line, text and date window, but a different set of markers. Here they went with applied markers with gold edges and lume fillings. The markers are all tapering rectangles doubling at 12 and getting slightly larger at 3 and 9. The look is definitely different from the classic model, a bit more refined and vintage looking. That said, I like them both equally. The flat printed version feels sporty and perhaps suits the size of the watch a bit more while the applied markers have a more unique feel and the gold tone surrounds tie the dial and case together even more. Both dials feature C3 lume on the markers and in the hands. The hands glow pretty brightly, but the markers were disappointing on both styles, especially since they have a lot of area for lume application.
The color options are interesting too. The black looks and feels as expected, but the teal has a cool effect. The color works very well with the warmth of the bronze, accentuating it while not overtaking it. It also tempered the somewhat more vintage or aged feel of the watch as the color is clean and modern.
With the Sea Turtle, Makara has made a fun and unique watch that I think big watch and bronze watch people will really enjoy. The case design is very appealing, if lacking in ergonomics, and will attract people that are tired of off-the-shelf cases. The various dial options give you a nice range of choices to tailor the look to your tastes, with both designs having their own appeal. And the domed sapphire crystal is utterly gorgeous. Having a Seiko NH35A inside then guarantees good performance.
I preordered the teal Hawksbill and had it for a few months. Only wore it a handful of times. I was hoping to distract myself from my desire to own a bronze PAM. It did not cut it. I would have been willing to spend more money to get more of a watch. The dial really left me wanting more. The gold metal used has a very thin and cheap look. The faux gilt print is lackluster and dull. Mainly the Arial looking font used for the dial and dat was both flat and extremely boring. The case was fantastic though. All the engravings were very cool. But the lug width is too small for these crazy lugs. I think 26 mm would have been more appropriate. Unfortunately it was the combo of all that which made me end up selling it.
Featuring a chunky case inspired by the armored shell of a turtle, this bold wristwatch packs a Seiko automatic movement with a 41-hour power reserve, and luminescent markers. It looks great in either stainless steel or black PVD finishes, and is waterproof to 300m. Available for a limited time only from Drop.
Canadian micro brand Makara has a thing for dive watches and octagons, and hey, why the hell not? Divers are cool tools, the watch buying community seems to have an insatiable appetite for them, and there is no shortage of round or cushion case divers out there. Makara introduced their signature shape with the aptly named Octopus in 2014 and followed up with the Sea Turtle series in 2015. The line is comprised of two models, rated for 300 meters, and available in black, teal, or maroon. The standard watch has round, printed markers and arrow-shaped hands while the Hawksbill has pencil hands and applied geometric markers. All other attributes are the same.For this review, I borrowed a Maroon dial Hawksbill model from a happy owner and gave it some quality wrist time.
By just about any measure, this is a big watch. The CuSn8 bronze case is 44mm wide, 52mm long, and 13.5mm thick, but this is only half the story. These would be prodigious dimensions for a round case, but the Makara has more in play, driven by three key design elements. First of all, the case has broad, flat sides, longer than its chunky, angular lugs. As a result, the corners of watchstretch much farther outward than those of a symmetrical shape. The faceted lugs meet at the second element, a smooth, round bezel, and frame it in a perfect octagon. That bezel rises upwards and inwards to meet the third element, a massive, double-domed sapphire crystal towering over the case, raising the overall thickness to a whopping 17mm. It is an imposing brute of a case, and one that should look even more imposing as the metal develops its characteristic mottled brown patina.
Dial text is limited to the brand name and water resistance rating, and while I appreciate the lack of clutter, I found myself longing for some decoration. The font is just a generic sans-serif, looking exactly like any number of other micro brands. Using a more creative typeface and incorporating the crown or case back illustrations as a logo could have worked wonders but as it is, the dial is perfectly nice, represents a lost opportunity to excel.
The flat rubber appears to be soft silicone and is quite comfortable. Fitted ends sit snugly against the case and flare outward to cover the ends of the lugs, meeting their outer edges and matching their angle as the strap tapers back to 24mm.The Makara name in molded into both lengths of the strap, which is overkill given the bold branding on the buckle.
The leather strap is thick and pliable with a pebbled grain and white stitching. It is perfectly serviceable, but not terribly impressive. The raw cut sizes expose an unattractive layer of filler under the thin veneer of top leather, and I do not think black is the most flattering color for this dial. Still, I ended up wearing the watch on the leather strap for almost the entire time I had it, albeit for reasons that had nothing to do with its appearance.
You see, I discovered that I am actually allergic to that bronze alloy. I have been allergic to nickel my whole life, and most forms of gold plating will eat my skin, so discovering a reaction to another metal was hardly a shock,but I have not encountered this problem with any other brass or bronze watch. I realized the difference here was that the flat rubber strap allowed the bronze buckle to remain in direct contact with my wrist while the thick leather strap kept the buckle elevated and away from my skin. The stainless case back did the same for the bronze case, minimizing contact. I discovered this was true of my other bronze watches as well. Go figure. I am quite sure I am in the minority on this one, but it is something to consider if you are prone to metal allergies.
The double domed sapphire crystal will provide excellent visibility while giving the watch superior durability and scratch resistance. A 24mm silicone strap will keep the watch secure on the wrist while providing a fuller look with the narrower case, as compared to the previous Sea Turtle.
Makara has decided to double down with the badass, savage, and unique claim with a brass knuckle shaped buckle. The buckle will come in the same three colors as the case to maintain a cohesiveness throughout the watch. It provides a very distinctive character to the watch and further shows just how far Makara are willing to push the evnvelope on what a quality watch should be.
This is the first bronze watch of any type that I have been able to review. Makara is a Canadian brand that offers this watch in two models, the Hawksbill and the Sea Turtle. The only difference that I can determine between the two models is the design of the hands and indices. For this review I have a Sea Turtle with the maroon face.
Both models are available in your choice of black, maroon or teal dials with white Superluminova C1 applied to the hands and the indices. The case and bezel are machined out of one piece of bronze, CuSn8, which from what I gather is among the earliest developed metals, possibly going back as far as 3500 BC. This type of bronze is highly resistant to corrosion, making it a popular material for use around boats and in salt air. Bronze is typically 88% copper and 12% tin, but it can vary and other elements and metals such as phosphorus, zinc, lead, nickel, aluminum, iron and manganese can be used in different types of bronze.
The 316L round case back sits precisely within the chunky bronze case. The back is engraved with a Polynesian like design of a sea turtle and what I think are ocean waves. The caseback is raised with a 12 sided inner edge, which is engraved with information about the watch. I assume the case back is screw down which may require a special tool for removal or installation.
The supplied thick, black grained leather strap tapers only slightly from 24mm. It has contrasting white edge stitching, two very soft strap loops and a large, thick bronze signed buckle. A rubber strap is also included, for those owners that want to get this watch wet.
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