Today’s Guest Bum is Meredith Clark, a Boston area enthusiast with a taste for affordable, automatic dive watches in the 36-43 mm range.
How does a microbrand dive watch stand out in a sea of submariner homages? Give it a cushion case, sapphire crystal, and lumed ceramic bezel insert, all for just $175 shipped worldwide.
Island Watch Taiwan is just two people working on two models. For this article, I reviewed my personal model ONE Diver, the brand’s first foray into watch production. The ONE line also has black and rust brown options, as well as one in yellow with a different dial design. My watch’s dial is a deep shade of green at the center, darkening to black at the edges with a subtle gradient effect.
The double-domed sapphire crystal makes photographing the dial tricky, but it looks fantastic in person. So far, the sapphire has lived up to its scratch-resistant promises – at least enough to survive laying the watch all over my yard to take pictures.
At 44 mm wide without the crown and 53mm lug to lug, the ONE Diver is at the tail end of my comfort range, but not unusual for a contemporary dive watch. The cushion case keeps it looking sleek. At 7.25 inches, my wrist is a fairly average size but I tend to wear my watches low, so the large crown on the heavy ONE Diver had a tendency to dig into to my hand when I flexed my wrist.
The Island Watch guys chose a hacking, hand-winding Seiko NH365A automatic movement for the ONE Diver. It has 24 jewels, a 21.6k bph beat rate, and a 40+ hour power reserve. It is a reliable unit with Diashock protection.
The buckle is a brushed stainless pre-V with the IW logo engraved in the right corner. it is significantly wider than the 24 mm leather strap but relatively thin with a gentle curve that aligns with the wrist for comfort. The strap itself is basic brown leather and could stand to be a bit longer, with closer holes for more precise fit. All in all, the strap and buckle are substantial but fit the proportions of the watch.
Finding and ordering from Island Watch Taiwan is a bit unusual and truly a marker of just how “micro” this microbrand is. There is no website, no shopping cart, no distributor. Instead, interested buyers go to the Island Watch Taiwan Facebook page and message them directly with an order. The brand owners will check inventory and if your desired style is in stock, will send you a PayPal invoice. I was a bit weirded out by this, but PayPal Goods and Services has great buyer protection so I sent the money. I got a tracking number and photograph of the package the next day, and about two weeks later had the ONE in hand.
All in all, the ONE is a terrific watch for the price and fans of large watches will love it. If you like microbrand dive watches with a twist, and prefer those watches to have some weight, reach out to IW yourself.
From the IWT Facebook page:
- 3 dial colors, black, brown and green
- 44mm SS case without crown
- 53mm lug to lug
- Double domed sapphire crystal
- Ceramic bezel insert
- 120 clicks bezel
- SII NH35A movement
- Swiss Lume
- W.R. 300m
- 24mm lug
- One year transferable warranty
